Accounting administrator vs accounts payable clerk

The differences between accounting administrators and accounts payable clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an accounting administrator and an accounts payable clerk. Additionally, an accounting administrator has an average salary of $48,068, which is higher than the $38,333 average annual salary of an accounts payable clerk.

The top three skills for an accounting administrator include customer service, data entry and reconciliations. The most important skills for an accounts payable clerk are customer service, data entry, and purchase orders.

Accounting administrator vs accounts payable clerk overview

	Accounting Administrator	Accounts Payable Clerk
Yearly salary	$48,068	$38,333
Hourly rate	$23.11	$18.43
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	97,934	89,564
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounting administrator do?

An accounting administrator is responsible for reviewing and analyzing account statements, managing deposits, and resolving bank discrepancies and financial disputes. Accounting administrators handle the efficient and accurate cash flow within an organization, including payroll release and filing of petty cash. They maintain an organized record of payments and billing statements for reference and audit purposes to generate reports for the management. An accounting administrator must have extensive knowledge of the accounting principles, as well as excellent communication and analytical skills to perform duties effectively, even under minimal supervision.

What does an accounts payable clerk do?

An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.

Accounting administrator vs accounts payable clerk salary

Accounting administrators and accounts payable clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Administrator	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average salary	$48,068	$38,333
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $70,000	Between $30,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Clifton, NJ	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Cambridge Associates	Jane Street
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between accounting administrator and accounts payable clerk education

There are a few differences between an accounting administrator and an accounts payable clerk in terms of educational background:

	Accounting Administrator	Accounts Payable Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting administrator vs accounts payable clerk demographics

Here are the differences between accounting administrators' and accounts payable clerks' demographics:

	Accounting Administrator	Accounts Payable Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting administrator and accounts payable clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounting administrator example responsibilities.

Manage cash flow; online banking, initiates ACH transactions, deposits and transfer of funds.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Monitor and resolve accounts overdue, return ACH and collection calls.
Import time into the ADP batch and process any expenses or miscellaneous reimbursements.
Work directly with the owners & CPA providing weekly/monthly financial reporting and year end tax preparation.
Record dividends and loan payments, also consult with CPA and business owners for tax preparation.

Accounts payable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Match, code, and process vendor payments via MAS90 accounting system - including check runs and ACH payments.
Perform duties in compliance with GAAP, company and department policies and procedures, internal controls, and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.
Process division payroll in coordination with ADP payroll systems for semi-monthly and weekly union contract employees.
Scan and store documents daily, retrieve W2 and W9 information along with service provider agreements when or if need.
Print, review, research, edit, code and batch invoices for processing via the various ERP financial systems.

Accounting administrator vs accounts payable clerk skills

Common accounting administrator skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 9%
Reconciliations, 7%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Journal Entries, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%

Common accounts payable clerk skills

Customer Service, 13%
Data Entry, 10%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%

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Accounting Administrator
Accounting Administrator vs Accounts Payable Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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