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The differences between accounting administrators and bookkeepers 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 a bookkeeper. Additionally, an accounting administrator has an average salary of $48,068, which is higher than the $40,337 average annual salary of a bookkeeper.
The top three skills for an accounting administrator include customer service, data entry and reconciliations. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.
| Accounting Administrator | Bookkeeper | |
| Yearly salary | $48,068 | $40,337 |
| Hourly rate | $23.11 | $19.39 |
| Growth rate | -5% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 97,934 | 38,481 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
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.
Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.
Accounting administrators and bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounting Administrator | Bookkeeper | |
| Average salary | $48,068 | $40,337 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $70,000 | Between $30,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | Clifton, NJ | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Cambridge Associates | NTT Data International L.L.C. |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an accounting administrator and a bookkeeper in terms of educational background:
| Accounting Administrator | Bookkeeper | |
| 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 |
Here are the differences between accounting administrators' and bookkeepers' demographics:
| Accounting Administrator | Bookkeeper | |
| Average age | 51 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1% | Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6% |
| 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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |