Accounting administrator vs junior accountant

The differences between accounting administrators and junior accountants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounting administrator, becoming a junior accountant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a junior accountant has an average salary of $50,444, which is higher than the $48,068 average annual salary of an accounting administrator.

The top three skills for an accounting administrator include customer service, data entry and reconciliations. The most important skills for a junior accountant are reconciliations, general ledger accounts, and account reconciliations.

Accounting administrator vs junior accountant overview

	Accounting Administrator	Junior Accountant
Yearly salary	$48,068	$50,444
Hourly rate	$23.11	$24.25
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	97,934	57,892
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	51	44
Years of experience	6	4

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 a junior accountant do?

Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.

Accounting administrator vs junior accountant salary

Accounting administrators and junior accountants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounting Administrator	Junior Accountant
Average salary	$48,068	$50,444
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $70,000	Between $38,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Clifton, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Cambridge Associates	Fuhu
Best paying industry	Technology	Construction

Differences between accounting administrator and junior accountant education

There are a few differences between an accounting administrator and a junior accountant in terms of educational background:

	Accounting Administrator	Junior Accountant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 53%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounting administrator vs junior accountant demographics

Here are the differences between accounting administrators' and junior accountants' demographics:

	Accounting Administrator	Junior Accountant
Average age	51	44
Gender ratio	Male, 16.9% Female, 83.1%	Male, 39.6% Female, 60.4%
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, 7.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 16.6% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounting administrator and junior accountant 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.

Junior accountant example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor accounting procedures for compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley and coordinate and facilitate external audit requirements.
Perform and assist with month-end close procedures, including preparation of monthly balance sheet and income statement account reconciliations.
Identify hundreds of daily transactions from banking statements using QuickBooks and present monthly financial reports
Perform bank and credit card reconciliations and assist with month-end accruals in addition to inter-company reconciliations.
Prepare financial schedules, account reconciliations, and detail financial statements and reports for analysis, financial reporting, and decision-making.
Deposit checks into lockbox and post to funds to proper accounts daily.

Accounting administrator vs junior accountant skills

Common accounting administrator skills

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

Common junior accountant skills

Reconciliations, 18%
General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 5%
Data Entry, 5%
QuickBooks, 4%
Payroll Taxes, 4%

Accounting Administrator vs. similar jobs

Accounting Administrator related careers

Accounting Administrator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Accounting Administrator
Accounting Administrator vs Junior Accountant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs