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The differences between accounts payable/administrative assistants and accounts payable administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become an accounts payable/administrative assistant, becoming an accounts payable administrator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts payable administrator has an average salary of $41,860, which is higher than the $41,382 average annual salary of an accounts payable/administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an accounts payable/administrative assistant include purchase orders, data entry and vendor invoices. The most important skills for an accounts payable administrator are purchase orders, data entry, and vendor invoices.
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounts Payable Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $41,382 | $41,860 |
| Hourly rate | $19.90 | $20.12 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -5% |
| Number of jobs | 56,780 | 79,272 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 50 | 51 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
An accounts payable/administrative assistant works alongside the department head. This position focuses on the administrative side of a budgeting department. They are responsible for organizing a company's financial records, which include all documentation of financial transactions, such as invoices and receipts. They also manage all paperwork needed by their department.
An accounts payable administrator is an individual who reviews and verifies the invoices of suppliers and grants payment requests. Accounts payable administrators must prepare invoice batches and input them in the accounts payable module of the financial information system every day to ensure that payments meet weekly and monthly deadlines. When warranted, they seek clarifications or explanations from submitters and responds to inquiries from suppliers, consultants, and clients regarding the status of their payments. Accounts payable administrators must also ensure that reimbursements are properly approved.
Accounts payable/administrative assistants and accounts payable administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounts Payable Administrator | |
| Average salary | $41,382 | $41,860 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $56,000 | Between $32,000 And $54,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Providence, RI | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New York |
| Best paying company | Gypsum Management and Supply | Ducommun |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Finance |
There are a few differences between an accounts payable/administrative assistant and an accounts payable administrator in terms of educational background:
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounts Payable Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 37% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between accounts payable/administrative assistants' and accounts payable administrators' demographics:
| Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant | Accounts Payable Administrator | |
| Average age | 50 | 51 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 6.6% Female, 93.4% | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 7% |