Accounts payable administrator vs accounting clerk

The differences between accounts payable administrators and accounting 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 accounts payable administrator and an accounting clerk. Additionally, an accounts payable administrator has an average salary of $41,860, which is higher than the $38,683 average annual salary of an accounting clerk.

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

Accounts payable administrator vs accounting clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$41,860	$38,683
Hourly rate	$20.12	$18.60
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	79,272	106,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounts payable administrator do?

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.

What does an accounting clerk do?

Accounting clerks are employees assigned to manage administrative and clerical tasks in the accounting department. Accounting clerks handle office accounting records and ensure that files are properly labeled and stored. They validate records and check whether these are updated. They also sort through documents to ensure that they are in their proper storage bins. Aside from document handling, they also help with creating and validating financial statements and bookkeeping. As such, accounting clerks should have a strong background in accounting to manage their tasks better.

Accounts payable administrator vs accounting clerk salary

Accounts payable administrators and accounting clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$41,860	$38,683
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $54,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Ducommun	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between accounts payable administrator and accounting clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 49%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable administrator vs accounting clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 20.0% Female, 80.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable administrator and accounting clerk duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable administrator example responsibilities.

Manage payroll transactions utilizing ADP payroll software.
Maintain a cash flow chart of checks issue and clear, ACH payments, incoming collections, and wire transfers.
Solve complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Set up new vendors, maintain new supplier forms and proper W8 and W9 reporting.
Implement standard form to vendors to complete and return along with W9 and a sample invoice.
Review and record vendor bills utilizing QuickBooks.

Accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Perform balance sheet reconciliations and resolve open items by notifying employees and vendors of transaction discrepancies.
Assist in monthly financial close process by analyzing preliminary departmental expense reports and making necessary adjustments and accruals.
Develop a spreadsheet that pulls all data relate to project hours by operation from the ERP system.
Process all incoming payments receive via ACH, EFT, or the web; ensure accounts are accurately balance and reconcile.
Digitize proof of delivery receipts into ERP system (AS400) serving as an easy backup for employees to verify occurrence.

Accounts payable administrator vs accounting clerk skills

Common accounts payable administrator skills

Purchase Orders, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Credit Card, 5%
Vendor Statements, 5%

Common accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 15%
Customer Service, 10%
Purchase Orders, 9%
Reconciliations, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
QuickBooks, 3%

Accounts Payable Administrator vs. similar jobs

Accounts Payable Administrator related careers

Accounts Payable Administrator related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Administrator
Accounts Payable Administrator vs Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs