Accounts payable administrator vs accounts payable lead

The differences between accounts payable administrators and accounts payable leads 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 accounts payable lead. Additionally, an accounts payable lead has an average salary of $57,175, which is higher than the $41,860 average annual salary of an accounts payable administrator.

The top three skills for an accounts payable administrator include purchase orders, data entry and vendor invoices. The most important skills for an accounts payable lead are FAA, purchase orders, and vendor invoices.

Accounts payable administrator vs accounts payable lead overview

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounts Payable Lead
Yearly salary	$41,860	$57,175
Hourly rate	$20.12	$27.49
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	79,272	31,041
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
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 accounts payable lead do?

Accounts payable leads are accounting professionals who are responsible for leading a team of professionals that manage the company's accounts payable, a short-term debt payment that needs to be paid to avoid default. These professionals are required to evaluate vendor invoices and prepare payments to pay vendors while preparing the daily expense reports. They must create the general ledger at the end of the month to reconcile closing balances. Accounts payable leads must also assist purchasing agents in resolving vendor or customer issues that pertained to inaccurate information on purchase orders.

Accounts payable administrator vs accounts payable lead salary

Accounts payable administrators and accounts payable leads have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounts Payable Lead
Average salary	$41,860	$57,175
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $54,000	Between $41,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New York	New York
Best paying company	Ducommun	NV Energy
Best paying industry	Finance	Technology

Differences between accounts payable administrator and accounts payable lead education

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounts Payable Lead
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable administrator vs accounts payable lead demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Accounts Payable Lead
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 6.5% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts payable administrator and accounts payable lead 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.

Accounts payable lead example responsibilities.

Manage weekly payment scheduling to expedite and efficiently meet vendor payment deadlines; including check run dates, wires and ACH.
Manage payroll transactions utilizing ADP payroll software.
Process check runs: set payments within the system, verify accuracy, and print checks launch ACH payments.
Assist in the implementation of new ERP system by testing and providing information need to meet the accounts payable processes.
Process invoices, check requests, employee reimbursements, and credit memos and ensure compliance with SOX documentation and approval guidelines.
Transmit monthly payroll information for bank reconciliation.

Accounts payable administrator vs accounts payable lead 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 accounts payable lead skills

FAA, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Reconciliations, 6%
Data Entry, 5%
ACH, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Administrator
Accounts Payable Administrator vs Accounts Payable Lead

Updated January 8, 2025

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