Accounts payable administrator vs senior accounting clerk

The differences between accounts payable administrators and senior 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 a senior accounting clerk. Additionally, a senior accounting clerk has an average salary of $46,531, 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 a senior accounting clerk are data entry, general ledger accounts, and reconciliations.

Accounts payable administrator vs senior accounting clerk overview

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Senior Accounting Clerk
Yearly salary	$41,860	$46,531
Hourly rate	$20.12	$22.37
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	79,272	82,627
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
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 a senior accounting clerk do?

Senior Accounting Clerks lead in a complex set of work staff and are responsible for performing governmental fund accounting that involves reporting and financial record keeping. They are responsible for resolving discrepancies, verifying and auditing financial reports, and inputting data into their financial accounting system. They must know methods of verifying and reconciling accounting records, accounts payable and receivable, and how to familiarize themselves with their firm's financial accounting software. They must also be skilled in handling large sums of cash with integrity and making manual arithmetical calculations with speed and accuracy.

Accounts payable administrator vs senior accounting clerk salary

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average salary	$41,860	$46,531
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $54,000	Between $33,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Ducommun	Encore Capital Group
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between accounts payable administrator and senior accounting clerk education

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Senior Accounting Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 46%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable administrator vs senior accounting clerk demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Administrator	Senior Accounting Clerk
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%	Male, 18.0% Female, 82.0%
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, 6.8% 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%

Differences between accounts payable administrator and senior 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.

Senior accounting clerk example responsibilities.

Manage payroll general ledger accounts including account reconciliations and monthly accruals.
Implement premium accounting statistical reports of all monies collect, including return items and general accounting from bank reconciliations.
Process ACH payments in accordance with company deadlines.
Cross train on many functions within the ACH department.
Monitor and clear holding accounts daily using PeopleSoft; prepare journals as necessary.
Assist with monthly, quarterly, and yearly closing processes, including accruals.

Accounts payable administrator vs senior 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 senior accounting clerk skills

Data Entry, 10%
General Ledger Accounts, 9%
Reconciliations, 8%
Senior Accounting, 7%
Purchase Orders, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%

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Accounts Payable Administrator
Accounts Payable Administrator vs Senior Accounting Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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