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.
Accounts payable administrator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real accounts payable administrator resumes:
- 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.
- General management of QuickBooks accounting software and data.
- Perform accounts receivable reconciliations, cash receipts, billing adjustments and reimbursements.
- Navigate software applications to produce financial statements and relate supporting details in accordance with GAAP.
- Provide accurate and effective document preparation and records management relative to the AP function in accordance with records retention policies and procedures
Accounts payable administrator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Accounts Payable Administrators are proficient in Purchase Orders, Data Entry, and Vendor Invoices. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Organizational skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Accounts Payable Administrators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Purchase Orders, 12%
Investigated and resolved problems associated with processing of invoices and purchase orders, particularly those that do not automatically match.
- Data Entry, 9%
Assisted with other payable processes as needed, to include data entry, performing queries, basic reconciliations and data management.
- Vendor Invoices, 8%
Process vendor invoices ensuring compliance with purchasing policies, tax and governmental regulations and corporate instructions.
- Expense Reports, 6%
Enforced compliance by associates regarding travel policies and procedures to include the substantiation and justification of expenditures and expense reports.
- Credit Card, 5%
Assisted with development of standard policies and operating procedures for payment verification, employee reimbursements, and credit card administration.
- Vendor Statements, 5%
Reconciled vendor statements and performed any other miscellaneous office related duties.
Most accounts payable administrators use their skills in "purchase orders," "data entry," and "vendor invoices" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential accounts payable administrator responsibilities here:
Computer skills. For certain accounts payable administrator responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "computer skills." The day-to-day duties of an accounts payable administrator rely on this skill, as "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks need to be comfortable using computer spreadsheets and bookkeeping software." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what accounts payable administrators do: "process computerized disbursements along with any manual checks. "
Detail oriented. Another common skill required for accounts payable administrator responsibilities is "detail oriented." This skill comes up in the duties of accounts payable administrators all the time, as "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are responsible for producing accurate financial records." An excerpt from a real accounts payable administrator resume shows how this skill is central to what an accounts payable administrator does: "created purchase orders and managed the purchasing detail report. "
Integrity. Another skill commonly found on accounts payable administrator job descriptions is "integrity." It can come up quite often in accounts payable administrator duties, since "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks have control of an organization’s financial documentation, which they must use properly and keep confidential." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day accounts payable administrator responsibilities: "recorded all a/p transactions assuring document support and integrity thru purchase order system. "
The three companies that hire the most accounts payable administrators are:
- M/I Homes3 accounts payable administrators jobs
- Ducommun2 accounts payable administrators jobs
- Lithia Motors2 accounts payable administrators jobs
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Compare different accounts payable administrators
Accounts payable administrator vs. Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, accounts payable administrator responsibilities require skills like "credit card," "vendor statements," "vendor accounts," and "vendor inquiries." Meanwhile a typical bookkeeper has skills in areas such as "payroll tax returns," "customer service," "financial transactions," and "credit card accounts." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Bookkeepers really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $42,063. Comparatively, accounts payable administrators tend to make the most money in the finance industry with an average salary of $51,578.On average, bookkeepers reach similar levels of education than accounts payable administrators. Bookkeepers are 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Accounts payable administrator vs. Charge bookkeeper
A full charge bookkeeper's primary job is to manage and handle all the accounts of a small or medium-sized business. They are responsible for overseeing the accounting duties for a company, including billing customers, preparing bank statements and tax returns, and processing timesheets. Also, a full charge bookkeeper collates and enters vendor expenses, maintains the ledger's accuracy, and process accounts receivables. There are specific requirements you should meet to become a successful full charge bookkeeper, such as having a bachelor's degree in accounting, previous work experience as a charge bookkeeper, and bookkeeping certification.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, accounts payable administrator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "purchase orders," "data entry," "credit card," and "vendor statements." Meanwhile, a charge bookkeeper has duties that require skills in areas such as "payroll tax returns," "balance sheet," "excellent organizational," and "financial data." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Charge bookkeepers earn a higher average salary than accounts payable administrators. But charge bookkeepers earn the highest pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $51,567. Additionally, accounts payable administrators earn the highest salaries in the finance with average pay of $51,578 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Charge bookkeepers tend to reach similar levels of education than accounts payable administrators. In fact, they're 0.5% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for accounts payable administrators in the next 3-5 years?
Grace Huff
Assistant Professor of Accounting, Daemen College
Accounts payable administrator vs. Senior accounting clerk
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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, accounts payable administrators are more likely to have skills like "credit card," "financial reports," "journal entries," and "invoice processing." But a senior accounting clerk is more likely to have skills like "senior accounting," "credit card payments," "account reconciliations," and "bank accounts."
Senior accounting clerks make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $54,607. On the other hand, accounts payable administrators are paid the highest salary in the finance industry, with average annual pay of $51,578.senior accounting clerks typically earn similar educational levels compared to accounts payable administrators. Specifically, they're 0.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Accounts payable administrator vs. Accounting clerk
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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between accounts payable administrators and accounting clerks, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an accounts payable administrator might have more use for skills like "credit card," "journal entries," "vendor inquiries," and "invoice processing." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of accounting clerks require skills like "customer service," "credit card payments," "ledgers," and "cash receipts. "
In general, accounting clerks earn the most working in the government industry, with an average salary of $40,064. The highest-paying industry for an accounts payable administrator is the finance industry.The average resume of accounting clerks showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to accounts payable administrators. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.0%.Types of accounts payable administrator
Updated January 8, 2025
