Accounts payable assistant vs accounting and administrative assistant

The differences between accounts payable assistants and accounting and administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an accounts payable assistant, becoming an accounting and administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an accounting and administrative assistant has an average salary of $38,192, which is higher than the $37,145 average annual salary of an accounts payable assistant.

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

Accounts payable assistant vs accounting and administrative assistant overview

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounting And Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,145	$38,192
Hourly rate	$17.86	$18.36
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	31,341	73,060
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	51	50
Years of experience	6	2

What does an accounts payable assistant do?

An accounts payable assistant is responsible for monitoring the company's billing transactions, ensuring the accurate and efficient completion of the business' financial obligations. Accounts payable assistants process invoices, resolve account discrepancies, manage bank reconciliation, create expense reports, and updating account information on the company's database. They work within a team of the accounting and finance department, assisting with tax filing and audit processes as needed. An accounts payable assistant must have excellent knowledge of the financial industry and accounting principles to perform various duties, as well as doing administrative and clerical tasks as needed.

What does an accounting and administrative assistant do?

An accounting administrative assistant is responsible for supporting the operations of the accounting department of an organization by performing administrative duties to maintain efficient and accurate services. Accounting administrative assistants conduct bookkeeping functions, as well as creating financial reports, analyzing account statements, updating account information on the database, processing invoices, and managing account receivables. They must have basic knowledge of the accounting disciplines, as well as excellent analytical and communication skills, especially on receiving clients' inquiries and concerns and administering payment procedures.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounting and administrative assistant salary

Accounts payable assistants and accounting and administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounting And Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,145	$38,192
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $29,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Santa Cruz, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Emerson College	Ernst & Young
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounting and administrative assistant education

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounting And Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable assistant vs accounting and administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between accounts payable assistants' and accounting and administrative assistants' demographics:

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounting And Administrative Assistant
Average age	51	50
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 10.0% Female, 90.0%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 3.9% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounting and administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable assistant example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Issue weekly payments to vendors by check, ACH, domestic wire, and international wire in USD and other currencies.
Assist in accounts payable/receivable including check deposits, credit card payments, ACH payments, credits, check runs, etc.
Compose effective accounting reports summarizing accounts payable data using QuickBooks.
Prepare payroll for salary and hourly personnel, including necessary reports for regulatory bodies.
Respond to payroll accounting inquires; provide resolution, information, or direction accordingly.

Accounting and administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Upload participant and employer contributions after each payroll run, prepare ACH wire for funds and reconcile payroll.
Maintain a cash balance report consisting of current bank account activity, business checking balance and upcoming ACH withdrawal transactions.
Create numerous PowerPoint presentations for internal and external presentations.
Set up PowerPoint presentations, operate overhead projectors and microphones.
Recorded/Maintain accounts payable and accounts receivable by investigating business transaction discrepancies via QuickBooks.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounting and administrative assistant skills

Common accounts payable assistant skills

Data Entry, 15%
Purchase Orders, 10%
Vendor Invoices, 9%
Payroll, 6%
Vendor Statements, 5%
Financial Reports, 4%

Common accounting and administrative assistant skills

Data Entry, 12%
Customer Service, 8%
Financial Statements, 7%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 4%
QuickBooks, 4%

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Accounts Payable Assistant
Accounts Payable Assistant vs Accounting And Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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