Accounts payable assistant vs accounts payable technician

The differences between accounts payable assistants and accounts payable technicians 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 accounts payable technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an accounts payable technician has an average salary of $47,325, 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 accounts payable technician are FAA, A/P, and powerplant.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts payable technician overview

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Payable Technician
Yearly salary	$37,145	$47,325
Hourly rate	$17.86	$22.75
Growth rate	-5%	6%
Number of jobs	31,341	23,079
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Average age	51	40
Years of experience	6	4

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 accounts payable technician do?

An Accounts Payable Technician performs the day-to-day processing of accounts payable transactions. They prepare and process invoices and other financial documents manually or by using specialized automated software.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts payable technician salary

Accounts payable assistants and accounts payable technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Payable Technician
Average salary	$37,145	$47,325
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $33,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Santa Cruz, CA	Juneau, AK
Highest paying state	California	Alaska
Best paying company	Emerson College	Baptist Health Care
Best paying industry	Construction	Manufacturing

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounts payable technician education

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Payable Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 39%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	SUNY Farmingdale

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts payable technician demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Payable Technician
Average age	51	40
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0%
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, 9.1% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 23.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	2%

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounts payable technician 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.

Accounts payable technician example responsibilities.

Manage the FOD prevention program to reduce costly repairs and increase the participation in FOD awareness and FOD walk downs.
Utilize technical data to troubleshoot maintenance issues.
Obtain practical experience on the Garrett TPE-331 powerplant.
Maintain catalog of store A/P, A/R source documents.
Enter all invoices into a/p software, assigns g/l account numbers & appropriate cost centers.
Obtain practical experience on the TFE-731 Garrett powerplant and hot section inspection experience on the Pratt and Whitney PT6.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts payable technician skills

Common accounts payable assistant skills

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

Common accounts payable technician skills

FAA, 13%
A/P, 9%
Powerplant, 9%
Airframe, 8%
Troubleshoot, 7%
Hand Tools, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Assistant
Accounts Payable Assistant vs Accounts Payable Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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