Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable assistant

The differences between accounts payable assistants and accounts receivable assistants 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 assistant and an accounts receivable assistant. Additionally, an accounts payable assistant has an average salary of $37,145, which is higher than the $36,730 average annual salary of an accounts receivable 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 receivable assistant are customer service, data entry, and cash handling.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable assistant overview

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,145	$36,730
Hourly rate	$17.86	$17.66
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	31,341	31,748
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

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 receivable assistant do?

An accounts receivable assistant has a variety of duties and responsibilities, including securing revenue by verifying receipts, maintaining records by microfilming debits, credits, and invoices, and summarizing receivables by maintaining invoices and determining the validity of account discrepancies. Other duties include keeping information confidential to protect the organization's value, accomplishing the organization and accounting mission, and resolving valid and authorized deductions. As an accounts receivable assistant, you are also responsible for posting customer payments by recording credit card, cash, and check transactions.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable assistant salary

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Average salary	$37,145	$36,730
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Santa Cruz, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	California	New York
Best paying company	Emerson College	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between accounts payable assistant and accounts receivable assistant education

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable assistant demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
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, 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 assistant and accounts receivable 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.

Accounts receivable assistant example responsibilities.

Reconcile bank deposit information with QuickBooks and manage all deposit files.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Post customer payments by recording ACH, checks, and credit card transactions.
Inventory control using IBM AS400 system.
Maintain invoicing in AS400 billing system, reviewing collection activities and reconciling accounts.
Take in and disburse payments from customers in forms of checks, credit cards, ACH, and portal payments.

Accounts payable assistant vs accounts receivable 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 accounts receivable assistant skills

Customer Service, 25%
Data Entry, 10%
Cash Handling, 7%
Financial Reports, 4%
Purchase Orders, 4%
Payroll, 4%

Accounts Payable Assistant vs. similar jobs

Accounts Payable Assistant related careers

Accounts Payable Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Assistant
Accounts Payable Assistant vs Accounts Receivable Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs