Accounts payable assistant vs sales administrator/administrative assistant

The differences between accounts payable assistants and sales administrator/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 a sales administrator/administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an accounts payable assistant has an average salary of $37,145, which is higher than the $36,442 average annual salary of a sales administrator/administrative assistant.

The top three skills for an accounts payable assistant include data entry, purchase orders and vendor invoices. The most important skills for a sales administrator/administrative assistant are reservations, word processing, and data entry.

Accounts payable assistant vs sales administrator/administrative assistant overview

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,145	$36,442
Hourly rate	$17.86	$17.52
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	31,341	104,412
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
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 a sales administrator/administrative assistant do?

A sales administrator/administrative assistant is responsible for assisting the sales department on its overall operations and strategies to sell goods and services that would increase the company's revenues and profitability. Sales administrator/administrative assistants perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, such as creating and evaluating sales reports, writing business proposals, scheduling meetings, booking events, and researching current market trends to identify business opportunities. They must have excellent customer service and communication skills, managing customers' inquiries and concerns, processing orders and payments, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Accounts payable assistant vs sales administrator/administrative assistant salary

Accounts payable assistants and sales administrator/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,145	$36,442
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $46,000	Between $29,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Santa Cruz, CA	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Emerson College	Splunk
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between accounts payable assistant and sales administrator/administrative assistant education

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

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 49%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Accounts payable assistant vs sales administrator/administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between accounts payable assistants' and sales administrator/administrative assistants' demographics:

	Accounts Payable Assistant	Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant
Average age	51	50
Gender ratio	Male, 15.2% Female, 84.8%	Male, 9.7% Female, 90.3%
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, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between accounts payable assistant and sales administrator/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.

Sales administrator/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Contribute to marketing business online and manage Facebook page.
Invoice customer on completion of project.
Perform regular audits on the CRM system for data and process integrity and routine database maintenance.
Create accounts, contacts, and opportunities resulting in the successful execution of customer contracts in Salesforce.
Process new applications for merchant banking services, cash advance funding, POS equipment leasing, and small business lending.
Prepare and sustain business reports; expense tracking, monthly accrual and invoice payment submission, procurement card reconciliation report maintenance.

Accounts payable assistant vs sales administrator/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 sales administrator/administrative assistant skills

Reservations, 12%
Word Processing, 8%
Data Entry, 7%
PowerPoint, 6%
Phone Calls, 5%
Payroll, 5%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Assistant
Accounts Payable Assistant vs Sales Administrator/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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