Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable assistant

The differences between accounts payable associates 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 associate and an accounts receivable assistant. Additionally, an accounts payable associate has an average salary of $39,270, which is higher than the $36,730 average annual salary of an accounts receivable assistant.

The top three skills for an accounts payable associate include customer service, data entry and purchase orders. The most important skills for an accounts receivable assistant are customer service, data entry, and cash handling.

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable assistant overview

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Yearly salary	$39,270	$36,730
Hourly rate	$18.88	$17.66
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	30,845	31,748
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounts payable associate do?

An accounts payable associate is primarily responsible for processing bills and payments for a company, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Moreover, they are also responsible for maintaining records of all transactions, liaising with external agencies, coordinating with different departments to gather data, receiving and monitoring invoices, and obtaining approval from managers or supervisors when it comes to payments as needed. An accounts payable associate may also produce financial reports and statements, create presentations, train new members of the workforce, and assist audits, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

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 associate vs accounts receivable assistant salary

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Average salary	$39,270	$36,730
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $49,000	Between $29,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Accenture	University of California, Berkeley
Best paying industry	Construction	Professional

Differences between accounts payable associate and accounts receivable assistant education

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable assistant demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Assistant
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.6% 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 associate and accounts receivable assistant duties and responsibilities

Accounts payable associate example responsibilities.

Manage the PeopleSoft PO/Voucher/Receiver matching process for all business units.
Prepare A/R reports for BCBSM, Medicare, Medicaid and multiple HMO's.
Complete various seminars on Medicare and Medicaid.
Process and verify employees' expense reports to ensure compliance with GAAP and company policy.
Perform GL coding for expense invoices along with processing both ACH payments and check payments on a daily basis.
Verify which vendors need W9 to be mail to them at the beginning of the year for tax purposes.

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 associate vs accounts receivable assistant skills

Common accounts payable associate skills

Customer Service, 11%
Data Entry, 9%
Purchase Orders, 8%
Vendor Statements, 6%
Vendor Invoices, 6%
Expense Reports, 5%

Common accounts receivable assistant skills

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

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Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Payable Associate
Accounts Payable Associate vs Accounts Receivable Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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