Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable specialist

The differences between accounts payable associates and accounts receivable specialists 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 associate, becoming an accounts receivable specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an accounts receivable specialist has an average salary of $39,873, which is higher than the $39,270 average annual salary of an accounts payable associate.

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 specialist are customer service, patients, and data entry.

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable specialist overview

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Yearly salary	$39,270	$39,873
Hourly rate	$18.88	$19.17
Growth rate	-5%	-8%
Number of jobs	30,845	61,988
Job satisfaction	-	4.5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	51	46
Years of experience	6	12

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 specialist do?

Accounts receivable specialists are members of the organization's finance or accounting department. They are responsible for managing the collection of payments for the company. They prepare official receipts and coordinate with account payable specialists from other companies with pending payables. They ensure that clients pay on time, and they also follow up on payments when necessary. They are responsible for checking whether the clients have already paid in full. Accounts receivable specialists are in charge of updating accounting records as well to ensure that client records are up to date.

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable specialist salary

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Average salary	$39,270	$39,873
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $49,000	Between $31,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	Cambridge, MA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	Connecticut
Best paying company	Accenture	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between accounts payable associate and accounts receivable specialist education

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable specialist demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Associate	Accounts Receivable Specialist
Average age	51	46
Gender ratio	Male, 20.6% Female, 79.4%	Male, 18.2% Female, 81.8%
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, 12.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 3.9% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	8%

Differences between accounts payable associate and accounts receivable specialist 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 specialist example responsibilities.

Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Perform accounts reconciliations, complex invoice research, statement reconciliations, complex invoice research, statement reconciliation and journal entries.
Follow company's standard operating procedures in cooperation with Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance providers to resolve billing issues.
Cash and credit allocation of customer payments in ROSS ERP system.
Prepare PowerPoint presentations, word documents, letters and spreadsheets while meeting deadlines.
Reconcile direct billing accounts and adjust product pricing utilizing JD Edwards EnterpriseONE ERP system.

Accounts payable associate vs accounts receivable specialist 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 specialist skills

Customer Service, 15%
Patients, 9%
Data Entry, 5%
Credit Card Payments, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Accounts Receivables, 3%

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

Updated January 8, 2025

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