Accounts payable technician vs bookkeeper

The differences between accounts payable technicians and bookkeepers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an accounts payable technician, becoming a bookkeeper takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts payable technician has an average salary of $47,325, which is higher than the $40,337 average annual salary of a bookkeeper.

The top three skills for an accounts payable technician include FAA, A/P and powerplant. The most important skills for a bookkeeper are payroll tax returns, customer service, and reconciliations.

Accounts payable technician vs bookkeeper overview

	Accounts Payable Technician	Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$47,325	$40,337
Hourly rate	$22.75	$19.39
Growth rate	6%	-5%
Number of jobs	23,079	38,481
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	40	51
Years of experience	4	6

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.

What does a bookkeeper do?

Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.

Accounts payable technician vs bookkeeper salary

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

	Accounts Payable Technician	Bookkeeper
Average salary	$47,325	$40,337
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $66,000	Between $30,000 And $52,000
Highest paying City	Juneau, AK	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Baptist Health Care	NTT Data International L.L.C.
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Manufacturing

Differences between accounts payable technician and bookkeeper education

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

	Accounts Payable Technician	Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable technician vs bookkeeper demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Technician	Bookkeeper
Average age	40	51
Gender ratio	Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0%	Male, 15.4% Female, 84.6%
Race ratio	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%	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	2%	7%

Differences between accounts payable technician and bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

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.

Bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform journal entries, balance ledger, perform bank reconciliations, control inventory, coordinate proper guest accommodation.
Post and update of daily sales and purchases into QuickBooks system.
Execute monthly collection of Medicaid surplus funds from clients on a monthly basis.
Post resident receipts, Medicaid remittance, and process adjusting entries to the A/R detail.
Work closely with QC personnel for the planning of tooling and the flow process of PWB's.

Accounts payable technician vs bookkeeper skills

Common accounts payable technician skills

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

Common bookkeeper skills

Payroll Tax Returns, 12%
Customer Service, 10%
Reconciliations, 10%
Data Entry, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Financial Transactions, 4%

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Accounts Payable Technician
Accounts Payable Technician vs Bookkeeper

Updated January 8, 2025

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