Accounts payable technician vs finance technician

The differences between accounts payable technicians and finance technicians 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 finance technician takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, an accounts payable technician has an average salary of $47,325, which is higher than the $45,251 average annual salary of a finance technician.

The top three skills for an accounts payable technician include FAA, A/P and powerplant. The most important skills for a finance technician are financial reports, financial management, and review contracts.

Accounts payable technician vs finance technician overview

	Accounts Payable Technician	Finance Technician
Yearly salary	$47,325	$45,251
Hourly rate	$22.75	$21.76
Growth rate	6%	-5%
Number of jobs	23,079	89,668
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
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 finance technician do?

Finance technicians are professionals who perform various tasks that are related to financial accounting for an organization. These technicians are required to provide monthly transaction reports and perform forecasts on their future budget requirements to ensure proper financial management for the organization. They must assist in preparing financial statements to analyze and summarize accounting data for the organization's senior management. Finance technicians must also research and resolve any disputes that involve financial transactions while informing the senior management about any financial discrepancies.

Accounts payable technician vs finance technician salary

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

	Accounts Payable Technician	Finance Technician
Average salary	$47,325	$45,251
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $66,000	Between $30,000 And $67,000
Highest paying City	Juneau, AK	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	New York
Best paying company	Baptist Health Care	Ernst & Young
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between accounts payable technician and finance technician education

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

	Accounts Payable Technician	Finance Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 39%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	SUNY Farmingdale	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts payable technician vs finance technician demographics

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

	Accounts Payable Technician	Finance Technician
Average age	40	51
Gender ratio	Male, 55.0% Female, 45.0%	Male, 41.2% Female, 58.8%
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, 6.5% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	2%	7%

Differences between accounts payable technician and finance technician 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.

Finance technician example responsibilities.

Develop expertise in use of PeopleSoft system to manage balance accounts for quarterly investment portfolio.
Transmit data to MAJCOM, HQ USAF, & DoD timely.
Provide debt management for the DOD and service members.
Process and review documents associate with PCS, ETS, retirement and/or separation.
Ensure that obligations are correct, record, and submits vouchers to DFAS for processing.
Network and coordinate with DFAS, civilian personnel or other resources to resolve complex problems.

Accounts payable technician vs finance technician skills

Common accounts payable technician skills

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

Common finance technician skills

Financial Reports, 15%
Financial Management, 13%
Review Contracts, 10%
Financial Transactions, 8%
Treasury, 6%
Bonds, 4%

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Accounts Payable Technician
Accounts Payable Technician vs Finance Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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