Accounts receivable clerk vs accounts payable administrator

The differences between accounts receivable clerks and accounts payable administrators 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 receivable clerk and an accounts payable administrator. Additionally, an accounts payable administrator has an average salary of $41,860, which is higher than the $36,425 average annual salary of an accounts receivable clerk.

The top three skills for an accounts receivable clerk include customer service, data entry and collection calls. The most important skills for an accounts payable administrator are purchase orders, data entry, and vendor invoices.

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounts payable administrator overview

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounts Payable Administrator
Yearly salary	$36,425	$41,860
Hourly rate	$17.51	$20.12
Growth rate	-5%	-5%
Number of jobs	87,935	79,272
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	6	6

What does an accounts receivable clerk do?

An Accounts Receivable Clerk specializes in processing payment records and bill statements of a company or organization. Among the duties include calculating total revenues and unpaid invoices, maintaining financial records and keeping a detailed and organized database, and verifying financial transactions and payment delinquencies. Furthermore, an Accounts Receivable Clerk must resolve and examine deductions, prepare invoices and necessary documentation, and review customer payment plans and history records and coordinate with the collections department should there be any issues.

What does an accounts payable administrator do?

An accounts payable administrator is an individual who reviews and verifies the invoices of suppliers and grants payment requests. Accounts payable administrators must prepare invoice batches and input them in the accounts payable module of the financial information system every day to ensure that payments meet weekly and monthly deadlines. When warranted, they seek clarifications or explanations from submitters and responds to inquiries from suppliers, consultants, and clients regarding the status of their payments. Accounts payable administrators must also ensure that reimbursements are properly approved.

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounts payable administrator salary

Accounts receivable clerks and accounts payable administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounts Payable Administrator
Average salary	$36,425	$41,860
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $45,000	Between $32,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Massachusetts	New York
Best paying company	IBM	Ducommun
Best paying industry	Finance	Finance

Differences between accounts receivable clerk and accounts payable administrator education

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

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounts Payable Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 36%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounts payable administrator demographics

Here are the differences between accounts receivable clerks' and accounts payable administrators' demographics:

	Accounts Receivable Clerk	Accounts Payable Administrator
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 13.7% Female, 86.3%	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%
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, 6.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between accounts receivable clerk and accounts payable administrator duties and responsibilities

Accounts receivable clerk example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor weekly bank deposit runs and record deposits into QuickBooks.
Manage profitable accounts receivable ledgers for existing and new clientele maintaining accuracy of monies enter to appropriate relate account.
Obtain online reports of bank transactions, including deposits, ACH, EFT and wire payments from multiple banking institutions.
Utilize QuickBooks accounting software for billing/invoices, generate statements.
Perform necessary adjustments using knowledge of Medicare and all third party insurance.
Investigate and resolve any out-of-balances including credit card discrepancies / lockbox exceptions.

Accounts payable administrator example responsibilities.

Manage payroll transactions utilizing ADP payroll software.
Maintain a cash flow chart of checks issue and clear, ACH payments, incoming collections, and wire transfers.
Solve complex general accounting functions, including preparation of journal entries, account analysis and balance sheet reconciliations.
Set up new vendors, maintain new supplier forms and proper W8 and W9 reporting.
Implement standard form to vendors to complete and return along with W9 and a sample invoice.
Review and record vendor bills utilizing QuickBooks.

Accounts receivable clerk vs accounts payable administrator skills

Common accounts receivable clerk skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Collection Calls, 8%
Financial Data, 7%
Credit Card Payments, 5%
Process Payments, 5%

Common accounts payable administrator skills

Purchase Orders, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
Vendor Invoices, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Credit Card, 5%
Vendor Statements, 5%

Accounts Receivable Clerk vs. similar jobs

Accounts Receivable Clerk related careers

Accounts Receivable Clerk related jobs

Accounts Receivable Clerk jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Accounts Receivable Clerk
Accounts Receivable Clerk vs Accounts Payable Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs