Assistant to the controller vs accounts payable/administrative assistant

The differences between assistants to the controller and accounts payable/administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an assistant to the controller, becoming an accounts payable/administrative assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an accounts payable/administrative assistant has an average salary of $41,382, which is higher than the $38,409 average annual salary of an assistant to the controller.

The top three skills for an assistant to the controller include general ledger accounts, account reconciliations and purchase orders. The most important skills for an accounts payable/administrative assistant are purchase orders, data entry, and vendor invoices.

Assistant to the controller vs accounts payable/administrative assistant overview

	Assistant To The Controller	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$38,409	$41,382
Hourly rate	$18.47	$19.90
Growth rate	6%	-8%
Number of jobs	3,295	56,780
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	44	50
Years of experience	4	2

Assistant to the controller vs accounts payable/administrative assistant salary

Assistants to the controller and accounts payable/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Assistant To The Controller	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$38,409	$41,382
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $57,000	Between $30,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	East Providence, RI
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	Solectron Corp	Gypsum Management and Supply
Best paying industry	Non Profits	Construction

Differences between assistant to the controller and accounts payable/administrative assistant education

There are a few differences between an assistant to the controller and an accounts payable/administrative assistant in terms of educational background:

	Assistant To The Controller	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Assistant to the controller vs accounts payable/administrative assistant demographics

Here are the differences between assistants to the controller' and accounts payable/administrative assistants' demographics:

	Assistant To The Controller	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Average age	44	50
Gender ratio	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%	Male, 6.6% Female, 93.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 12.1% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	7%	6%

Differences between assistant to the controller and accounts payable/administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Assistant to the controller example responsibilities.

Manage financial reporting, monthly close, GAAP accruals and supervision of the accounting department.
Manage general ledger and coordinate annual internal audit, interacting with CPA firm and auditing staff.
Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
Reconcile accounts receivable between A2000 systems and QuickBooks for monthly reporting and closing.
Prepare wire transfer, ACH transactions and verify accuracy and follow up transactions until completion.
Process weekly check runs and send checks to appropriate companies or post ACH payments online.

Accounts payable/administrative assistant example responsibilities.

Create invoices, manage, reconcile and pay ACH payments or record receive payments while working closely with customers and vendors.
Manage FEDEX delivery requirements ensuring compliance with company policy.
Post ACH, journal entries efficiently, timely, and accurately into the accounting system.
Create and maintain PowerPoint presentation.
Generate monthly report utilizing QuickBooks to determine outstanding payments.
Generate weekly reports and perform monthly reconciliation utilizing QuickBooks.

Assistant to the controller vs accounts payable/administrative assistant skills

Common assistant to the controller skills

General Ledger Accounts, 8%
Account Reconciliations, 7%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Windows, 6%
External Auditors, 5%
Bank Reconciliations, 5%

Common accounts payable/administrative assistant skills

Purchase Orders, 12%
Data Entry, 11%
Vendor Invoices, 8%
Customer Service, 8%
Financial Reports, 5%
Credit Card, 4%

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Assistant To The Controller
Assistant To The Controller vs Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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