Finance assistant vs accounts payable/administrative assistant

The differences between finance assistants and accounts payable/administrative assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a finance assistant and an accounts payable/administrative assistant. Additionally, an accounts payable/administrative assistant has an average salary of $41,382, which is higher than the $37,926 average annual salary of a finance assistant.

The top three skills for a finance assistant include customer service, data entry and payroll. The most important skills for an accounts payable/administrative assistant are purchase orders, data entry, and vendor invoices.

Finance assistant vs accounts payable/administrative assistant overview

	Finance Assistant	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Yearly salary	$37,926	$41,382
Hourly rate	$18.23	$19.90
Growth rate	-8%	-8%
Number of jobs	118,749	56,780
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Average age	50	50
Years of experience	2	2

What does a finance assistant do?

A finance assistant is responsible for supporting the financial department with daily operations by doing administrative and clerical tasks as needed. Finance assistants' duties include sorting financial records, updating account spreadsheets, assisting on bank statements reconciliation, processing payments, generating an invoice, auditing financial statements, escalating financial discrepancies for review, and reviewing cost analysis reports. A finance assistant must be knowledgeable of the financial industry and accounting processes, as well as have strong analytical and organizational skills.

What does an accounts payable/administrative assistant do?

An accounts payable/administrative assistant works alongside the department head. This position focuses on the administrative side of a budgeting department. They are responsible for organizing a company's financial records, which include all documentation of financial transactions, such as invoices and receipts. They also manage all paperwork needed by their department.

Finance assistant vs accounts payable/administrative assistant salary

Finance assistants and accounts payable/administrative assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Finance Assistant	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Average salary	$37,926	$41,382
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $52,000	Between $30,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	East Providence, RI
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Connecticut
Best paying company	Boston Consulting Group	Gypsum Management and Supply
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Construction

Differences between finance assistant and accounts payable/administrative assistant education

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

	Finance Assistant	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 37%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Finance assistant vs accounts payable/administrative assistant demographics

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

	Finance Assistant	Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant
Average age	50	50
Gender ratio	Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1%	Male, 6.6% Female, 93.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	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	6%	6%

Differences between finance assistant and accounts payable/administrative assistant duties and responsibilities

Finance assistant example responsibilities.

Manage finance operations of assign USPS location.
Manage patient and insurance account receivables, perform patient account reconciliations, account audits, process insurance billing/correspondence.
Maintain cash receipts and disbursement records using QuickBooks and prepare bank reconciliations.
Provide emergency Medicaid screening for undocument patients, and perform necessary follow-up calls pertaining to NYC Medicaid applications.
Interpret information requests and correspond with patients and agencies in accordance with hospital, state and HIPAA regulations.
Schedule appointments, request prior authorization with appropriate CPT and ICD-9 codes, coordinate surgeries, procedures, etc.

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.

Finance assistant vs accounts payable/administrative assistant skills

Common finance assistant skills

Customer Service, 21%
Data Entry, 10%
Payroll, 9%
Purchase Orders, 6%
Financial Assistance, 5%
Credit Card, 4%

Common accounts payable/administrative assistant skills

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

Finance Assistant vs. similar jobs

Finance Assistant related careers

Finance Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Finance Assistant
Finance Assistant vs Accounts Payable/Administrative Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs