Payroll administrator vs accounts payable administrator

The differences between payroll administrators and accounts payable administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a payroll administrator, becoming an accounts payable administrator takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a payroll administrator has an average salary of $46,596, which is higher than the $41,860 average annual salary of an accounts payable administrator.

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

Payroll administrator vs accounts payable administrator overview

	Payroll Administrator	Accounts Payable Administrator
Yearly salary	$46,596	$41,860
Hourly rate	$22.40	$20.12
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	55,490	79,272
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	48	51
Years of experience	4	6

What does a payroll administrator do?

A payroll administrator is responsible for processing the wages of employees in a company or organization. Aside from issuing payments, it is also the payroll administrator's task to audit, process taxes and other deductions, keep and maintain an organized record of data, respond to inquiries and resolve issues, and tally employee work hours. Furthermore, a payroll administrator needs to have efficient attention to detail as most of the tasks require accuracy and speed. It is also essential to communicate and coordinate with team members at all times.

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.

Payroll administrator vs accounts payable administrator salary

Payroll administrators and accounts payable administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Administrator	Accounts Payable Administrator
Average salary	$46,596	$41,860
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $32,000 And $54,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Maine	New York
Best paying company	Northern Trust	Ducommun
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between payroll administrator and accounts payable administrator education

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

	Payroll Administrator	Accounts Payable Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll administrator vs accounts payable administrator demographics

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

	Payroll Administrator	Accounts Payable Administrator
Average age	48	51
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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	10%	7%

Differences between payroll administrator and accounts payable administrator duties and responsibilities

Payroll administrator example responsibilities.

Manage year-end W2 audit/corrections and distribution.
Manage employee direct deposit accounts and initiate ACH reversals when necessary.
Manage all requisitions using PeopleSoft for the administrator and all assign departments.
Maintain KRONOS timekeeping system, review, sort and distribute employee upload file and multiple misc.
Maintain and monitor PTO balances and provide executive reports relate to vacation accruals.
Assist in implementing and training of MyTime and Lawson systems.

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.

Payroll administrator vs accounts payable administrator skills

Common payroll administrator skills

Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 7%
Payroll System, 6%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll Data, 4%
Process Payroll, 4%

Common accounts payable administrator skills

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

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Payroll Administrator vs Accounts Payable Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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