Finance & Accounting
An accounts payable specialist processes vendor invoices, matches them to purchase orders and prepares payments. The role keeps suppliers paid correctly and on schedule, and gives the finance team clean liability balances at month end.
Median pay
$50,670a year
Bookkeeping, accounting and auditing clerks, U.S. BLS, May 2025
The role
Employers hire one when invoice volume grows, when an AP clerk leaves, or when the team needs coverage during a system change or the close.
Typical responsibilities
Core skills
Tools and systems
Related titles
Typical background
Usually two to four years in accounts payable; an associate or bachelor's degree in accounting or business is common.
At a glance
The essentials for planning the hire: level, background, how you can hire and what the role typically pays.
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FAQ
Straight answers to the questions employers and candidates ask about this role.
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An accounts payable specialist processes vendor invoices, matches them to purchase orders and prepares payments. The role keeps suppliers paid correctly and on schedule, and gives the finance team clean liability balances at month end. Typical responsibilities include: enter and code vendor invoices into the accounting system; match invoices to purchase orders and receiving records; prepare payment runs for check, ACH and wire disbursements.
Look for invoice processing, three-way matching, vendor reconciliations, 1099 reporting, data entry accuracy and expense coding. Experience with QuickBooks, NetSuite, Bill.com, SAP and Excel is common in this role.
Yes. An accounts payable specialist is one of the roles employers most often hire on contract, for projects, busy periods, leave cover and vacancies. Contract-to-hire is also an option if you want to work together before making a permanent offer.
A clerk mainly enters and files invoices. A specialist also resolves mismatches, handles vendor inquiries, prepares payment runs and supports the close. If your team has no one to chase exceptions, hire a specialist rather than an entry-level clerk.
Experience with the same system helps in the first weeks, but AP logic is similar across platforms. Strong candidates from QuickBooks, NetSuite or SAP usually adapt quickly. Ask about invoice volume and approval workflows they have handled instead.
Related roles
Every role in the practice is recruited by the same specialist team.
