Finance Administrator Interview Questions UK: 8 Real Questions and What Interviewers Want

Before your Finance Administrator interview, it helps to see the questions from the interviewer's side. We have picked eight from our set of 25 and added the reason each one gets asked.

Eight Finance Administrator interview questions, and what the interviewer is thinking

1. What does a typical day as a finance administrator involve, and why does it interest you?

Why they ask: They want to confirm you understand the routine, support-focused nature of the role and are genuinely keen on it.

2. How do you process an expense claim, and what would you check before approving it for payment?

Why they ask: Expenses are a core admin task, and errors or poor controls cost money and cause staff frustration.

3. How would you check a purchase invoice before it's paid?

Why they ask: Invoice checking is the front line of financial control, and mistakes lead to overpayments and fraud.

4. How would you handle a payment run, and what controls should be in place?

Why they ask: Payment runs release company money, so they need to know you understand why controls matter.

5. You receive an email, apparently from the finance director, asking you to make an urgent payment of £9,800 to a new supplier and to keep it confidential. What do you do?

Why they ask: CEO and director fraud is increasingly common, and junior staff are the usual target.

6. How do you set up a new supplier on the system, and what checks should you carry out?

Why they ask: Supplier set-up is a high-risk area for fraud, so they want to see you take it seriously.

7. What's the difference between debits and credits, and can you give an example of a simple double-entry?

Why they ask: Basic double-entry knowledge is expected even in the most junior finance roles.

8. Tell me about a time you had to deal with a large volume of admin work with competing deadlines.

Why they ask: Finance admin is full of peaks, so they want evidence of how you prioritise and stay accurate.

A sample answer to question 1

What does a typical day as a finance administrator involve, and why does it interest you?

From what I understand and have seen in previous admin roles, no two days are identical, but there's a clear pattern. The morning usually starts with the shared finance inbox: logging supplier invoices, answering simple queries and passing anything unusual to the right person. Then there's processing, such as entering invoices on the purchase ledger, coding expenses, matching payments to customer accounts and filing documents. Later in the day I'd expect to help with bank reconciliations, prepare payment runs for approval, and respond to calls from suppliers and colleagues about payment dates or expense claims. At week or month-end, I'd support the accountant with schedules, reports and chasing missing paperwork. What interests me is that finance admin is the engine room of a business. If invoices are wrong or payments late, the whole organisation feels it. I enjoy accuracy, working to deadlines and being someone people rely on, and I'd like to build towards AAT qualifications while doing it.

Common mistake to avoid: Making it sound like only filing; Showing no interest in learning

Want the rest?

Full model answers, key points and common mistakes for all 25 questions are on the Finance Administrator interview questions page. The first five are free, no sign-up needed.