Benefits analyst vs benefits consultant

The differences between benefits analysts and benefits consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a benefits analyst and a benefits consultant. Additionally, a benefits consultant has an average salary of $79,068, which is higher than the $50,944 average annual salary of a benefits analyst.

The top three skills for a benefits analyst include customer service, HR and HRIS. The most important skills for a benefits consultant are HR, customer service, and life insurance.

Benefits analyst vs benefits consultant overview

	Benefits Analyst	Benefits Consultant
Yearly salary	$50,944	$79,068
Hourly rate	$24.49	$38.01
Growth rate	7%	2%
Number of jobs	20,211	19,308
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	6	6

What does a benefits analyst do?

A Benefits Analyst is responsible for administering and communicating benefit programs for an organization. They attract and retain employees through researching, recommending, and explaining benefit programs.

What does a benefits consultant do?

Benefits consultants are executives who carry out many services for individuals and businesses. The consultants draft and organize policies within the organization. They handle vendors and manage the renewal of negotiations of HMO plans. It is their job to establish agency relationships with marketing representatives. They coordinate programs that involve self-funded or administered long-term and short-term disability, life insurance, and a cafeteria plan. Also, they prepare enterprises to meet health care law changes.

Benefits analyst vs benefits consultant salary

Benefits analysts and benefits consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits Analyst	Benefits Consultant
Average salary	$50,944	$79,068
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $70,000	Between $51,000 And $121,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Amd	BMO Capital Markets
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between benefits analyst and benefits consultant education

There are a few differences between a benefits analyst and a benefits consultant in terms of educational background:

	Benefits Analyst	Benefits Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits analyst vs benefits consultant demographics

Here are the differences between benefits analysts' and benefits consultants' demographics:

	Benefits Analyst	Benefits Consultant
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2%	Male, 46.7% Female, 53.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 8.0% White, 66.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	35%

Differences between benefits analyst and benefits consultant duties and responsibilities

Benefits analyst example responsibilities.

Manage relationships with all FSA clients including supporting their employee inquiries, reporting, and explain policy and procedure.
Manage regulatory compliance with federal and state leave laws such as FMLA, ADA, CFRA, PDL and FEHA.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Develop data analysis procedures to comply with ACA regulations.
Screen clients for Medicaid and other health insurance eligibility.
Provide functional expertise and leadership of retiree benefits administration during the RFP selection process for outsourcing retirement administration.

Benefits consultant example responsibilities.

Manage benefits for fully insure medical/dental plans with life, long-term disability, and FSA accounts.
Manage annual non-discrimination testing, audit and IRS filings for qualify retirement plan, working with external vendors.
Manage vendors for medical, dental, pharmacy, vision, HSA, long-term care and work-life resource and referral programs.
Manage several SDLC phases for enterprise systems used by state government agencies to perform environmental and environmental management.
Provide SharePoint development and administration, budget and financial reporting; manage invoicing; and develop training manuals and user guides.
Coach clients and provide orientation about cobra act.

Benefits analyst vs benefits consultant skills

Common benefits analyst skills

Customer Service, 10%
HR, 8%
HRIS, 6%
Payroll, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
RFP, 4%

Common benefits consultant skills

HR, 10%
Customer Service, 8%
Life Insurance, 7%
Strong Analytical, 6%
Health Insurance, 5%
Client Relationships, 5%

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Benefits Analyst
Benefits Analyst vs Benefits Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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