Benefits analyst vs plan administrator

The differences between benefits analysts and plan administrators 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 plan administrator. Additionally, a plan administrator has an average salary of $68,435, 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 plan administrator are payroll, HR, and plan administration.

Benefits analyst vs plan administrator overview

	Benefits Analyst	Plan Administrator
Yearly salary	$50,944	$68,435
Hourly rate	$24.49	$32.90
Growth rate	7%	2%
Number of jobs	20,211	51,856
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
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 plan administrator do?

A plan administrator's duties depend on their line of work or place of employment. Still, they typically include understanding the client or the project's needs, developing plans, performing research and analysis, liaising with internal and external parties, setting goals, establishing guidelines and timelines, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They must also respond to issues and concerns, resolving them efficiently. Moreover, as a plan administrator, it is essential to monitor the daily operations and manage staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Benefits analyst vs plan administrator salary

Benefits analysts and plan administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits Analyst	Plan Administrator
Average salary	$50,944	$68,435
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $70,000	Between $45,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Amd	Apple
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between benefits analyst and plan administrator education

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

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

Benefits analyst vs plan administrator demographics

Here are the differences between benefits analysts' and plan administrators' demographics:

	Benefits Analyst	Plan Administrator
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2%	Male, 39.1% Female, 60.9%
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, 10.8% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	35%

Differences between benefits analyst and plan administrator 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.

Plan administrator example responsibilities.

Create custom macro to expedite data transfer of manage ESOP.
Participate in establishing and testing pension plans on PeopleSoft to automate applicable calculations.
Establish and maintain IRA, SEP, SARSEP and Keogh plans.
Gather plan date (census, assets) from clients, CPA's, attorneys, and investment brokers.
Process monthly stock option and RSU grants.
Prepare RSU tax withholding calculations for mobility employees on a monthly basis.

Benefits analyst vs plan administrator skills

Common benefits analyst skills

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

Common plan administrator skills

Payroll, 9%
HR, 7%
Plan Administration, 6%
Database, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%
SOX, 4%

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Benefits Analyst
Benefits Analyst vs Plan Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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