Benefits clerk vs benefit specialist

The differences between benefits clerks and benefit specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a benefits clerk, becoming a benefit specialist takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a benefit specialist has an average salary of $48,756, which is higher than the $34,841 average annual salary of a benefits clerk.

The top three skills for a benefits clerk include payroll system, data entry and open enrollment. The most important skills for a benefit specialist are customer service, HR, and patients.

Benefits clerk vs benefit specialist overview

	Benefits Clerk	Benefit Specialist
Yearly salary	$34,841	$48,756
Hourly rate	$16.75	$23.44
Growth rate	-3%	7%
Number of jobs	75,454	31,663
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age	48	45
Years of experience	4	6

Benefits clerk vs benefit specialist salary

Benefits clerks and benefit specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits Clerk	Benefit Specialist
Average salary	$34,841	$48,756
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $34,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Los Angeles, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Minnesota	Connecticut
Best paying company	Monarch Casino & Resort	Qorvo
Best paying industry	Government	Finance

Differences between benefits clerk and benefit specialist education

There are a few differences between a benefits clerk and a benefit specialist in terms of educational background:

	Benefits Clerk	Benefit Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits clerk vs benefit specialist demographics

Here are the differences between benefits clerks' and benefit specialists' demographics:

	Benefits Clerk	Benefit Specialist
Average age	48	45
Gender ratio	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%	Male, 21.1% Female, 78.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	10%	9%

Differences between benefits clerk and benefit specialist duties and responsibilities

Benefits clerk example responsibilities.

Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Enter employee data in HRIS system.
Used ADP HR/B software for benefits enrollment and reports.
Maintain retirement (401k) plan, FMLA and personnel records.
Monitor FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and personal leave of absence and premiums payments.
Update and maintain benefits data in the HRIS system to ensure accuracy and integrity of employee information.

Benefit specialist example responsibilities.

Manage various employee program such as life, medical, dental pension, and HSA accounts.
Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Input daily time and PTO, manage benefits, report new hires, input sales, oversee accounts receivable.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Implement new vendor for FSA administration and manage outstanding issues through continuous follow-up and vendor accountability.
Analyze, process and manage FMLA claims to determine eligibility and certification in compliance with state and federal regulations.

Benefits clerk vs benefit specialist skills

Common benefits clerk skills

Payroll System, 17%
Data Entry, 8%
Open Enrollment, 7%
Cobra, 7%
HRIS, 5%
Human Resources, 5%

Common benefit specialist skills

Customer Service, 13%
HR, 8%
Patients, 5%
HRIS, 5%
Life Insurance, 5%
Cobra, 5%