How to hire a benefits clerk

How to hire a benefits clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step benefits clerk hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a benefits clerk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new benefits clerk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The benefits clerk hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a benefits clerk to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a benefits clerk that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of benefits clerk salaries for various roles:

   Type of Benefits Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Benefits Clerk	Financial clerks do administrative work for many types of organizations. They keep records, help customers, and carry out financial transactions.	$12-21
   Payroll Analyst	A payroll analyst is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's payroll processes and transactions, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with human resources for accurate and complete timesheets and employee data, managing calendars and schedules, calculating wages and deductions, and performing consistent audits... Show more	$18-35
   Payroll Supervisor	A payroll supervisor ensures employee salaries are released in a timely manner and accounts for all payrolls and cash released by the company. The payroll supervisor organizes all financial transactions and generates reports for accounting... Show more	$22-42

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Payroll System
   • Data Entry
   • Open Enrollment
   • Cobra
   • HRIS
   • Human Resources
   • Life Insurance
   • Health Insurance
   • Workers Compensation
   • Disability Claims
   • ADP
   • Front Desk
   • FMLA
   • Status Changes

   Check all skills

   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.

   More benefits clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your benefits clerk job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A benefits clerk salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, benefits clerks' average salary in alabama is 36% less than in minnesota.
   • Seniority. Entry-level benefits clerks earn 39% less than senior-level benefits clerks.
   • Certifications. A benefits clerk with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a benefits clerk's salary.

   Average benefits clerk salary

   $16.75hourly

   $34,841 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level benefits clerk salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average benefits clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$35,336	$17
   2	Texas	$32,081	$15
   3	Utah	$31,837	$15
   4	Virginia	$31,741	$15
   5	Ohio	$30,046	$14
   6	Florida	$28,567	$14
   7	South Carolina	$24,559	$12

   Average benefits clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Monarch Casino & Resort	$40,764	$19.60
   2	Analysts	$37,521	$18.04
   3	Virginia Hospital Center	$36,893	$17.74	4
   4	Randstad North America, Inc.	$35,217	$16.93	25
   5	Big Lots	$34,618	$16.64
   6	Security Industry Specialists	$34,412	$16.54
   7	Robert Half	$34,267	$16.47	665
   8	Weis Markets	$28,928	$13.91	3

4. Writing a benefits clerk job description

   A benefits clerk job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a benefits clerk job description:

   Benefits clerk job description example

   **General Summary**
   
   Position is responsible for the accurate and timely completion of payroll system data entry, file maintenance, and report processing.
   
   **Essential Duties and Responsibilities**
   
   + Review and process garnishments
   
   + Update and maintain employee payroll information
   
   + Create, maintain, and distribute various payroll reports
   
   + Process vouchers for union payments
   
   + Backup payroll processor
   
   + Process and maintain benefit premium reconciliations and vouchers
   
   + Documents management
   
   + Provide audit assistance, such as data compiling
   
   + Perform special projects as needed for the Payroll and Human Resources Department
   
   + Performs other duties as assigned
   
   **Knowledge, Experience and Skill Requirements**
   
   + One (1) or more years of experience in payroll data entry and reporting for a company with 100 or more employees or an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job
   
   + Associates degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or related field preferred
   
   + Experience with operating knowledge of enterprise level payroll programs for medium to large size businesses
   
   + UKG experience preferred
   
   + Experience working in a critical deadlines' environment
   
   + Extreme attention to detail
   
   + Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite
   
   **Physical, Environmental and Sensory Requirements**
   
   + Work environment is a typical office setting.
   
   + Physical demands include intermittent sitting, standing, and walking, and occasional bending reaching and lifting.
   
   + Limited exposure to elements such as heat, cold, noise, dust, dirt, chemicals, etc. but generally not to the point of being disagreeable.
   
   _This job description is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change._
   
   **We maintain a drug-free workplace and perform pre-employment substance abuse testing.**
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right benefits clerk for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with benefits clerks they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit benefits clerks who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your benefits clerk job on Zippia to find and attract quality benefits clerk candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit benefits clerks, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new benefits clerk

   Once you have selected a candidate for the benefits clerk position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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