Benefits counselor vs benefits representative

The differences between benefits counselors and benefits representatives 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 counselor and a benefits representative. Additionally, a benefits counselor has an average salary of $72,268, which is higher than the $38,694 average annual salary of a benefits representative.

The top three skills for a benefits counselor include veterans, HR and open enrollment. The most important skills for a benefits representative are customer service, patients, and insurance coverage.

Benefits counselor vs benefits representative overview

	Benefits Counselor	Benefits Representative
Yearly salary	$72,268	$38,694
Hourly rate	$34.74	$18.60
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	34,132	13,058
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a benefits counselor do?

A benefits counselor manages the company or organization's employee benefits programs. Job responsibilities may include designing and administering the benefits program to ensure company and employee needs are met, as well as assisting and educating employees in benefits enrollment activities. This job requires a full understanding of health care benefits, comprising medical, dental, and life insurance, including knowledge of pertinent regulations and legislation. In addition, benefits counselors may also need to be knowledgeable and updated with other incentives such as pensions and stock ownership.

What does a benefits representative do?

A benefits representative is responsible for facilitating and disseminating information about benefits programs and policies across all employees in the company. Benefits representatives respond to the employees' inquiries and concerns of benefits processes, update their benefits information, and resolve discrepancies and disputes. They also support the company's initiatives on developing new benefits plans, implementing campaigns, as well as writing application guides for reference. A benefits representative should have excellent communication and organizational skills as they also conduct surveys to check the efficiency and effectiveness of the benefits programs and adjusting procedures as needed.

Benefits counselor vs benefits representative salary

Benefits counselors and benefits representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits Counselor	Benefits Representative
Average salary	$72,268	$38,694
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $118,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	BlackRock
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between benefits counselor and benefits representative education

There are a few differences between a benefits counselor and a benefits representative in terms of educational background:

	Benefits Counselor	Benefits Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits counselor vs benefits representative demographics

Here are the differences between benefits counselors' and benefits representatives' demographics:

	Benefits Counselor	Benefits Representative
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.9% Asian, 6.9% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between benefits counselor and benefits representative duties and responsibilities

Benefits counselor example responsibilities.

Manage vendors for medical, dental, pharmacy, vision, HSA, long-term care and work-life resource and referral programs.
Utilize HIPAA confidentiality of all employee data.
Follow all HIPAA guidelines as required by law.
Follow HIPPA by verifying the member's identity.
Handle plan claims and appeals in ERISA and non-ERISA plans.
Simplify and improve the FMLA process, procedures, and paperwork.

Benefits representative example responsibilities.

Determine eligibility and process FMLA initial notification letters for employees which lead to immediate use of benefits.
Service consumers inbound inquires via phone and live chat regarding HRA, FSA and HSA accounts.
Work with clients to ensure ACA compliance.
Train in and apply HIPAA privacy and security regulations and maintain strict confidentiality of claims.
Contact any FSA or HRA groups concerning any outstanding payments for claims and/or admin fee invoices.
Produce benefit-related reports from HRIS.

Benefits counselor vs benefits representative skills

Common benefits counselor skills

Veterans, 20%
HR, 12%
Open Enrollment, 11%
Annuities, 9%
Customer Service, 5%
Term Disability, 3%

Common benefits representative skills

Customer Service, 18%
Patients, 18%
Insurance Coverage, 8%
Medicaid, 6%
Insurance Carriers, 5%
Term Disability, 4%

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Benefits Counselor
Benefits Counselor vs Benefits Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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