Benefits counselor vs employee benefits manager

The differences between benefits counselors and employee benefits managers 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 an employee benefits manager. Additionally, an employee benefits manager has an average salary of $85,621, which is higher than the $72,268 average annual salary of a benefits counselor.

The top three skills for a benefits counselor include veterans, HR and open enrollment. The most important skills for an employee benefits manager are customer service, HR, and client relationships.

Benefits counselor vs employee benefits manager overview

	Benefits Counselor	Employee Benefits Manager
Yearly salary	$72,268	$85,621
Hourly rate	$34.74	$41.16
Growth rate	7%	2%
Number of jobs	34,132	13,906
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	45	46
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 an employee benefits manager do?

An employee benefits manager is responsible for leading the human resources department in establishing the appropriate benefits package and compensation for the employees according to industry regulations and business requirements. Employee benefits managers facilitate the programs and orientations in sharing retirement plans, insurance policies, and other related packages across the organization. They also assist the employee benefits staff in resolving issues and handling disputes from employees' concerns. An employee benefits manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the human resources practices to build recommendations that would support the employees' needs and welfare.

Benefits counselor vs employee benefits manager salary

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

	Benefits Counselor	Employee Benefits Manager
Average salary	$72,268	$85,621
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $118,000	Between $53,000 And $137,000
Highest paying City	-	New York, NY
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	DLA Piper
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between benefits counselor and employee benefits manager education

There are a few differences between a benefits counselor and an employee benefits manager in terms of educational background:

	Benefits Counselor	Employee Benefits Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits counselor vs employee benefits manager demographics

Here are the differences between benefits counselors' and employee benefits managers' demographics:

	Benefits Counselor	Employee Benefits Manager
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7%	Male, 31.7% Female, 68.3%
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, 10.9% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	35%

Differences between benefits counselor and employee benefits manager 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.

Employee benefits manager example responsibilities.

Lead the RFP process to select a new global payroll provider; balancing the needs of all global stakeholders.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Advise executive committee on design of benefit plans and compliance with applicable IRC and ERISA regulations and DOL guidelines.
Upload electronic data interchanges, for FSA, H.S.A , 403b , 457b.
Create and maintain updated ACA relate employer require reports.
Drive full replacement CDHP plans with HSA and wellness initiatives.

Benefits counselor vs employee benefits manager skills

Common benefits counselor skills

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

Common employee benefits manager skills

Customer Service, 13%
HR, 9%
Client Relationships, 6%
Senior Level Management, 6%
Due Diligence, 5%
Cross-Selling, 5%

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Benefits Counselor
Benefits Counselor vs Employee Benefits Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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