Benefits manager vs benefits representative

The differences between benefits managers 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 manager and a benefits representative. Additionally, a benefits manager has an average salary of $64,064, which is higher than the $38,694 average annual salary of a benefits representative.

The top three skills for a benefits manager include HR, customer service and HRIS. The most important skills for a benefits representative are customer service, patients, and insurance coverage.

Benefits manager vs benefits representative overview

	Benefits Manager	Benefits Representative
Yearly salary	$64,064	$38,694
Hourly rate	$30.80	$18.60
Growth rate	2%	7%
Number of jobs	11,164	13,058
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	46	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a benefits manager do?

A benefits manager is primarily in charge of overseeing and handling a company's benefits programs and projects for employees. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with human resources to gather accurate data, improve existing benefits programs, and creating new ones in adherence to the company's policies and regulations. A benefits manager may also liaise with external agencies, develop activities for employee welfare, and resolve any issues regarding the benefits programs. Furthermore, they may perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and presentations, manage budgets, and maintain records of all transactions.

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 manager vs benefits representative salary

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

	Benefits Manager	Benefits Representative
Average salary	$64,064	$38,694
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $104,000	Between $29,000 And $51,000
Highest paying City	Philadelphia, PA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Pennsylvania	New Jersey
Best paying company	Microsoft	BlackRock
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between benefits manager and benefits representative education

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

	Benefits Manager	Benefits Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits manager vs benefits representative demographics

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

	Benefits Manager	Benefits Representative
Average age	46	45
Gender ratio	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%
Race ratio	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%	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	35%	9%

Differences between benefits manager and benefits representative duties and responsibilities

Benefits manager example responsibilities.

Lead a successful transition of payroll, time and labor, benefits and general ledger to PeopleSoft.
Collaborate with ADP to ensure system readiness and manage benefit communications.
Lead departmental PeopleSoft projects and initiatives; involve in systems testing when additional system upgrades are implemented.
Coordinate annual open enrollment, update benefits within HRIS, reconcile monthly statements and approve premium statements for payment.
Insure HIPPA compliance as it relates to payroll and human resources.
Create monthly charge back reports for FSA and all other benefits for finance.

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 manager vs benefits representative skills

Common benefits manager skills

HR, 10%
Customer Service, 7%
HRIS, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
Life Insurance, 5%
Open Enrollment, 5%

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 Manager
Benefits Manager vs Benefits Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

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