Benefits & payroll administrator vs administrator

The differences between benefits & payroll administrators and administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a benefits & payroll administrator, becoming an administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an administrator has an average salary of $72,882, which is higher than the $50,662 average annual salary of a benefits & payroll administrator.

The top three skills for a benefits & payroll administrator include human resources, HRIS and cobra. The most important skills for an administrator are customer service, data entry, and troubleshoot.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs administrator overview

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Administrator
Yearly salary	$50,662	$72,882
Hourly rate	$24.36	$35.04
Growth rate	7%	5%
Number of jobs	61,356	67,553
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	45	43
Years of experience	6	2

What does a benefits & payroll administrator do?

The Benefits and Payroll Administrator manages the company's payroll, ensuring work benefits and employee documents are secure. The administrator also delivers employees' issues and concerns to the company's proper channels. This position also helps in the audit of the company and ensures compliance with state and federal regulations. This administrative position requires bookkeeping knowledge, a bachelor's degree, and experience in using spreadsheets and accounting software.

What does an administrator do?

Administrators are administrative professionals who oversee the whole office or department. They manage office activities and supervise administrative functions in the office. They work the office calendar and oversee the appointment-setting process. They coordinate office events and ensure that all preparations are made and that there are no conflicting schedules. They also maintain a database of external providers of various office needs. Administrators also oversee office supplies and prepare purchase requisitions. They also manage janitorial services and other functions that are related to the maintenance of the physical office space. Administrators ensure that all fixtures and equipment in the office are functioning well and have no problems.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs administrator salary

Benefits & payroll administrators and administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Administrator
Average salary	$50,662	$72,882
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $68,000	Between $46,000 And $113,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Washington
Best paying company	HGA	Apple
Best paying industry	Professional	Manufacturing

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and administrator education

There are a few differences between a benefits & payroll administrator and an administrator in terms of educational background:

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits & payroll administrator vs administrator demographics

Here are the differences between benefits & payroll administrators' and administrators' demographics:

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Administrator
Average age	45	43
Gender ratio	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%	Male, 36.0% Female, 64.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 7.8% White, 62.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.9% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and administrator duties and responsibilities

Benefits & payroll administrator example responsibilities.

Manage HRIS, recruiting, training, and time and attendance programs as well as trouble shooting.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Ensure accuracy of all benefit enrollments and life status changes record in the HRIS to provide vendors with accurate eligibility information.
Complete weekly internal payroll reports and fund employee accounts (HSA and 401K).
Process benefit elections, merit raises, salary changes, garnishments, cobra and severance.
Administer employee benefits programs including group medical, dental, vision, group life and FSA.

Administrator example responsibilities.

Develop a Perl script to manage the LDAP schema.
Hire and manage all receptionists and assistant MCA's.
Used all tools of Java stack in supporting and managing it.
Manage and process product orders on windows base on-line computer network system.
Manage ADP time system for technicians and approve time-off requests, supporting management.
Manage professional staff of 9 (including 5 MDs) and support staff of 10

Benefits & payroll administrator vs administrator skills

Common benefits & payroll administrator skills

Human Resources, 6%
HRIS, 6%
Cobra, 6%
Payroll System, 4%
Open Enrollment, 4%
ADP Payroll, 4%

Common administrator skills

Customer Service, 18%
Data Entry, 7%
Troubleshoot, 6%
Payroll, 6%
Financial Reports, 4%
Oversight, 4%

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Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Benefits & Payroll Administrator vs Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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