Benefits & payroll administrator vs benefits manager

The differences between benefits & payroll administrators and 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 & payroll administrator and a benefits manager. Additionally, a benefits manager has an average salary of $64,064, 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 a benefits manager are HR, customer service, and HRIS.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs benefits manager overview

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Benefits Manager
Yearly salary	$50,662	$64,064
Hourly rate	$24.36	$30.80
Growth rate	7%	2%
Number of jobs	61,356	11,164
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	6	6

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 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.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs benefits manager salary

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Benefits Manager
Average salary	$50,662	$64,064
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $68,000	Between $39,000 And $104,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Pennsylvania
Best paying company	HGA	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Professional	Technology

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and benefits manager education

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Benefits Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits & payroll administrator vs benefits manager demographics

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Benefits Manager
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%	Male, 24.3% Female, 75.7%
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, 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 & payroll administrator and benefits manager 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.

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 & payroll administrator vs benefits manager skills

Common benefits & payroll administrator skills

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

Common benefits manager skills

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

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Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Benefits & Payroll Administrator vs Benefits Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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