Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll clerk

The differences between benefits & payroll administrators and payroll clerks 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 a payroll clerk takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a benefits & payroll administrator has an average salary of $50,662, which is higher than the $41,602 average annual salary of a payroll clerk.

The top three skills for a benefits & payroll administrator include human resources, HRIS and cobra. The most important skills for a payroll clerk are data entry, payroll system, and photocopying.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll clerk overview

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Clerk
Yearly salary	$50,662	$41,602
Hourly rate	$24.36	$20.00
Growth rate	7%	-3%
Number of jobs	61,356	71,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	45	48
Years of experience	6	4

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 payroll clerk do?

A payroll clerk is responsible for managing the payroll process by collecting the necessary information needed to release payments. Payroll clerks' duties include verifying timesheets, calculating necessary deductions, issuing paychecks timely, managing payment discrepancies and disputes, updating employee's payment information in the database, and creating payroll reports. A payroll clerk must have strong analytical and organization skills, as well as a clear understanding of the organization's payroll policies, ensuring that the process follows regulatory procedures.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll clerk salary

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Clerk
Average salary	$50,662	$41,602
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $68,000	Between $31,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	Connecticut
Best paying company	HGA	MDU Resources
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and payroll clerk education

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll clerk demographics

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Clerk
Average age	45	48
Gender ratio	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%
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, 10.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and payroll clerk 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.

Payroll clerk example responsibilities.

Manage all worker compensation and cobra benefit issues and filings.
Manage employee drug and background screenings, train new hires and verify I9 information.
Process payroll; assist in establishing new time and attendance (KRONOS) computer system; balance insurance billings.
View, key, post and monitor time and labor, absences and leave balances in PeopleSoft HRIS system.
Compile data and enter information into ADP payroll processing system.
Process payroll and transmit electronically to outside computer service for preparation of payroll checks and reports.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll clerk skills

Common benefits & payroll administrator skills

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

Common payroll clerk skills

Data Entry, 19%
Payroll System, 10%
Photocopying, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
ADP, 5%

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Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Benefits & Payroll Administrator vs Payroll Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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