Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll manager

The differences between benefits & payroll administrators and payroll managers 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 manager takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a payroll manager has an average salary of $86,147, 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 payroll manager are customer service, human resources, and payroll system.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll manager overview

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Manager
Yearly salary	$50,662	$86,147
Hourly rate	$24.36	$41.42
Growth rate	7%	-3%
Number of jobs	61,356	6,972
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
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 manager do?

A payroll manager is responsible for monitoring the payment process of all employees. Payroll managers oversee payroll records, reviewing calculable taxes and other deductions, creating a comprehensive summary of payroll details, managing payroll discrepancies, and releasing payroll checks through the organization's payment method. They must also follow strict procedures on legal requirements and tax obligations. A payroll manager must have excellent analytical and communication skills, especially on responding to the employees' inquiries and concerns, as well as managing the performance of the payroll staff.

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll manager salary

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Manager
Average salary	$50,662	$86,147
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $68,000	Between $63,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	San Jose, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	California
Best paying company	HGA	Ep Energy
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and payroll manager education

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll manager demographics

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

	Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Payroll Manager
Average age	45	48
Gender ratio	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%	Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0%
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, 9.9% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	9%	10%

Differences between benefits & payroll administrator and payroll 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.

Payroll manager example responsibilities.

Manage accounting and finance operations including A/R, A/P and general accounting, etc.
Manage annual W2 reconciliation and distribution.
Manage expatriates compensation packages and taxation.
Coordinate department conversion of manual payroll system to KRONOS automate time and attendance system.
Save the company $5,500 by learning ADP and creating payroll accruals and profiles to accurately record employee PTO time profiles.
Process payroll utilizing ADP payroll system

Benefits & payroll administrator vs payroll manager skills

Common benefits & payroll administrator skills

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

Common payroll manager skills

Customer Service, 8%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll System, 5%
Payroll Tax, 5%
HRIS, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%

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Business and Financial Industry
Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Benefits & Payroll Administrator vs Payroll Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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