How to hire a benefits & payroll administrator

How to hire a benefits & payroll administrator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step benefits & payroll administrator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a benefits & payroll administrator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new benefits & payroll administrator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a benefits & payroll administrator do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The benefits & payroll administrator hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

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   Hiring the perfect benefits & payroll administrator also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list shows salaries for various types of benefits & payroll administrators.

   Type of Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Description	Hourly rate
   Benefits & Payroll Administrator	Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists conduct an organization’s compensation and benefits programs. They also evaluate position descriptions to determine details such as a person’s classification and salary.	$17-32
   Human Resources Generalist	A human resources generalist is responsible for monitoring the human resources policies and procedures, making adjustments as needed to align with the company's goals and objectives. Duties of a human resources generalist also include improving employee relations system, organizing compliance and knowledge training, reviewing benefit plans, managing compensation inquiries, assisting in recruitment and staffing needs, communicating with department heads in employees' performance reviews, and storing employees' files for reference... Show more	$19-36
   Compensation Analyst	Compensation analysts are responsible for managing company compensation programs by evaluating and analyzing employees' salaries, assist the planning and development of a new and modified sales compensation plan, as well as managing sales compensation short-term incentive programs. The compensation programs are used to improve hiring and boost employee retention... Show more	$23-43

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Human Resources
   • HRIS
   • Cobra
   • Payroll System
   • Open Enrollment
   • ADP Payroll
   • FMLA
   • Benefits Administration
   • Long-Term Disability
   • ADP Workforce
   • PTO
   • Process Payroll
   • Health Insurance
   • General Ledger

   Check all skills

   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.

   More benefits & payroll administrator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your benefits & payroll administrator job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A benefits & payroll administrator can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, benefits & payroll administrators' average salary in montana is 51% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level benefits & payroll administrators 46% less than senior-level benefits & payroll administrators.
   • Certifications. A benefits & payroll administrator with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a benefits & payroll administrator's salary.

   Average benefits & payroll administrator salary

   $50,662yearly

   $24.36 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level benefits & payroll administrator salary

   $37,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 13, 2025

   Average benefits & payroll administrator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$61,369	$30
   2	Washington	$58,615	$28
   3	Massachusetts	$54,639	$26
   4	Maryland	$52,672	$25
   5	Illinois	$52,470	$25
   6	Minnesota	$50,791	$24
   7	Oregon	$50,371	$24
   8	Colorado	$49,688	$24
   9	North Carolina	$48,223	$23
   10	Iowa	$48,203	$23
   11	Texas	$46,404	$22
   12	Georgia	$45,537	$22
   13	Arizona	$39,619	$19
   14	Florida	$37,661	$18

   Average benefits & payroll administrator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	HGA	$61,773	$29.70
   2	Marquardt	$60,202	$28.94
   3	isolved	$54,299	$26.11	3
   4	Verge Mobile	$53,097	$25.53
   5	Fenix	$53,079	$25.52	1
   6	Legal Sea Foods	$52,462	$25.22
   7	Seattle Foundation	$51,937	$24.97	1
   8	System One	$51,877	$24.94	9
   9	Northpoint	$50,862	$24.45	2
   10	Randstad North America, Inc.	$50,592	$24.32	13
   11	Robert Half	$50,494	$24.28	341
   12	The Place Family Restaurant	$48,688	$23.41
   13	THE RIGHT STAFF	$47,194	$22.69
   14	Kelly Services	$47,120	$22.65	15
   15	CornerStone Staffing	$45,215	$21.74
   16	The Reserves Network	$41,790	$20.09	7
   17	AppleOne Employment Services	$41,479	$19.94	1
   18	R.M. Schulte & Associates	$39,335	$18.91
   19	Mass Markets	$31,449	$15.12
   20	Tampa YMCA	$26,013	$12.51

4. Writing a benefits & payroll administrator job description

   A benefits & payroll administrator job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a benefits & payroll administrator job description:

   Benefits & payroll administrator job description example

   · Administer weekly payroll for 200 company employees, communicating with employees in the corporate office, distribution center and Work ‘N Gear stores to ensure weekly payroll is timely and accurate

   · File and fund the weekly 401K for the company

   · Process changes for employees and assist with maintaining employee personnel files (i.e. new hires, terminations, payroll changes, etc.)

   · Assist in the annual open enrollment process for benefits (i.e. updating and organizing enrollment materials, working with insurance carriers, communicating changes to employees and answering questions from employees, etc.)

   · Administer health and other benefit plans across the company; process changes for employees (i.e. enrollments, terminations, benefit changes, etc.)

   · Serve as the Cobra Administrator for the company

   · Process monthly billings from insurance providers. Review billings for accuracy and resolve discrepancies with carriers, payroll and the company

   · Perform monthly accounting tasks and financial analysis related to payroll & benefits

   · Perform other related duties as required and assigned – ad hoc reporting, audit requests, etc.

   Qualifications
   Ideal candidates must possess an associate’s degree and have a minimum of three years of payroll / human resources experience.

   · Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written & verbal)

   · Exceptionally organized, ethical and accurate

   · Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word)

   · Experience with ADP Workforce Now a plus

   · Ability to multi-task, work under pressure, and meet required deadlines

   Company DescriptionWork'N Gear is the largest U. S. retailer of workwear apparel. We are dedicated to providing our customers with comfortable, durable, and fashionable professional-grade workwear and work footwear designed and manufactured for use in the most demanding service, security, industrial, and healthcare environments. Our expert buyers hand pick styles based on knowledge of what it takes to work on a job site, safeguard a community, build a business, and more. To that end, Work'N Gear and its subsidiary, Scrubology, selectively partner with manufacturers that share our commitment to high quality workmanship and technological innovation. Our allies include Carhartt, Dickies, Timberland, Chippewa, 5.11 Tactical series, WonderWink, Barco, Cherokee, and other fine brands.
   
   We're also proud to provide the convenience of over 100 retail locations from San Francisco to Boston, as well as an online catalog and comprehensive business-to-business services.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find benefits & payroll administrators for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your benefits & payroll administrator job on Zippia to find and recruit benefits & payroll administrator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with benefits & payroll administrator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new benefits & payroll administrator

   Once you have selected a candidate for the benefits & payroll administrator position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new benefits & payroll administrator. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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