Benefits representative vs benefits & payroll administrator

The differences between benefits representatives and benefits & payroll administrators 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 representative and a benefits & payroll administrator. Additionally, a benefits & payroll administrator has an average salary of $50,662, which is higher than the $38,694 average annual salary of a benefits representative.

The top three skills for a benefits representative include customer service, patients and insurance coverage. The most important skills for a benefits & payroll administrator are human resources, HRIS, and cobra.

Benefits representative vs benefits & payroll administrator overview

	Benefits Representative	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Yearly salary	$38,694	$50,662
Hourly rate	$18.60	$24.36
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,058	61,356
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does a benefits representative do?

A benefits representative is responsible for facilitating and disseminating information about benefits programs and policies across all employees in the company. Benefits representatives respond to the employees' inquiries and concerns of benefits processes, update their benefits information, and resolve discrepancies and disputes. They also support the company's initiatives on developing new benefits plans, implementing campaigns, as well as writing application guides for reference. A benefits representative should have excellent communication and organizational skills as they also conduct surveys to check the efficiency and effectiveness of the benefits programs and adjusting procedures as needed.

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.

Benefits representative vs benefits & payroll administrator salary

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

	Benefits Representative	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Average salary	$38,694	$50,662
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	BlackRock	HGA
Best paying industry	Finance	Professional

Differences between benefits representative and benefits & payroll administrator education

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

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

Benefits representative vs benefits & payroll administrator demographics

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

	Benefits Representative	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 7.0% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	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%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between benefits representative and benefits & payroll administrator duties and responsibilities

Benefits representative example responsibilities.

Determine eligibility and process FMLA initial notification letters for employees which lead to immediate use of benefits.
Service consumers inbound inquires via phone and live chat regarding HRA, FSA and HSA accounts.
Work with clients to ensure ACA compliance.
Train in and apply HIPAA privacy and security regulations and maintain strict confidentiality of claims.
Contact any FSA or HRA groups concerning any outstanding payments for claims and/or admin fee invoices.
Produce benefit-related reports from HRIS.

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 representative vs benefits & payroll administrator skills

Common benefits representative skills

Customer Service, 18%
Patients, 18%
Insurance Coverage, 8%
Medicaid, 6%
Insurance Carriers, 5%
Term Disability, 4%

Common benefits & payroll administrator skills

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

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Benefits Representative
Benefits Representative vs Benefits & Payroll Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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