Benefits representative vs senior benefits specialist

The differences between benefits representatives and senior benefits specialists 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 senior benefits specialist. Additionally, a senior benefits specialist has an average salary of $50,211, 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 senior benefits specialist are customer service, HR, and HRIS.

Benefits representative vs senior benefits specialist overview

	Benefits Representative	Senior Benefits Specialist
Yearly salary	$38,694	$50,211
Hourly rate	$18.60	$24.14
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	13,058	34,999
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
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 senior benefits specialist do?

Typically working in a company's human resources department, a senior benefits specialist manages benefits and compensation programs for the employees. They are mostly in charge of designing and developing plans for retirement, stock ownership, healthcare, and pension. To carry out their duties, they must perform extensive research and analysis, coordinate efforts with staff and other experts, put costs and budgets into consideration, and liaise with external parties such as vendors and plan providers, building positive relationships for a smooth workflow. Moreover, a senior benefits specialist must also assist employees by answering their inquiries and explaining how the benefits programs work.

Benefits representative vs senior benefits specialist salary

Benefits representatives and senior benefits specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Benefits Representative	Senior Benefits Specialist
Average salary	$38,694	$50,211
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $34,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	BlackRock	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between benefits representative and senior benefits specialist education

There are a few differences between a benefits representative and a senior benefits specialist in terms of educational background:

	Benefits Representative	Senior Benefits Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Benefits representative vs senior benefits specialist demographics

Here are the differences between benefits representatives' and senior benefits specialists' demographics:

	Benefits Representative	Senior Benefits Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 30.3% Female, 69.7%	Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
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, 15.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between benefits representative and senior benefits specialist 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.

Senior benefits specialist example responsibilities.

Develop and manage leave of absence program in accordance with company policy, FMLA and applicable state laws.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Coordinate with STD/FMLA carrier and payroll to process disability and FMLA claims.
Set up new hires in Kronos time & labor system as well as work schedules.
Act as liaison with vendors to insure accurate and timely claims processing according to HCFA, HIPAA and Medicare guidelines.
Prepare weekly payroll utilizing Kronos software.

Benefits representative vs senior benefits specialist skills

Common benefits representative skills

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

Common senior benefits specialist skills

Customer Service, 11%
HR, 9%
HRIS, 7%
Life Insurance, 4%
Benefits Administration, 4%
Cobra, 4%

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Benefits Representative
Benefits Representative vs Senior Benefits Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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