Chief payroll clerk vs payroll administrator

The differences between chief payroll clerks and payroll administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a chief payroll clerk and a payroll administrator. Additionally, a chief payroll clerk has an average salary of $53,799, which is higher than the $46,596 average annual salary of a payroll administrator.

The top three skills for a chief payroll clerk include budget, payroll and customer service. The most important skills for a payroll administrator are customer service, data entry, and payroll system.

Chief payroll clerk vs payroll administrator overview

	Chief Payroll Clerk	Payroll Administrator
Yearly salary	$53,799	$46,596
Hourly rate	$25.86	$22.40
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	84,588	55,490
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Chief payroll clerk vs payroll administrator salary

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

	Chief Payroll Clerk	Payroll Administrator
Average salary	$53,799	$46,596
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $72,000	Between $33,000 And $64,000
Highest paying City	-	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	-	Maine
Best paying company	-	Northern Trust
Best paying industry	-	Construction

Differences between chief payroll clerk and payroll administrator education

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

	Chief Payroll Clerk	Payroll Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	University of Pennsylvania

Chief payroll clerk vs payroll administrator demographics

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

	Chief Payroll Clerk	Payroll Administrator
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 5.2% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.1% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between chief payroll clerk and payroll administrator duties and responsibilities

Chief payroll clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Research and advise upper management orally and in writing on issues impacting payroll and/or budget.
Administer the payroll for the firm, using the ADP manual data entry payroll service.
Process payroll and supervise timekeeping functions.
Maintain cleanliness of the company warehouse, operate warehouse machinery and organize the warehouse to ensure proper product placement.
Provide help desk support DTS travelers.

Payroll administrator example responsibilities.

Manage year-end W2 audit/corrections and distribution.
Manage employee direct deposit accounts and initiate ACH reversals when necessary.
Manage all requisitions using PeopleSoft for the administrator and all assign departments.
Maintain KRONOS timekeeping system, review, sort and distribute employee upload file and multiple misc.
Maintain and monitor PTO balances and provide executive reports relate to vacation accruals.
Assist in implementing and training of MyTime and Lawson systems.

Chief payroll clerk vs payroll administrator skills

Common chief payroll clerk skills

Budget, 44%
Payroll, 44%
Customer Service, 12%

Common payroll administrator skills

Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 7%
Payroll System, 6%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll Data, 4%
Process Payroll, 4%

Chief Payroll Clerk vs. similar jobs

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Chief Payroll Clerk related jobs

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Office and Administrative Industry
Chief Payroll Clerk
Chief Payroll Clerk vs Payroll Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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