Employee benefits specialist vs benefits analyst

The differences between employee benefits specialists and benefits analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an employee benefits specialist and a benefits analyst. Additionally, a benefits analyst has an average salary of $50,944, which is higher than the $45,893 average annual salary of an employee benefits specialist.

The top three skills for an employee benefits specialist include RFP, health benefits and cobra. The most important skills for a benefits analyst are customer service, HR, and HRIS.

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits analyst overview

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits Analyst
Yearly salary	$45,893	$50,944
Hourly rate	$22.06	$24.49
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	18,644	20,211
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	45	45
Years of experience	6	6

What does an employee benefits specialist do?

Document clerks are employees who are responsible for tracking and controlling technical documents according to the business standards of an organization. These clerks are required to scan and photocopy business-related documents such as client files, correspondence, and company records. They must work with database systems to maintain digital files while removing and destroying outdated or obsolete files. Document clerks must also verify information in company documents to ensure that the information of clients is correct and resent in all documents.

What does a benefits analyst do?

A Benefits Analyst is responsible for administering and communicating benefit programs for an organization. They attract and retain employees through researching, recommending, and explaining benefit programs.

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits analyst salary

Employee benefits specialists and benefits analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits Analyst
Average salary	$45,893	$50,944
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $67,000	Between $36,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	RSM US	Amd
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between employee benefits specialist and benefits analyst education

There are a few differences between an employee benefits specialist and a benefits analyst in terms of educational background:

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits analyst demographics

Here are the differences between employee benefits specialists' and benefits analysts' demographics:

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits Analyst
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9%	Male, 27.8% Female, 72.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 7.7% White, 62.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 7.8% White, 61.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between employee benefits specialist and benefits analyst duties and responsibilities

Employee benefits specialist example responsibilities.

Manage submission process of all documents to the IRS for approval.
Manage newly trusteed and terminate pension plans to ensure termination complies with ERISA.
Manage payroll deductions, responsible for monthly insurance premium payments, and coordinate/communicate annual open enrollment.
Account coordinator for health, dental, fsa, hsa, supplemental coverages.
Process and maintain FSA, HSA, and HRA contributions, deductions, and reimbursements.
Create new HIPAA privacy compliance plan.

Benefits analyst example responsibilities.

Manage relationships with all FSA clients including supporting their employee inquiries, reporting, and explain policy and procedure.
Manage regulatory compliance with federal and state leave laws such as FMLA, ADA, CFRA, PDL and FEHA.
Create reports using SQL database and manage reports, perform from internet-base tools for research projects need for client insight.
Develop data analysis procedures to comply with ACA regulations.
Screen clients for Medicaid and other health insurance eligibility.
Provide functional expertise and leadership of retiree benefits administration during the RFP selection process for outsourcing retirement administration.

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits analyst skills

Common employee benefits specialist skills

RFP, 13%
Health Benefits, 10%
Cobra, 6%
Human Resources, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
HRIS, 4%

Common benefits analyst skills

Customer Service, 10%
HR, 8%
HRIS, 6%
Payroll, 6%
PowerPoint, 5%
RFP, 4%

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Employee Benefits Specialist
Employee Benefits Specialist vs Benefits Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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