Employee benefits specialist vs benefits & payroll administrator

The differences between employee benefits specialists 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 an employee benefits specialist and a benefits & payroll administrator. Additionally, a benefits & payroll administrator has an average salary of $50,662, 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 & payroll administrator are human resources, HRIS, and cobra.

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits & payroll administrator overview

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Yearly salary	$45,893	$50,662
Hourly rate	$22.06	$24.36
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	18,644	61,356
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
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 They must work with database systems to maintain digital files while removing and destroying outdated or obsolete files.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 & 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.

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits & payroll administrator salary

Employee benefits specialists and benefits & payroll administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Average salary	$45,893	$50,662
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $67,000	Between $37,000 And $68,000
Highest paying City	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ	San Jose, CA
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New Jersey
Best paying company	RSM US	HGA
Best paying industry	Professional	Professional

Differences between employee benefits specialist and benefits & payroll administrator education

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

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 55%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits & payroll administrator demographics

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

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Benefits & Payroll Administrator
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9%	Male, 11.7% Female, 88.3%
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, 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 employee benefits specialist and benefits & payroll administrator 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 & 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.

Employee benefits specialist vs benefits & payroll administrator skills

Common employee benefits specialist skills

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

Common benefits & payroll administrator skills

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

Employee Benefits Specialist vs. similar jobs

Employee Benefits Specialist related careers

Employee Benefits Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Business and Financial Industry
Employee Benefits Specialist
Employee Benefits Specialist vs Benefits & Payroll Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs