Employee benefits specialist vs senior benefits specialist

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

Employee benefits specialist vs senior benefits specialist overview

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Senior Benefits Specialist
Yearly salary	$45,893	$50,211
Hourly rate	$22.06	$24.14
Growth rate	7%	7%
Number of jobs	18,644	34,999
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
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 They must work with database systems to maintain digital files while removing and destroying outdated or obsolete files.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 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.

Employee benefits specialist vs senior benefits specialist salary

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

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Senior Benefits Specialist
Average salary	$45,893	$50,211
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $67,000	Between $34,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	RSM US	-
Best paying industry	Professional	-

Differences between employee benefits specialist and senior benefits specialist education

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

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Senior Benefits Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Employee benefits specialist vs senior benefits specialist demographics

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

	Employee Benefits Specialist	Senior Benefits Specialist
Average age	45	45
Gender ratio	Male, 28.1% Female, 71.9%	Male, 25.4% Female, 74.6%
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, 15.6% Asian, 7.3% White, 62.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between employee benefits specialist and senior benefits specialist 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.

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.

Employee benefits specialist vs senior benefits specialist skills

Common employee benefits specialist skills

RFP, 13%
Health Benefits, 10%
Cobra, 6%
Human Resources, 6%
HIPAA, 5%
HRIS, 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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Employee Benefits Specialist
Employee Benefits Specialist vs Senior Benefits Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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