Payroll administrator vs benefits clerk

The differences between payroll administrators and benefits clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a payroll administrator and a benefits clerk. Additionally, a payroll administrator has an average salary of $46,596, which is higher than the $34,841 average annual salary of a benefits clerk.

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

Payroll administrator vs benefits clerk overview

	Payroll Administrator	Benefits Clerk
Yearly salary	$46,596	$34,841
Hourly rate	$22.40	$16.75
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	55,490	75,454
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Payroll administrator vs benefits clerk salary

Payroll administrators and benefits clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Administrator	Benefits Clerk
Average salary	$46,596	$34,841
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	Minnesota
Best paying company	Northern Trust	Monarch Casino & Resort
Best paying industry	Construction	Government

Differences between payroll administrator and benefits clerk education

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

	Payroll Administrator	Benefits Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll administrator vs benefits clerk demographics

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

	Payroll Administrator	Benefits Clerk
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll administrator and benefits clerk duties and responsibilities

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.

Benefits clerk example responsibilities.

Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Enter employee data in HRIS system.
Used ADP HR/B software for benefits enrollment and reports.
Maintain retirement (401k) plan, FMLA and personnel records.
Monitor FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and personal leave of absence and premiums payments.
Update and maintain benefits data in the HRIS system to ensure accuracy and integrity of employee information.

Payroll administrator vs benefits clerk skills

Common payroll administrator skills

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

Common benefits clerk skills

Payroll System, 17%
Data Entry, 8%
Open Enrollment, 7%
Cobra, 7%
HRIS, 5%
Human Resources, 5%