Payroll administrator vs payroll analyst

The differences between payroll administrators and payroll analysts 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 payroll analyst. Additionally, a payroll analyst has an average salary of $54,217, which is higher than the $46,596 average annual salary of a payroll administrator.

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

Payroll administrator vs payroll analyst overview

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Analyst
Yearly salary	$46,596	$54,217
Hourly rate	$22.40	$26.07
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	55,490	15,555
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a payroll administrator do?

A payroll administrator is responsible for processing the wages of employees in a company or organization. Aside from issuing payments, it is also the payroll administrator's task to audit, process taxes and other deductions, keep and maintain an organized record of data, respond to inquiries and resolve issues, and tally employee work hours. Furthermore, a payroll administrator needs to have efficient attention to detail as most of the tasks require accuracy and speed. It is also essential to communicate and coordinate with team members at all times.

What does a payroll analyst do?

A payroll analyst is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's payroll processes and transactions, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with human resources for accurate and complete timesheets and employee data, managing calendars and schedules, calculating wages and deductions, and performing consistent audits. There are also instances when a payroll analyst must perform clerical tasks such as processing documents, prepare progress reports, and respond to employee inquiries. Furthermore, it is essential to report to managers should there be any issues and concerns.

Payroll administrator vs payroll analyst salary

Payroll administrators and payroll analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Analyst
Average salary	$46,596	$54,217
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $39,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	Maine	Washington
Best paying company	Northern Trust	Varian Medical Systems
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between payroll administrator and payroll analyst education

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

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll administrator vs payroll analyst demographics

Here are the differences between payroll administrators' and payroll analysts' demographics:

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Analyst
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%
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, 10.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll administrator and payroll analyst 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.

Payroll analyst example responsibilities.

Manage all activities relate to base pay, overtime, PTO, garnishments and payroll tax.
Perform monthly accounting functions including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, benefit and salary accruals, and headcount reconciliations.
Create PowerPoint slides to train new timekeepers and managers in KRONOS.
Lead functional tester in support of timekeeping, payroll and labor upgrades and conversion projects.
Support the third-party web applications like KRONOS and custom-built time entry systems to input the time data
Enter new hires, terminations, and employee maintenance changes into HRIS & ADP including process employee benefit elections.

Payroll administrator vs payroll analyst skills

Common payroll administrator skills

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

Common payroll analyst skills

Customer Service, 11%
Payroll System, 6%
Payroll Data, 4%
Human Resources, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

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Payroll Administrator vs Payroll Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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