Payroll administrator vs payroll supervisor

The differences between payroll administrators and payroll supervisors 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 supervisor. Additionally, a payroll supervisor has an average salary of $64,422, 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 supervisor are customer service, payroll system, and payroll tax.

Payroll administrator vs payroll supervisor overview

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Supervisor
Yearly salary	$46,596	$64,422
Hourly rate	$22.40	$30.97
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	55,490	6,668
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
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 supervisor do?

A payroll supervisor ensures employee salaries are released in a timely manner and accounts for all payrolls and cash released by the company. The payroll supervisor organizes all financial transactions and generates reports for accounting. This position ensures employees are paid accurately and calculates all deductibles such as insurance, child support, taxes, and payroll adjustments. The payroll supervisor must have accounting and bookkeeping skills and has pertinent experience in relevant fields of study.

Payroll administrator vs payroll supervisor salary

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

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Supervisor
Average salary	$46,596	$64,422
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $64,000	Between $46,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	New Jersey
Best paying company	Northern Trust	eBay
Best paying industry	Construction	Technology

Differences between payroll administrator and payroll supervisor education

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

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 51%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll administrator vs payroll supervisor demographics

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

	Payroll Administrator	Payroll Supervisor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll administrator and payroll supervisor 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 supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the administration and processing of KRONOS time reporting system.
Manage installation of automate timekeeping systems in facilities, ensuring accurate, timely processing of time and attendance information.
Act as the HRIS backup running queries and reports as scheduled and upon request via PeopleSoft for management and key stakeholders.
Create journal entries and account reconciliations for key benefit programs and maintain account reconciliations of liability accounts.
Assist in implementing new PTO plan, work with ADP to interface system.
Check all new hire information, ensuring accuracy of information complete in KRONOS system.

Payroll administrator vs payroll supervisor 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 supervisor skills

Customer Service, 9%
Payroll System, 6%
Payroll Tax, 5%
Reconciliations, 5%
Human Resources, 4%
Process Payroll, 4%

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Payroll Administrator
Payroll Administrator vs Payroll Supervisor

Updated January 8, 2025

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