Payroll analyst vs accounting analyst

The differences between payroll analysts and accounting 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 analyst and an accounting analyst. Additionally, an accounting analyst has an average salary of $58,399, which is higher than the $54,217 average annual salary of a payroll analyst.

The top three skills for a payroll analyst include customer service, payroll system and payroll data. The most important skills for an accounting analyst are reconciliations, customer service, and account reconciliations.

Payroll analyst vs accounting analyst overview

	Payroll Analyst	Accounting Analyst
Yearly salary	$54,217	$58,399
Hourly rate	$26.07	$28.08
Growth rate	-3%	6%
Number of jobs	15,555	81,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	48	44
Years of experience	4	4

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.

What does an accounting analyst do?

An accounting analyst is responsible for supporting the accounting operations of an organization, analyzing financial transactions and financial statements, and resolving account discrepancies. Accounting analysts interpret financial data by consolidating account transactions, performing account reconciliation, and managing account receivables. They also assist in preparing and releasing invoices, issuing billing statements, and creating comprehensive financial reports on the company's budget and expenses. An accounting analyst must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles and disciplines, as well as extensive analytical and communication skills to perform duties and meet deadlines under minimal supervision.

Payroll analyst vs accounting analyst salary

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

	Payroll Analyst	Accounting Analyst
Average salary	$54,217	$58,399
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $74,000	Between $42,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	Olympia, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	New York
Best paying company	Varian Medical Systems	Google
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between payroll analyst and accounting analyst education

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

	Payroll Analyst	Accounting Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll analyst vs accounting analyst demographics

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

	Payroll Analyst	Accounting Analyst
Average age	48	44
Gender ratio	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%	Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 14.3% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between payroll analyst and accounting analyst duties and responsibilities

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.

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Accounting analyst example responsibilities.

Manage and process all ACH, EFT and wire transfer transactions daily (debit or credits).
Manage reconciling monthly discrepancies between ERP transfers.
Manage budget submissions by subsidiaries in Europe/AFNE region in Hyperion.
Establish investment objectives to efficiently manage IPO proceeds within state risk parameters.
Maintain accounting controls by following GAAP and internal accounting policies; maintain financial security by following internal controls.
Review and approve monthly general ledger and bank account reconciliations for special condition accounts to ensure procedural consistency and compliance.

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Payroll analyst vs accounting analyst skills

Common payroll analyst skills

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

Common accounting analyst skills

Reconciliations, 12%
Customer Service, 7%
Account Reconciliations, 6%
GAAP, 5%
Strong Analytical, 4%
Payroll, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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