How To Become A Payroll And Benefits Coordinator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a payroll and benefits coordinator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Sarah DeArmond Ph.D.,

Thomas Byrnes

For most employees, salary and benefits are of extreme importance. That's why payroll and benefits coordinators are so important. They make sure that these vital issues are properly taken care of. If you decide to work as a payroll and benefits coordinator, you will be responsible for collecting and calculating employees' timesheets, supporting data entry, processing and distributing payroll and benefits, and responding to questions from employees and supervisors.

These coordinators also may be expected to balance payroll and withholding accounts, provide accurate employee verifications to all external sources (such as loan verification and final salary affidavits, and prepares and generate reports and documentation such as weekly, monthly, quarterly and year-end reports. Payroll and benefits coordinators must be detail-oriented problem-solvers who can meet demanding deadlines. They also need to have excellent analytical skills and be able to safeguard personal information. If you're looking to become a payroll and benefits coordinator, an Associate's degree is generally preferred, along with previous bookkeeping or payroll experience.

What general advice would you give to a payroll and benefits coordinator?

Sarah DeArmond Ph.D.

Management and Human Resources Department Chair, Professor of Human Resource Management, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

I would suggest that anyone beginning their career prepare to listen a lot, ask questions, and keep the mindset that graduation is not the end of their education but rather the beginning.

ScorePayroll And Benefits CoordinatorUS Average

Salary

3.6

Avg. Salary $45,858

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.0

Growth rate 7%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.34%

Asian 6.90%

Black or African American 10.63%

Hispanic or Latino 15.70%

Unknown 3.64%

White 62.79%

Gender

female 90.23%

male 9.77%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

6.0

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a payroll and benefits coordinator

Explore payroll and benefits coordinator education requirements

Most common payroll and benefits coordinator degrees

Bachelor's

49.1 %

Associate

28.2 %

High School Diploma

9.0 %

Start to develop specific payroll and benefits coordinator skills

Skills	Percentages
HRIS	9.22%
Human Resources	9.13%
Open Enrollment	5.77%
Payroll Processing	5.24%
Data Entry	4.24%

Complete relevant payroll and benefits coordinator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New payroll and benefits coordinators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a payroll and benefits coordinator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real payroll and benefits coordinator resumes.

Research payroll and benefits coordinator duties and responsibilities

Create PowerPoint presentations for leadership meetings, manage spreadsheet databases, manage donation programs for RedCross and UnitedWay campaigns.
Key feed backs in the KRONOS time clock for miss punches.
Monitor and update employee PTO, leaves of absences, and federal postings.
Facilitate FMLA, as well as, other leaves as applicable to company policy and relevant laws.

Prepare your payroll and benefits coordinator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your payroll and benefits coordinator resume.

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Choose from 10+ customizable payroll and benefits coordinator resume templates

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