What does a payroll and benefits specialist do?
A payroll and benefits specialist's role is to oversee and manage a company's compensation procedures, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Their responsibilities typically include gathering and organizing timesheets, preparing and processing documentation, monitoring employee attendance and schedules, updating databases, preparing and processing invoices, and maintaining records of all transactions. Furthermore, as a payroll and benefits specialist, it is essential to maintain an active communication line with other staff to ensure accuracy in operations, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Payroll and benefits specialist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real payroll and benefits specialist resumes:
- Manage yearly personnel reports, EEO, etc.
- Manage all accounts payable and accounts receivable, using QuickBooks.
- Manage paid time off (PTO) for all staff, complete monthly payroll check reconciliation and perform electronic 401K transfers.
- Integrate efforts on actions and programs where joint OPM functional effort are necessary to accomplish recruitment and enhance organizational effectiveness.
- Administer self-insured health insurance plan and cobra administration.
- Track payroll accounts for 401k and HSA.
- Process insurance , 401K, FSA and ESPP.
- Prepare accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual account reconciliations.
- Work with TPA to ensure ACA reporting standards are meet.
- Process accruals, and update schedules on a monthly basis.
- Generate headcount, FSA , 401k, and payroll reports.
- Maintain company affirmative action program and EEO-1 reporting and applicant tracking.
- Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into HRIS computer software.
- Meet with employees regarding their contract benefits including sick and vacation accruals.
- Process cobra letters, rollovers and 401-k , 403b retirements and terminations disbursements.
Payroll and benefits specialist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 15% of Payroll And Benefits Specialists are proficient in Customer Service, HRIS, and Human Resources. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Payroll And Benefits Specialists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 15%
Supervised inbound call center with over 300 customer service representatives.
- HRIS, 7%
Worked with HR Management and IS staff to determine HRIS program/system changes, report specifications and integration with other supporting programs/systems.
- Human Resources, 6%
Managed daily support activity for human resources including the maintenance of employee information.
- ADP Workforce, 4%
Process new-hire, termination paperwork and employee maintenance in ADP Workforce Now Portal and to benefit providers.
- Payroll Processing, 4%
Administer and coordinate payroll processing and fringe benefit information and counseling.
- Cobra, 4%
Served as benefits administrator (medical/dental plans); managed benefits function from enrollment through termination, including COBRA administration.
"customer service," "hris," and "human resources" are among the most common skills that payroll and benefits specialists use at work. You can find even more payroll and benefits specialist responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a payroll and benefits specialist to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what payroll and benefits specialists do because "compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists perform data and cost analyses to evaluate their organization’s policies." Additionally, a payroll and benefits specialist resume shows how payroll and benefits specialists use analytical skills: "compiled, enter and submitted all the data need to meet the federal regulations with affordable care act (aca). "
Business skills. Another essential skill to perform payroll and benefits specialist duties is business skills. Payroll and benefits specialists responsibilities require that "specialists must understand basic finance and accounting." Payroll and benefits specialists also use business skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "train all new users on ceridian data entry, probusiness and report writing. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of payroll and benefits specialists is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday payroll and benefits specialist duties, as "specialists need to provide information about compensation and benefits in a way that is understandable to employees at all levels throughout their organization." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "processed in-house payroll using peoplesoft 8.8 for 3,000+ interstate employees* prepared communications and benefits educational material for employees. "
The three companies that hire the most payroll and benefits specialists are:
- Robert Half6 payroll and benefits specialists jobs
- Pangea Properties3 payroll and benefits specialists jobs
- Steel Dynamics2 payroll and benefits specialists jobs
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Compare different payroll and benefits specialists
Payroll and benefits specialist vs. Human resources recruiter
A human resources recruiter is responsible for sourcing potential candidates on filling in organizational roles to support business operations and maintain efficiency on project deliverables. Human resources recruiters work closely with every department's head to analyze their qualifications and posting the job requirement on the company's job board and other communication platforms. They screen applicants, conduct background checks, provide timely updates of the application progress, and inform the successful candidate of the job's compensation and benefits. The human resources recruiter also assists with recruitment events and maintain an organized hiring process.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, payroll and benefits specialist responsibilities require skills like "human resources," "adp workforce," "payroll processing," and "payroll system." Meanwhile a typical human resources recruiter has skills in areas such as "good judgment," "applicant tracking systems," "open positions," and "career fairs." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Human resources recruiters tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $55,012. In contrast, payroll and benefits specialists make the biggest average salary, $52,370, in the professional industry.human resources recruiters tend to reach higher levels of education than payroll and benefits specialists. In fact, human resources recruiters are 7.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Payroll and benefits specialist vs. Human resources coordinator
A human resources coordinator is responsible for cooperating with the company's human resources department, supporting its processes and procedures, and assisting with employees' concerns. Human resources coordinators' duties include maintaining business files and employees' records, processing documents and submitting required reports, administering background checks for the recruitment process, reviewing and referring to company's handbook for corrective action and performance review, scheduling meetings and facilitating events, and advising effective strategies to human resources management. A human resources coordinator requires excellent communication and employee-relation skills to support the company's daily operations.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real payroll and benefits specialist resumes. While payroll and benefits specialist responsibilities can utilize skills like "human resources," "adp workforce," "payroll processing," and "w-2," human resources coordinators use skills like "process payroll," "powerpoint," "provides administrative support," and "excellent interpersonal."
On average, human resources coordinators earn a lower salary than payroll and benefits specialists. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, human resources coordinators earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $49,546. Whereas payroll and benefits specialists have higher pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $52,370.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Human resources coordinators tend to reach similar levels of education than payroll and benefits specialists. In fact, they're 4.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Payroll and benefits specialist vs. Human resources associate
A human resources associate is responsible for supporting the human resources department's operations, updating employees' records within the organization's database, and managing the employees' inquiries and concerns by referencing the human resources policies. Human resources associates assist with staffing and recruitment processes, maintaining a timely job board, and filtering potential candidates' requirements and qualifications. They also respond to payments and benefits concerns and recommend employees' training and programs to maximize their potential, credibility, and productivity for daily operations and project management.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from payroll and benefits specialist resumes include skills like "human resources," "adp workforce," "w-2," and "payroll data," whereas a human resources associate is more likely to list skills in "performance management," "powerpoint," "excellent interpersonal," and "provides administrative support. "
Human resources associates make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $72,184. On the other hand, payroll and benefits specialists are paid the highest salary in the professional industry, with average annual pay of $52,370.human resources associates typically earn higher educational levels compared to payroll and benefits specialists. Specifically, they're 7.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Payroll and benefits specialist vs. Payroll/human resource manager
Types of payroll and benefits specialist
Updated January 8, 2025
