Payroll assistant vs payroll technician

The differences between payroll assistants and payroll technicians 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 assistant and a payroll technician. Additionally, a payroll assistant has an average salary of $45,023, which is higher than the $44,971 average annual salary of a payroll technician.

The top three skills for a payroll assistant include data entry, payroll system and payroll data. The most important skills for a payroll technician are payroll system, human resources, and data entry.

Payroll assistant vs payroll technician overview

	Payroll Assistant	Payroll Technician
Yearly salary	$45,023	$44,971
Hourly rate	$21.65	$21.62
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	7,063	11,297
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a payroll assistant do?

A payroll assistant is primarily in charge of performing support tasks to help payroll managers maintain smooth workflow operations. Their duties entail maintaining databases, entering relevant data into systems, coordinating with different departments, handling tax forms and other paperwork, establishing schedules, processing deductions, and preparing regular reports. They may also manage calls and other forms of correspondence, perform research and assessments, keep records, and run errands as necessary. Additionally, a payroll assistant must maintain an open communication line with fellow staff and managers to solve potential or existing issues.

What does a payroll technician do?

A payroll technician may work in the finance or human resource department of an organization or with a payroll service. They are responsible for the collation and recording of employee payment data. As a payroll technician, you will apply organization systems, relevant laws, and other employment and labour regulations to process employees' payments. Depending on the payroll cycle, as a payroll technician, you will be expected to maintain accurate and up to date detailed information of staff for payroll purposes.

Payroll assistant vs payroll technician salary

Payroll assistants and payroll technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Assistant	Payroll Technician
Average salary	$45,023	$44,971
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $65,000	Between $30,000 And $66,000
Highest paying City	Riverhead, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	New Jersey
Best paying company	Sidley Austin	InfosysPublicService
Best paying industry	Construction	Finance

Differences between payroll assistant and payroll technician education

There are a few differences between a payroll assistant and a payroll technician in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Assistant	Payroll Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll assistant vs payroll technician demographics

Here are the differences between payroll assistants' and payroll technicians' demographics:

	Payroll Assistant	Payroll Technician
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 16.0% Female, 84.0%	Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 6.1% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll assistant and payroll technician duties and responsibilities

Payroll assistant example responsibilities.

Enter and update new employees into the timekeeping system KRONOS.
Perform payroll functions such as timekeeping and vacation days and submit to payroll.
Assist with the payroll process, time cards input and personal time off (PTO).
Prepare and input both weekly and biweekly payroll information using ADP software, ensuring information receive and transmit is accurate.
Process employee terminations including final pay calculations, PTO payment, deductions, and ensure payment meets state final pay requirements.
Maintain accurate records in PeopleSoft.

Show more

Payroll technician example responsibilities.

Provide Kronos and Lawson support to management concerning departmental payroll and timekeeping.
Evaluate time cards through KRONOS for accuracy.
Transmit and process payroll for hourly/shift employees on a bi-weekly basis with the use of ADP software.
Process payroll from the loading of time and attendance files to submitting payment data to ADP for check printing.
Provide payroll calculation and leave posting input for computer processing.
Participate in the successful implementation of PeopleSoft from an in-house system.

Show more

Payroll assistant vs payroll technician skills

Common payroll assistant skills

Data Entry, 16%
Payroll System, 7%
Payroll Data, 6%
Human Resources, 5%
ADP, 5%
Payroll Checks, 4%

Common payroll technician skills

Payroll System, 9%
Human Resources, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Life Insurance, 5%
Kronos, 4%
Payroll Data, 4%

Payroll Assistant vs. similar jobs

Payroll Assistant related careers

Payroll Assistant related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z