Payroll auditor education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a payroll auditor. Payroll auditors usually study accounting, business, or finance. 60% of payroll auditors hold a bachelor's degree, and 23% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 535 real payroll auditor resumes to see exactly what payroll auditor education sections show.

The most common colleges for payroll auditors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online payroll auditor courses to help get the education required to be a payroll auditor.

What education do you need to become a payroll auditor?

What degree do you need to be a payroll auditor?

The most common degree for payroll auditors is bachelor's degree, with 60% of payroll auditors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 23% and associate degree degree at 7%.

Bachelor's, 60%

Associate, 23%

High School Diploma, 7%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 4%

What should I major in to become a payroll auditor?

You should major in accounting to become a payroll auditor. 35% of payroll auditors major in accounting. Other common majors for a payroll auditor include business and finance.

Accounting, 35%

Business, 28%

Finance, 6%

Economics, 3%

Other Majors, 28%

Most common colleges for payroll auditors

Payroll auditors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, DeVry University, and Franklin University. Here are the most common colleges for payroll auditors in the US based on their resumes.

Payroll auditor common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	19.05%
DeVry University	7.94%
Franklin University	6.35%
Pennsylvania State University	6.35%
San Jose State University	4.76%

Show more common payroll auditor colleges

Best majors for payroll auditors

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Accounting	35.0%
2	Business	28.4%
3	Finance	6.3%
4	Economics	3.3%
5	Management	2.6%

Show more common payroll auditor majors

Best colleges for payroll auditors

The best colleges for payroll auditors are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Villanova University.

A payroll auditor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for payroll auditors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become payroll auditors.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,308

Enrollment

6,819

3. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$49,880

Enrollment

4,177

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$15,094

Enrollment

32,974

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

8. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

9. California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$9,816

Enrollment

21,047

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for payroll auditors

Advertising disclosure

1. Ultimate Payroll Management with Income Tax & Year-End 23-24

4.2

(351)

Basic to Advanced: Certification in Payroll, Compensation Benefits, Income Tax,Year Ending for Payroll & Human Resources...

2. Payroll Accounting: Laws, Calculations, and Journal Entries

4.4

(1,649)

Master the complex world of payroll with practical examples, legislation insights, and comprehensive problems...

3. QuickBooks Payroll - QuickBooks Online

4.5

(319)

Processing Quick Books Online payroll for a small business, generating paychecks, processing payroll tax forms...

4. Payroll Management

4.5

(338)

Use free UK payroll software to perform essential payroll management...

5. Intro to Business • HR: Payroll Fundamentals

4.5

(645)

Understand the Basics of Processing Employee Payroll...

6. Understanding Payroll for Beginners

4.5

(361)

Payroll calculation, processing payroll, taxes, and reporting...

7. Payroll Accounting With Visually Effective Excel Dashboards

4.3

(420)

Payroll Data Analysis with Excel Pivot Tables,hr payroll, payroll management, payroll certification, Payroll, Excel...

8. Effective Bookkeeping and Payroll

4.6

(1,262)

Effective Bookkeeping and Payroll...

9. Complete Payroll Management in Excel &TALLY ERP9 &TallyPrime

4.7

(415)

Payroll, Bookkeeping,Microsoft Excel,Excel,TALLY ERP9, Payroll Process, Tally Prime,Payroll Account, Salary , wages ,HR...

10. Xero Australia Payroll Complete Training Course

4.2

(433)

Become an expert at the payroll function of Xero bookkeeping & accounting software using Xero's Australian demo company...

11. Audit - Financial Statement

4.4

(2,545)

Master the Art of Auditing Financial Statements: In-Depth Analysis, Techniques, and Real-World Case Studies...

12. HR Analytics: HRM, HR Course 2023

4.2

(342)

Human Resources Certification, People Analytics, Human Resources, People Management, Talent Acquisition, HR Payroll, HRM...

13. Ultimate HR Generalist and Human Resource Management Course

4.3

(1,866)

Hands-on HR Certification: All HRM topics. Master Employee Life Cycle, Payroll, Recruitment, Engagement, EXDesign and AI...

14. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 3 - Full Study Course

4.6

(266)

Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 3...

15. Lead Auditor Tools for a Professional Internal Audit

4.5

(1,979)

Be a Pro Internal Auditor. This is the only course with 1-on-1 online meeting with the instructor & e-mail support...

16. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 2 - Full Study Course

4.6

(370)

Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 2...

17. Become an External Auditor - External Audit Process Level 1

4.5

(362)

External Audit Process : Financial Statement Accounting : Business Valuation Methods : Certified Public Accountant (CPA)...

18. Certified Quality Auditor Training

4.6

(1,013)

Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) Exam Preparation Course - Confidently pass the exam in the first attempt...

19. Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 1 - Full Study Course

4.6

(1,440)

Full study course and instructor support for the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) Part 1...

20. Financial Statement Analysis

4.7

(255)

Learn how to make understanding financial statements your superpower!...

Top 10 most affordable universities for payroll auditors

The most affordable schools for payroll auditors are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and california state university - fullerton.

If the best universities for payroll auditors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for payroll auditors.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

4. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

5. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

8. USF Sarasota-Manatee

Sarasota, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,587

Cost of attendance

13,043

9. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

10. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for payroll auditors

The hardest universities for payroll auditors to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Villanova University.

Some great schools for payroll auditors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for payroll auditors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

5. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

10. Fordham University

Bronx, NY • Private

Admissions rate

46%

SAT average

1,354

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for payroll auditors

The easiest schools for payroll auditors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, oklahoma wesleyan university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a payroll auditor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for payroll auditors.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

9. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average payroll auditor salary by education level

According to our data, payroll auditors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $51,894 annually. Payroll auditors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $50,288.

Payroll auditor education level	Payroll auditor salary
Master's Degree	$50,288
Bachelor's Degree	$46,255
Doctorate Degree	$51,894

Payroll auditor education FAQs

What is the best college for Payroll Auditors?

Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.

Search for payroll auditor jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse business and financial jobs