Payroll auditor vs payroll clerk

The differences between payroll auditors and payroll clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a payroll auditor has an average salary of $45,159, which is higher than the $41,602 average annual salary of a payroll clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll auditor include audit payroll, payroll data and payroll processing. The most important skills for a payroll clerk are data entry, payroll system, and photocopying.

Payroll auditor vs payroll clerk overview

	Payroll Auditor	Payroll Clerk
Yearly salary	$45,159	$41,602
Hourly rate	$21.71	$20.00
Growth rate	6%	-3%
Number of jobs	23,534	71,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	44	48
Years of experience	-	4

Payroll auditor vs payroll clerk salary

Payroll auditors and payroll clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Auditor	Payroll Clerk
Average salary	$45,159	$41,602
Salary range	Between $33,000 And $60,000	Between $31,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	MDU Resources
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between payroll auditor and payroll clerk education

There are a few differences between a payroll auditor and a payroll clerk in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Auditor	Payroll Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Southern California	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll auditor vs payroll clerk demographics

Here are the differences between payroll auditors' and payroll clerks' demographics:

	Payroll Auditor	Payroll Clerk
Average age	44	48
Gender ratio	Male, 33.8% Female, 66.2%	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.2% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	10%

Differences between payroll auditor and payroll clerk duties and responsibilities

Payroll auditor example responsibilities.

Manage PTO and cafeteria benefits program.
Work with Kronos then go to eTime.
Utilize ADP contacts to ensure that proper tax and government data is up to date.
Audit pay information and import into ADP, resolving payroll discrepancies by collecting and analyzing information.
Work closely with internal and external auditors to assess and improve existing audit procedures and SOX compliance.
Reconcile managers and timekeepers entries within Kronos.

Payroll clerk example responsibilities.

Manage all worker compensation and cobra benefit issues and filings.
Manage employee drug and background screenings, train new hires and verify I9 information.
Process payroll; assist in establishing new time and attendance (KRONOS) computer system; balance insurance billings.
View, key, post and monitor time and labor, absences and leave balances in PeopleSoft HRIS system.
Compile data and enter information into ADP payroll processing system.
Process payroll and transmit electronically to outside computer service for preparation of payroll checks and reports.

Payroll auditor vs payroll clerk skills

Common payroll auditor skills

Audit Payroll, 29%
Payroll Data, 8%
Payroll Processing, 5%
Financial Statements, 4%
Audit Reports, 4%
Payroll System, 4%

Common payroll clerk skills

Data Entry, 19%
Payroll System, 10%
Photocopying, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
ADP, 5%