A payroll clerk is a member of the HR team and is primarily responsible for keeping track of the employees' working hours and accurately calculating their salaries based on this information. They perform data entry, update, and maintain payroll records. They create timesheets, prepare payment statements, and issue paychecks.
They calculate bonuses, extra hours, benefits, taxes, and all that jazz. They clear away the doubts employees might have and investigate any inconsistency in calculations.
Now, in most job descriptions, you will find keen attention to detail as one of the important skills to have in order to be successful. As far as payroll clerks are concerned, though, this requirement weighs in extra. You do not want to be the reason why people fail to get the wages they are entitled to; this much is easy to see.
Financial clerks do administrative work for many types of organizations. They keep records, help customers, and carry out financial transactions.
DutiesFinancial clerks typically do the following:
Financial clerks give administrative and clerical support in financial settings. Their specific job duties vary by specialty and by setting.
Billing and posting clerks calculate charges, develop bills, and prepare them to be mailed to customers. They review documents such as purchase orders, sales tickets, charge slips, and hospital records to compute fees or charges due. They also contact customers to get or give account information.
Gaming cage workers work in casinos and other gaming establishments. The “cage” in which they work is the central depository for money and gaming chips. Gaming cage workers sell gambling chips, tokens, or tickets to patrons. They count funds and reconcile daily summaries of transactions in order to balance books.
Payroll and timekeeping clerks compile and post employee time and payroll data. They verify and record attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments. They ensure that employees are paid on time and that their paychecks are accurate.
Procurement clerks compile requests for materials, prepare purchase orders, keep track of purchases and supplies, and handle questions about orders. They respond to questions from customers and suppliers about the status of orders. They handle requests to change or cancel orders. They make sure that purchases arrive on schedule and that the items meet the purchaser’s specifications.
Brokerage clerks help with tasks associated with securities such as stocks, bonds, commodities, and other kinds of investments. Their duties include writing orders for stock purchases and sales, computing transfer taxes, verifying stock transactions, accepting and delivering securities, distributing dividends, and keeping records of daily transactions and holdings.
Credit authorizers, checkers, and clerks review the credit history, and get the information needed to determine the creditworthiness, of individuals or businesses applying for credit. Credit authorizers evaluate customers’ computerized credit records and payment histories to decide, based on predetermined standards, whether to approve new credit. Credit checkers call or write credit departments of business and service establishments to get information about applicants’ credit standing.
Loan interviewers, also called loan processors or loan clerks, interview applicants and others to get and verify personal and financial information needed to complete loan applications. They also prepare the documents that go to the appraiser and are issued at the closing of a loan.
New accounts clerks interview people who want to open accounts in financial institutions. They explain the account services available to prospective customers and help them fill out applications. They also investigate and correct errors in accounts.
Insurance claims and policy processing clerks process applications for insurance policies. They also handle customers’ requests to change or cancel their existing policies. Their duties include interviewing clients and reviewing insurance applications to ensure that all questions have been answered. They also notify insurance agents and accounting departments of policy cancellations or changes.
A high school diploma or equivalent is typically required for most financial clerk jobs. These workers usually learn their duties through on-the-job training.
EducationFinancial clerks typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter the occupation. Employers of brokerage clerks may prefer candidates who have taken some college courses in business or economics and, in some cases, require a 2- or 4-year college degree.
TrainingMost financial clerks learn how to do their job duties through on-the-job training. Some formal technical training also may be necessary; for example, gaming cage workers may need training in specific gaming regulations and procedures.
AdvancementFinancial clerks can advance to related occupations in finance. For example, a loan interviewer or clerk can become a loan officer, and a brokerage clerk can become a securities, commodities, or financial services sales agent, after obtaining the required education and license.
Important QualitiesCommunication skills. Financial clerks should have good communication skills so that they can explain policies and procedures to colleagues and customers.
Math skills. The job duties of financial clerks, including calculating charges and checking credit scores, require basic math skills.
Organizational skills. Strong organizational skills are important for financial clerks because they must be able to find files quickly and efficiently.
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the right jobs to get there.
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a payroll clerk can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as accounts payable clerk, progress to a title such as accountant and then eventually end up with the title assistant controller.
Tell us your goals and we'll match you with the rights job to get there.
Use Zippia's Salary Calculator to see how your pay matches up.
Designing and figuring out what to include on your resume can be tough, not to mention time-consuming. That's why we put together a guide that is designed to help you craft the perfect resume for becoming a Payroll Clerk. If you're needing extra inspiration, take a look through our selection of templates that are specific to your job.
Learn How To Write a Payroll Clerk Resume
At Zippia, we went through countless Payroll Clerk resumes and compiled some information about how best to optimize them. Here are some suggestions based on what we found, divided by the individual sections of the resume itself.
View Detailed InformationPhiladelphia, PA • Private
Evanston, IL • Private
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Vestal, NY • Public
Villanova, PA • Private
San Diego, CA • Public
Waltham, MA • Private
Farmingdale, NY • Public
Boston, MA • Private
Stony Brook, NY • Public
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 36.0% of payroll clerks listed payroll on their resume, but soft skills such as communication skills and math skills are important as well.
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a payroll clerk. The best states for people in this position are New Jersey, Wyoming, Kansas, and Washington. Payroll clerks make the most in New Jersey with an average salary of $43,699. Whereas in Wyoming and Kansas, they would average $42,770 and $41,910, respectively. While payroll clerks would only make an average of $41,683 in Washington, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. New Jersey
$43,700
Avg. Salary
2. Washington
$41,683
Avg. Salary
3. Oregon
$40,260
Avg. Salary