Payroll clerk vs finance clerk

The differences between payroll clerks and finance clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a payroll clerk, becoming a finance clerk takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a payroll clerk has an average salary of $41,602, which is higher than the $39,225 average annual salary of a finance clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll clerk include data entry, payroll system and photocopying. The most important skills for a finance clerk are data entry, purchase orders, and HR.

Payroll clerk vs finance clerk overview

	Payroll Clerk	Finance Clerk
Yearly salary	$41,602	$39,225
Hourly rate	$20.00	$18.86
Growth rate	-3%	-5%
Number of jobs	71,944	143,372
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	51
Years of experience	4	6

What does a payroll clerk do?

A payroll clerk is responsible for managing the payroll process by collecting the necessary information needed to release payments. Payroll clerks' duties include verifying timesheets, calculating necessary deductions, issuing paychecks timely, managing payment discrepancies and disputes, updating employee's payment information in the database, and creating payroll reports. A payroll clerk must have strong analytical and organization skills, as well as a clear understanding of the organization's payroll policies, ensuring that the process follows regulatory procedures.

What does a finance clerk do?

Finance clerks are financial professionals who are responsible for performing various administrative tasks such as keeping financial records, preparing bills, and delivering excellent customer service. These clerks are required to process bills, checks, receipts, and other documents to ensure that they are all properly signed and distributed. They must verify financial and other data so that they can enter those data into the database and maintain updated records. Finance clerks must also assist with account reconciliations and should report the status of accounts and discrepancies to the management.

Payroll clerk vs finance clerk salary

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

	Payroll Clerk	Finance Clerk
Average salary	$41,602	$39,225
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $55,000	Between $27,000 And $56,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New York
Best paying company	MDU Resources	United States Courts
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between payroll clerk and finance clerk education

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

	Payroll Clerk	Finance Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll clerk vs finance clerk demographics

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

	Payroll Clerk	Finance Clerk
Average age	48	51
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	10%	7%

Differences between payroll clerk and finance clerk duties and responsibilities

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.

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Finance clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Collaborate with insurance company representatives, case managers and physicians to obtain treatment authorization for potential kidney and kidney/pancreas transplant patients.
Write checks in the QuickBooks software to vendors and to reimburse employees.
Establish customer files in QuickBooks, write and test work instructions for clients, log and close complete files.
Produce PowerPoint presentations in order to brief the command team of the on goings within the company.
Used an automate information system (PeopleSoft) to edit, modify, and verify customers personal and payment information.

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Payroll clerk vs finance clerk skills

Common payroll clerk skills

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

Common finance clerk skills

Data Entry, 16%
Purchase Orders, 9%
HR, 5%
Bank Statements, 5%
Bank Deposits, 5%
Credit Card, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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