Payroll clerk vs payroll supervisor

The differences between payroll clerks and payroll supervisors 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 clerk and a payroll supervisor. Additionally, a payroll supervisor has an average salary of $64,422, which is higher than the $41,602 average annual salary of a payroll clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll clerk include data entry, payroll system and photocopying. The most important skills for a payroll supervisor are customer service, payroll system, and payroll tax.

Payroll clerk vs payroll supervisor overview

	Payroll Clerk	Payroll Supervisor
Yearly salary	$41,602	$64,422
Hourly rate	$20.00	$30.97
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	71,944	6,668
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

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 payroll supervisor do?

A payroll supervisor ensures employee salaries are released in a timely manner and accounts for all payrolls and cash released by the company. The payroll supervisor organizes all financial transactions and generates reports for accounting. This position ensures employees are paid accurately and calculates all deductibles such as insurance, child support, taxes, and payroll adjustments. The payroll supervisor must have accounting and bookkeeping skills and has pertinent experience in relevant fields of study.

Payroll clerk vs payroll supervisor salary

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

	Payroll Clerk	Payroll Supervisor
Average salary	$41,602	$64,422
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $55,000	Between $46,000 And $89,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Jersey
Best paying company	MDU Resources	eBay
Best paying industry	Government	Technology

Differences between payroll clerk and payroll supervisor education

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

	Payroll Clerk	Payroll Supervisor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 34%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll clerk vs payroll supervisor demographics

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

	Payroll Clerk	Payroll Supervisor
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%	Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%
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, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll clerk and payroll supervisor 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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Payroll supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the administration and processing of KRONOS time reporting system.
Manage installation of automate timekeeping systems in facilities, ensuring accurate, timely processing of time and attendance information.
Act as the HRIS backup running queries and reports as scheduled and upon request via PeopleSoft for management and key stakeholders.
Create journal entries and account reconciliations for key benefit programs and maintain account reconciliations of liability accounts.
Assist in implementing new PTO plan, work with ADP to interface system.
Check all new hire information, ensuring accuracy of information complete in KRONOS system.

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Payroll clerk vs payroll supervisor skills

Common payroll clerk skills

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

Common payroll supervisor skills

Customer Service, 9%
Payroll System, 6%
Payroll Tax, 5%
Reconciliations, 5%
Human Resources, 4%
Process Payroll, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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