Payroll & human resources assistant vs payroll analyst

The differences between payroll & human resources assistants and payroll analysts 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 & human resources assistant and a payroll analyst. Additionally, a payroll analyst has an average salary of $54,217, which is higher than the $41,680 average annual salary of a payroll & human resources assistant.

The top three skills for a payroll & human resources assistant include data entry, assist human resources and background checks. The most important skills for a payroll analyst are customer service, payroll system, and payroll data.

Payroll & human resources assistant vs payroll analyst overview

	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant	Payroll Analyst
Yearly salary	$41,680	$54,217
Hourly rate	$20.04	$26.07
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	45,318	15,555
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a payroll & human resources assistant do?

The main duty of a Payroll & Human Resources Assistant is to provide payroll information through collecting time and attendance records. They also answer questions regarding examinations, eligibility, salaries, benefits, and other important information.

What does a payroll analyst do?

A payroll analyst is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's payroll processes and transactions, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. Their responsibilities typically revolve around coordinating with human resources for accurate and complete timesheets and employee data, managing calendars and schedules, calculating wages and deductions, and performing consistent audits. There are also instances when a payroll analyst must perform clerical tasks such as processing documents, prepare progress reports, and respond to employee inquiries. Furthermore, it is essential to report to managers should there be any issues and concerns.

Payroll & human resources assistant vs payroll analyst salary

Payroll & human resources assistants and payroll analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant	Payroll Analyst
Average salary	$41,680	$54,217
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $59,000	Between $39,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Olympia, WA
Highest paying state	New York	Washington
Best paying company	Compunetix	Varian Medical Systems
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between payroll & human resources assistant and payroll analyst education

There are a few differences between a payroll & human resources assistant and a payroll analyst in terms of educational background:

	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant	Payroll Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll & human resources assistant vs payroll analyst demographics

Here are the differences between payroll & human resources assistants' and payroll analysts' demographics:

	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant	Payroll Analyst
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 10.3% Female, 89.7%	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.2% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll & human resources assistant and payroll analyst duties and responsibilities

Payroll & human resources assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and track PTO eligibility.
Manage new employee orientation training, including e-verify.
Update HRIS system with election updates, notify carriers of changes and perform reconciliation of payroll deductions with vendor invoices.
Streamline and update payroll processes and procedures in addition to implementing new time and attendance systems, HRIS and record keeping.
Work on Microsoft outlook, word, excel, KRONOS timekeeper and other programs on AS400.
Maintain attendance tracking system by recording employee tardy/absentee information, vacation hours earn and used, and FMLA time used.

Payroll analyst example responsibilities.

Manage all activities relate to base pay, overtime, PTO, garnishments and payroll tax.
Perform monthly accounting functions including journal entries, general ledger account reconciliations, benefit and salary accruals, and headcount reconciliations.
Create PowerPoint slides to train new timekeepers and managers in KRONOS.
Lead functional tester in support of timekeeping, payroll and labor upgrades and conversion projects.
Support the third-party web applications like KRONOS and custom-built time entry systems to input the time data
Enter new hires, terminations, and employee maintenance changes into HRIS & ADP including process employee benefit elections.

Payroll & human resources assistant vs payroll analyst skills

Common payroll & human resources assistant skills

Data Entry, 6%
Assist Human Resources, 6%
Background Checks, 6%
ADP Payroll, 5%
Payroll Processing, 5%
Payroll System, 5%

Common payroll analyst skills

Customer Service, 11%
Payroll System, 6%
Payroll Data, 4%
Human Resources, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%
Data Entry, 3%

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Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Payroll & Human Resources Assistant vs Payroll Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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