How To Become A Payroll Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a payroll manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A payroll manager oversees an organization's payroll processes, ensuring that employees receive timely and accurate payments. They manage a team of payroll clerks who handle wages, tax deductions, and benefit packages. Payroll managers must stay up-to-date with changing regulations and tax laws to ensure compliance. They also liaise with other departments, such as human resources and finance, to ensure that payroll data remains accurate and integrated with other business processes.

ScorePayroll ManagerUS Average

Salary

6.7

Avg. Salary $86,147

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.6

Growth rate -3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.52%

Asian 6.08%

Black or African American 9.87%

Hispanic or Latino 18.62%

Unknown 6.07%

White 57.83%

Gender

female 78.00%

male 22.00%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

6.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a payroll manager?

Pros

Good salary and benefits
Job security and stability
Opportunity for career advancement
Utilizing technology to streamline processes
Helping employees with payroll-related issues

Cons

Long hours, especially during peak periods
Limited creativity and innovation in the role
Managing conflicts with employees or departments
Limited opportunities for work-life balance
Potential burnout from repetitive tasks

Key steps to become a payroll manager

Explore payroll manager education requirements

Most common payroll manager degrees

Bachelor's

57.2 %

Associate

24.3 %

Master's

7.2 %

Start to develop specific payroll manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Customer Service	7.75%
Human Resources	5.13%
Payroll System	5.08%
Payroll Tax	4.76%
HRIS	3.88%

Complete relevant payroll manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New payroll managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a payroll manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real payroll manager resumes.

Research payroll manager duties and responsibilities

Manage accounting and finance operations including A/R, A/P and general accounting, etc.
Manage annual W2 reconciliation and distribution.
Manage expatriates compensation packages and taxation.
Coordinate department conversion of manual payroll system to KRONOS automate time and attendance system.

Prepare your payroll manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your payroll manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a payroll manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable payroll manager resume templates

Build a professional payroll manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your payroll manager resume.