Payroll manager vs benefits clerk

The differences between payroll managers and benefits clerks 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 manager and a benefits clerk. Additionally, a payroll manager has an average salary of $86,147, which is higher than the $34,841 average annual salary of a benefits clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll manager include customer service, human resources and payroll system. The most important skills for a benefits clerk are payroll system, data entry, and open enrollment.

Payroll manager vs benefits clerk overview

	Payroll Manager	Benefits Clerk
Yearly salary	$86,147	$34,841
Hourly rate	$41.42	$16.75
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	6,972	75,454
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Payroll manager vs benefits clerk salary

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

	Payroll Manager	Benefits Clerk
Average salary	$86,147	$34,841
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $117,000	Between $27,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	California	Minnesota
Best paying company	Ep Energy	Monarch Casino & Resort
Best paying industry	Finance	Government

Differences between payroll manager and benefits clerk education

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

	Payroll Manager	Benefits Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll manager vs benefits clerk demographics

Here are the differences between payroll managers' and benefits clerks' demographics:

	Payroll Manager	Benefits Clerk
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0%	Male, 13.3% Female, 86.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.7% Asian, 5.9% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll manager and benefits clerk duties and responsibilities

Payroll manager example 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.
Save the company $5,500 by learning ADP and creating payroll accruals and profiles to accurately record employee PTO time profiles.
Process payroll utilizing ADP payroll system

Benefits clerk example responsibilities.

Examine HMO documents to verify eligibility to process or reject into or from a manage care plan when necessary.
Enter employee data in HRIS system.
Used ADP HR/B software for benefits enrollment and reports.
Maintain retirement (401k) plan, FMLA and personnel records.
Monitor FMLA, CFRA, PDL, and personal leave of absence and premiums payments.
Update and maintain benefits data in the HRIS system to ensure accuracy and integrity of employee information.

Payroll manager vs benefits clerk skills

Common payroll manager skills

Customer Service, 8%
Human Resources, 5%
Payroll System, 5%
Payroll Tax, 5%
HRIS, 4%
Reconciliations, 4%

Common benefits clerk skills

Payroll System, 17%
Data Entry, 8%
Open Enrollment, 7%
Cobra, 7%
HRIS, 5%
Human Resources, 5%