Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between payroll managers and human resources managers 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 manager, becoming a human resources manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a payroll manager has an average salary of $86,147, which is higher than the $80,442 average annual salary of a human resources manager.
The top three skills for a payroll manager include customer service, human resources and payroll system. The most important skills for a human resources manager are performance management, customer service, and payroll processing.
| Payroll Manager | Human Resources Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $86,147 | $80,442 |
| Hourly rate | $41.42 | $38.67 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 6,972 | 43,453 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.67 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A payroll manager is responsible for monitoring the payment process of all employees. Payroll managers oversee payroll records, reviewing calculable taxes and other deductions, creating a comprehensive summary of payroll details, managing payroll discrepancies, and releasing payroll checks through the organization's payment method. They must also follow strict procedures on legal requirements and tax obligations. A payroll manager must have excellent analytical and communication skills, especially on responding to the employees' inquiries and concerns, as well as managing the performance of the payroll staff.
Human resources managers, or HR managers, are responsible for the overall conduct of the different facets of human resources in the organization. They oversee the different processes involved in recruitment, compensation and benefits, talent development, organizational development, employee relations, and employee engagement. It is important that HR managers are well-versed in the different facets of HR. They set policies and procedures, as well as guiding principles of the organization related to these facets. They must be able to balance the needs of the employees and the rules of the management team. HR managers should have strong decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, and management skills.
Payroll managers and human resources managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Payroll Manager | Human Resources Manager | |
| Average salary | $86,147 | $80,442 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $117,000 | Between $56,000 And $113,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Sacramento, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Ep Energy | Bain & Company |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a payroll manager and a human resources manager in terms of educational background:
| Payroll Manager | Human Resources Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between payroll managers' and human resources managers' demographics:
| Payroll Manager | Human Resources Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| 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, 7.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 70.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 18% |