Payroll manager vs payroll bookkeeper

The differences between payroll managers and payroll bookkeepers 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 payroll bookkeeper. Additionally, a payroll manager has an average salary of $86,147, which is higher than the $46,087 average annual salary of a payroll bookkeeper.

The top three skills for a payroll manager include customer service, human resources and payroll system. The most important skills for a payroll bookkeeper are reconciliations, general ledger, and journal entries.

Payroll manager vs payroll bookkeeper overview

	Payroll Manager	Payroll Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$86,147	$46,087
Hourly rate	$41.42	$22.16
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	6,972	8,176
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Payroll manager vs payroll bookkeeper salary

Payroll managers and payroll bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Manager	Payroll Bookkeeper
Average salary	$86,147	$46,087
Salary range	Between $63,000 And $117,000	Between $34,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Ep Energy	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between payroll manager and payroll bookkeeper education

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

	Payroll Manager	Payroll Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll manager vs payroll bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between payroll managers' and payroll bookkeepers' demographics:

	Payroll Manager	Payroll Bookkeeper
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0%	Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2%
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, 9.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll manager and payroll bookkeeper 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

Payroll bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform financial management functions including monthly financial statement preparation and bank reconciliations.
Maintain accounts receivable/accounts payable including handling cash and deposits; process reconciliations and financial reports using SchoolFunds.
Process 1099 and W2's.
Process ACH rejections and stop payments.
Post receivables of checks, ACH and credit card payments.

Payroll manager vs payroll bookkeeper skills

Common payroll manager skills

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

Common payroll bookkeeper skills

Reconciliations, 9%
General Ledger, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Tax Returns, 4%
Bank Reconciliations, 4%
Payroll Processing, 4%