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The differences between payroll managers and senior payroll specialists 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 senior payroll specialist. Additionally, a payroll manager has an average salary of $86,147, which is higher than the $59,503 average annual salary of a senior payroll specialist.
The top three skills for a payroll manager include customer service, human resources and payroll system. The most important skills for a senior payroll specialist are peoplesoft, payroll data, and reconciliations.
| Payroll Manager | Senior Payroll Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $86,147 | $59,503 |
| Hourly rate | $41.42 | $28.61 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 6,972 | 6,310 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
Senior payroll specialists are professionals who are responsible for calculating the wages of employees of an organization accurately. These specialists are required to analyze and verify payroll reports and documents for accuracy while making the necessary corrections through journal entries or other established procedures. They must authorize and review payroll transactions as well as complete appropriate forms to adjust salary account funds. Senior payroll specialists must also conduct training sessions for other payroll professionals to explain information regarding payroll policies and procedures.
Payroll managers and senior payroll specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Payroll Manager | Senior Payroll Specialist | |
| Average salary | $86,147 | $59,503 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $117,000 | Between $42,000 And $82,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Ep Energy | MongoDB |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a payroll manager and a senior payroll specialist in terms of educational background:
| Payroll Manager | Senior Payroll Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Accounting | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between payroll managers' and senior payroll specialists' demographics:
| Payroll Manager | Senior Payroll Specialist | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 22.0% Female, 78.0% | Male, 23.2% Female, 76.8% |
| 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, 9.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |