Payroll Processor Salary

Q: How much does a Payroll Processor make?

Payroll processors make $44,307 per year on average, or $21.3 per hour, in the United States. Payroll processors on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $33,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $58,000. Location impacts how much a payroll processor can expect to make. Payroll processors make the most in New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Washington, and Minnesota.

Updated February 6, 2023

Average Payroll Processor Salary

$44,307yearly

$21.30 hourly

Entry level Salary

$33,000 yearly

$33,00010%

$44,307Median

$58,00090%

How much does a Payroll Processor make?

Payroll processors make $44,307 per year on average, or $21.3 per hour, in the United States. Payroll processors on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $33,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $58,000.

Location impacts how much a payroll processor can expect to make. Payroll processors make the most in New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Washington, and Minnesota.

Highest Paying States For Payroll Processors

If both location and money are important to you, then you might want to check out moving to New Jersey, California and Connecticut, as these three states offer the highest salaries throughout the U.S. for payroll processors. Quite opposite of that list is the lowest paying states, which are Missouri, Tennessee, and Arkansas.

State View
County View

Average Salary:

Payroll Processor average salary by State

Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Count
1	Minnesota	$50,631	$24.34	351
2	New Jersey	$54,283	$26.10
3	Connecticut	$52,997	$25.48
4	Nevada	$47,931	$23.04	131
5	Wyoming	$49,305	$23.70	11
6	Illinois	$50,225	$24.15
7	California	$53,672	$25.80
8	Washington	$50,721	$24.39
9	New Hampshire	$47,960	$23.06	56
10	Wisconsin	$46,303	$22.26	221
11	Nebraska	$48,237	$23.19
12	West Virginia	$46,825	$22.51
13	Virginia	$48,585	$23.36
14	District of Columbia	$52,945	$25.45
15	New York	$48,803	$23.46
16	Colorado	$47,482	$22.83
17	Alaska	$47,368	$22.77
18	Massachusetts	$47,231	$22.71
19	Kansas	$44,613	$21.45
20	Pennsylvania	$44,096	$21.20
21	North Dakota	$42,601	$20.48	43
22	Rhode Island	$44,737	$21.51
23	Ohio	$41,845	$20.12	436
24	Kentucky	$41,062	$19.74	174
25	Maryland	$47,096	$22.64
26	Vermont	$44,694	$21.49
27	Oregon	$45,497	$21.87
28	Arizona	$43,940	$21.13
29	Indiana	$41,049	$19.74
30	Utah	$42,322	$20.35
31	Georgia	$42,853	$20.60
32	Delaware	$43,894	$21.10
33	Michigan	$40,663	$19.55	333
34	Iowa	$40,756	$19.59
35	Mississippi	$40,433	$19.44	34
36	Texas	$41,149	$19.78
37	Oklahoma	$40,059	$19.26	78
38	Hawaii	$42,846	$20.60
39	Idaho	$39,635	$19.06
40	Montana	$38,610	$18.56	44
41	Maine	$39,489	$18.99
42	Louisiana	$38,296	$18.41
43	Florida	$38,638	$18.58
44	New Mexico	$37,902	$18.22
45	North Carolina	$37,433	$18.00
46	Tennessee	$35,383	$17.01
47	Arkansas	$33,616	$16.16	100
48	Missouri	$36,593	$17.59
49	South Dakota	$33,167	$15.95
50	South Carolina	$31,240	$15.02	121
51	Alabama	$31,198	$15.00

Highest Paying Cities For Payroll Processors

Rank	City	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Count
1	San Francisco, CA	$55,832	$26.84
2	Washington, DC	$52,999	$25.48	1
3	Middletown, CT	$52,925	$25.44
4	Minneapolis, MN	$50,675	$24.36	2
5	Arlington, VA	$50,513	$24.29
6	Chicago, IL	$50,506	$24.28	1
7	New York, NY	$48,972	$23.54
8	Las Vegas, NV	$47,856	$23.01
9	Denver, CO	$47,480	$22.83
10	Baltimore, MD	$47,393	$22.79
11	Marlborough, MA	$47,303	$22.74
12	Milwaukee, WI	$46,332	$22.27	1
13	Phoenix, AZ	$44,113	$21.21	1
14	Cleveland, OH	$43,354	$20.84
15	Atlanta, GA	$42,984	$20.67

Payroll Processor Salary by Years of Experience

The salary for a payroll processor can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. An accountant with 0-2 years of experience earns an average salary of $36,645, a mid-career professional with 3-6 years of experience makes $44,307 a year on average, and a senior level accountant with 7-12 years of experience enjoys an average annual salary of $59,329. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Payroll Processors Salary Details

Average Payroll Processor Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Payroll Processor's Salary?

Percentile	Annual Salary	Monthly Salary	Hourly Rate
90th Percentile	$58,000	$4,833	$28
75th Percentile	$51,000	$4,250	$25
Average	$44,307	$3,692	$21
25th Percentile	$38,000	$3,167	$18
10th Percentile	$33,000	$2,750	$16

Highest Paying Types of Payroll Processors

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
Timekeeper	$46,290	$3,858	$22.26	754
Accounting Administrator	$48,068	$4,006	$23.11	97,934
Accounts Payable Clerk	$38,333	$3,194	$18.43	89,564
Charge Bookkeeper	$46,615	$3,885	$22.41	27,542
Accounts Receivable Clerk	$36,425	$3,035	$17.51	87,935
Payroll Technician	$44,971	$3,748	$21.62	11,297

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

Which Companies Pay Payroll Processors The Most?

The highest paying companies for payroll processors are Venable and Accenture according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like University of Southern California and Johnson Controls report highly competitive wages for payroll processors.

Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
1	Venable	$67,385	$32.40
2	Accenture	$61,163	$29.41
3	University of Southern California	$57,106	$27.45	3
4	Johnson Controls	$53,317	$25.63	1
5	New York State Restaurant Association	$53,068	$25.51
6	CITGO Petroleum	$52,725	$25.35	4
7	A.C.Coy	$52,349	$25.17	1
8	RWJBarnabas Health	$52,232	$25.11	2
9	Republic Services	$50,938	$24.49	6
10	Resource Management	$49,307	$23.71
11	University of Rochester	$49,136	$23.62	6
12	EagleBank	$48,960	$23.54
13	Yale New Haven Health	$48,534	$23.33
14	University of Mississippi Medical Center	$48,434	$23.29	1
15	NOV	$48,146	$23.15
16	Wexford Health Sources	$47,698	$22.93
17	Plastipak	$47,509	$22.84
18	Creative Financial Staffing	$46,262	$22.24
19	Ethan Allen Workforce Solutions	$46,143	$22.18
20	HR Knowledge	$45,719	$21.98

How Much Do Payroll Processors Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much a payroll processor salaries can based on different industries:

The finance industry pays payroll processors an average salary of $48,053
The hospitality industry pay $46,355
The lowest paying industry for payroll processors is the retail industry. Payroll processors in this industry earn an average salary of $37,257

Highest Paying Industries For Payroll Processors

Rank	Industry	Average Salary	Hourly Rate
1	Finance	$48,053	$23.10
2	Hospitality	$46,355	$22.29
3	Insurance	$45,172	$21.72
4	Health Care	$45,056	$21.66
5	Manufacturing	$44,651	$21.47
6	Professional	$44,115	$21.21
7	Retail	$37,257	$17.91

High Paying Payroll Processor Jobs

Payroll Processor Pay Trends

Average Payroll Processor Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Payroll Processor Salary By Year

Year	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate	% Change
2023	$44,300	$21.30	+1.8%
2022	$43,500	$20.92	+2.4%
2021	$42,500	$20.41	+2.6%
2020	$41,400	$19.88	+3.4%
2019	$39,900	$19.20	+3.3%

Recently Added Payroll Processor Salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date Added	Salary
Booz Allen Hamilton	Payroll Processor	Norfolk, VA	11/29/2022	$45,500
TCW Global	SR Payroll Processor	Hercules, CA	11/27/2022	$73,045
System One	Payroll Processor	Denver, CO	11/25/2022	$60,523
System One	Payroll Processor	Amarillo, TX	11/25/2022	$60,523
System One	Payroll Processor	Eau Claire, WI	11/25/2022	$60,523
System One	Payroll Processor	Minneapolis, MN	11/25/2022	$60,523
Ultimate Staffing	Temp To Hr/Payroll Processor	Monterey Park, CA	11/24/2022	$45,914
Careerbuilder-Us	Payroll Processing Specialist	Bradenton, FL	11/22/2022	$52,175
Booz Allen Hamilton Inc.	Payroll Processor	Hyattsville, MD	11/19/2022	$45,500
Randstad Us	Payroll Processor	Towson, MD	11/18/2022	$43,827

Payroll Processor Salaries FAQs

What State Pays Payroll Processors The Most?

New Jersey pays Payroll Processors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $54,283 per year, or $26.10 per hour.

How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Payroll Processor?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a Payroll Processor if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $53,672 per year.

Have more questions? See all answers to common office and administrative questions.

Search For Payroll Processor Jobs

Updated February 6, 2023