Payroll secretary vs payroll clerk

The differences between payroll secretaries and payroll clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a payroll secretary, becoming a payroll clerk takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a payroll secretary has an average salary of $52,677, which is higher than the $41,602 average annual salary of a payroll clerk.

The top three skills for a payroll secretary include purchase orders, payroll system and office equipment. The most important skills for a payroll clerk are data entry, payroll system, and photocopying.

Payroll secretary vs payroll clerk overview

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Clerk
Yearly salary	$52,677	$41,602
Hourly rate	$25.33	$20.00
Growth rate	-8%	-3%
Number of jobs	12,543	71,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	50	48
Years of experience	2	4

Payroll secretary vs payroll clerk salary

Payroll secretaries and payroll clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Clerk
Average salary	$52,677	$41,602
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $69,000	Between $31,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	-	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	-	Connecticut
Best paying company	-	MDU Resources
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between payroll secretary and payroll clerk education

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

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll secretary vs payroll clerk demographics

Here are the differences between payroll secretaries' and payroll clerks' demographics:

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Clerk
Average age	50	48
Gender ratio	Male, 5.9% Female, 94.1%	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 3.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	10%

Differences between payroll secretary and payroll clerk duties and responsibilities

Payroll secretary example responsibilities.

Lead DoD team that assist Pakistan in gaining military capabilities to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Taliban.
Answer phones, work in Quickbooks to invoice, enter bills, generate computer checks and payroll.
Prepare discharges, enter all updates into OASAS system and review patient information to verify patients eligibility to receive transportation reimbursement.
Compile and summarize responses to subpoenas.

Payroll clerk example responsibilities.

Manage all worker compensation and cobra benefit issues and filings.
Manage employee drug and background screenings, train new hires and verify I9 information.
Process payroll; assist in establishing new time and attendance (KRONOS) computer system; balance insurance billings.
View, key, post and monitor time and labor, absences and leave balances in PeopleSoft HRIS system.
Compile data and enter information into ADP payroll processing system.
Process payroll and transmit electronically to outside computer service for preparation of payroll checks and reports.

Payroll secretary vs payroll clerk skills

Common payroll secretary skills

Purchase Orders, 13%
Payroll System, 8%
Office Equipment, 7%
Scheduling Appointments, 6%
QuickBooks, 6%
Payroll Data, 6%

Common payroll clerk skills

Data Entry, 19%
Payroll System, 10%
Photocopying, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
ADP, 5%