Payroll secretary vs payroll processor

The differences between payroll secretaries and payroll processors 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 processor takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a payroll secretary has an average salary of $52,677, which is higher than the $44,307 average annual salary of a payroll processor.

The top three skills for a payroll secretary include purchase orders, payroll system and office equipment. The most important skills for a payroll processor are customer service, data entry, and ADP.

Payroll secretary vs payroll processor overview

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Processor
Yearly salary	$52,677	$44,307
Hourly rate	$25.33	$21.30
Growth rate	-8%	-3%
Number of jobs	12,543	11,795
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	50	48
Years of experience	2	4

Payroll secretary vs payroll processor salary

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

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Processor
Average salary	$52,677	$44,307
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $69,000	Between $33,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	-	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	-	New Jersey
Best paying company	-	Venable
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between payroll secretary and payroll processor education

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

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Processor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll secretary vs payroll processor demographics

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

	Payroll Secretary	Payroll Processor
Average age	50	48
Gender ratio	Male, 5.9% Female, 94.1%	Male, 16.1% Female, 83.9%
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, 9.6% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	10%

Differences between payroll secretary and payroll processor 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 processor example responsibilities.

Manage PTO and cafeteria benefits program.
Assist KRONOS editors as need in the KRONOS timekeeping system.
Input, verify and correct time records using the KRONOS and Lawson software.
Test new software upgrades to payroll HRIS system before implementing to payroll team.
Process, balance and facilitate the transmission of incoming and outgoing ACH files.
Input hours into PeopleSoft and balance batches for assign pay groups according to establish schedule.

Payroll secretary vs payroll processor skills

Common payroll secretary skills

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

Common payroll processor skills

Customer Service, 12%
Data Entry, 9%
ADP, 5%
Payroll System, 5%
Kronos, 5%
Human Resources, 4%