Payroll supervisor vs timekeeper

The differences between payroll supervisors and timekeepers 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 supervisor and a timekeeper. Additionally, a payroll supervisor has an average salary of $64,422, which is higher than the $46,290 average annual salary of a timekeeper.

The top three skills for a payroll supervisor include customer service, payroll system and payroll tax. The most important skills for a timekeeper are timekeeping, data entry, and human resources.

Payroll supervisor vs timekeeper overview

	Payroll Supervisor	Timekeeper
Yearly salary	$64,422	$46,290
Hourly rate	$30.97	$22.25
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	6,668	754
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a payroll supervisor do?

A payroll supervisor ensures employee salaries are released in a timely manner and accounts for all payrolls and cash released by the company. The payroll supervisor organizes all financial transactions and generates reports for accounting. This position ensures employees are paid accurately and calculates all deductibles such as insurance, child support, taxes, and payroll adjustments. The payroll supervisor must have accounting and bookkeeping skills and has pertinent experience in relevant fields of study.

What does a timekeeper do?

A Timekeeper works in various industries and organizations and is typically hired as the acting liaison between payroll coordinators and employees. This is to make sure the pay distribution process runs smoothly. As a timekeeper, you will be required to maintain an accurate track of the total number of hours worked for payroll purposes. This involves compiling payroll data from timesheets, computing wages, including the removal of taxes and social security withholding, and putting it into the computer system.

Payroll supervisor vs timekeeper salary

Payroll supervisors and timekeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Supervisor	Timekeeper
Average salary	$64,422	$46,290
Salary range	Between $46,000 And $89,000	Between $30,000 And $69,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	eBay	-
Best paying industry	Technology	-

Differences between payroll supervisor and timekeeper education

There are a few differences between a payroll supervisor and a timekeeper in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Supervisor	Timekeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common major	Accounting	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll supervisor vs timekeeper demographics

Here are the differences between payroll supervisors' and timekeepers' demographics:

	Payroll Supervisor	Timekeeper
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7%	Male, 17.2% Female, 82.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll supervisor and timekeeper duties and responsibilities

Payroll supervisor example responsibilities.

Manage the administration and processing of KRONOS time reporting system.
Manage installation of automate timekeeping systems in facilities, ensuring accurate, timely processing of time and attendance information.
Act as the HRIS backup running queries and reports as scheduled and upon request via PeopleSoft for management and key stakeholders.
Create journal entries and account reconciliations for key benefit programs and maintain account reconciliations of liability accounts.
Assist in implementing new PTO plan, work with ADP to interface system.
Check all new hire information, ensuring accuracy of information complete in KRONOS system.

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Timekeeper example responsibilities.

Perform data entry, produce and analyze reports while utilizing standard payroll and timekeeping systems.
Input time for employees into CCM.
Verify and print pay stubs through JDE.
Coordinate FMLA, disabilities and leave of absences.
Time keeping and entering PTO to submit on weekly basis
Train new CCM vendors when onboarding on allocations, balancing and the exception process.

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Payroll supervisor vs timekeeper skills

Common payroll supervisor skills

Customer Service, 9%
Payroll System, 6%
Payroll Tax, 5%
Reconciliations, 5%
Human Resources, 4%
Process Payroll, 4%

Common timekeeper skills

Timekeeping, 21%
Data Entry, 14%
Human Resources, 8%
Per Diem, 7%
Kronos, 7%
Turnaround, 5%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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