Payroll technician vs payroll bookkeeper

The differences between payroll technicians and payroll bookkeepers 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 technician and a payroll bookkeeper. Additionally, a payroll bookkeeper has an average salary of $46,087, which is higher than the $44,971 average annual salary of a payroll technician.

The top three skills for a payroll technician include payroll system, human resources and data entry. The most important skills for a payroll bookkeeper are reconciliations, general ledger, and journal entries.

Payroll technician vs payroll bookkeeper overview

	Payroll Technician	Payroll Bookkeeper
Yearly salary	$44,971	$46,087
Hourly rate	$21.62	$22.16
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	11,297	8,176
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

Payroll technician vs payroll bookkeeper salary

Payroll technicians and payroll bookkeepers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Technician	Payroll Bookkeeper
Average salary	$44,971	$46,087
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $66,000	Between $34,000 And $60,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	New Jersey	-
Best paying company	InfosysPublicService	-
Best paying industry	Finance	-

Differences between payroll technician and payroll bookkeeper education

There are a few differences between a payroll technician and a payroll bookkeeper in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Technician	Payroll Bookkeeper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 36%
Most common major	Business	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll technician vs payroll bookkeeper demographics

Here are the differences between payroll technicians' and payroll bookkeepers' demographics:

	Payroll Technician	Payroll Bookkeeper
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9%	Male, 12.8% Female, 87.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 6.1% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 9.3% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll technician and payroll bookkeeper duties and responsibilities

Payroll technician example responsibilities.

Provide Kronos and Lawson support to management concerning departmental payroll and timekeeping.
Evaluate time cards through KRONOS for accuracy.
Transmit and process payroll for hourly/shift employees on a bi-weekly basis with the use of ADP software.
Process payroll from the loading of time and attendance files to submitting payment data to ADP for check printing.
Provide payroll calculation and leave posting input for computer processing.
Participate in the successful implementation of PeopleSoft from an in-house system.

Payroll bookkeeper example responsibilities.

Manage AR, prepare deposits and perform basic receptionist/customer service tasks in office.
Perform financial management functions including monthly financial statement preparation and bank reconciliations.
Maintain accounts receivable/accounts payable including handling cash and deposits; process reconciliations and financial reports using SchoolFunds.
Process 1099 and W2's.
Process ACH rejections and stop payments.
Post receivables of checks, ACH and credit card payments.

Payroll technician vs payroll bookkeeper skills

Common payroll technician skills

Payroll System, 9%
Human Resources, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Life Insurance, 5%
Kronos, 4%
Payroll Data, 4%

Common payroll bookkeeper skills

Reconciliations, 9%
General Ledger, 7%
Journal Entries, 5%
Tax Returns, 4%
Bank Reconciliations, 4%
Payroll Processing, 4%

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Office and Administrative Industry
Payroll Technician
Payroll Technician vs Payroll Bookkeeper

Updated January 8, 2025

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