Payroll technician vs payroll & human resources assistant

The differences between payroll technicians and payroll & human resources assistants 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 & human resources assistant. Additionally, a payroll technician has an average salary of $44,971, which is higher than the $41,680 average annual salary of a payroll & human resources assistant.

The top three skills for a payroll technician include payroll system, human resources and data entry. The most important skills for a payroll & human resources assistant are data entry, assist human resources, and background checks.

Payroll technician vs payroll & human resources assistant overview

	Payroll Technician	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Yearly salary	$44,971	$41,680
Hourly rate	$21.62	$20.04
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	11,297	45,318
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a payroll technician do?

A payroll technician may work in the finance or human resource department of an organization or with a payroll service. They are responsible for the collation and recording of employee payment data. As a payroll technician, you will apply organization systems, relevant laws, and other employment and labour regulations to process employees' payments. Depending on the payroll cycle, as a payroll technician, you will be expected to maintain accurate and up to date detailed information of staff for payroll purposes.

What does a payroll & human resources assistant do?

The main duty of a Payroll & Human Resources Assistant is to provide payroll information through collecting time and attendance records. They also answer questions regarding examinations, eligibility, salaries, benefits, and other important information.

Payroll technician vs payroll & human resources assistant salary

Payroll technicians and payroll & human resources assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Payroll Technician	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Average salary	$44,971	$41,680
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $66,000	Between $29,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	InfosysPublicService	Compunetix
Best paying industry	Finance	Manufacturing

Differences between payroll technician and payroll & human resources assistant education

There are a few differences between a payroll technician and a payroll & human resources assistant in terms of educational background:

	Payroll Technician	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Payroll technician vs payroll & human resources assistant demographics

Here are the differences between payroll technicians' and payroll & human resources assistants' demographics:

	Payroll Technician	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9%	Male, 10.3% Female, 89.7%
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, 8.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.2% Asian, 6.2% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between payroll technician and payroll & human resources assistant 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 & human resources assistant example responsibilities.

Manage and track PTO eligibility.
Manage new employee orientation training, including e-verify.
Update HRIS system with election updates, notify carriers of changes and perform reconciliation of payroll deductions with vendor invoices.
Streamline and update payroll processes and procedures in addition to implementing new time and attendance systems, HRIS and record keeping.
Work on Microsoft outlook, word, excel, KRONOS timekeeper and other programs on AS400.
Maintain attendance tracking system by recording employee tardy/absentee information, vacation hours earn and used, and FMLA time used.

Payroll technician vs payroll & human resources assistant skills

Common payroll technician skills

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

Common payroll & human resources assistant skills

Data Entry, 6%
Assist Human Resources, 6%
Background Checks, 6%
ADP Payroll, 5%
Payroll Processing, 5%
Payroll System, 5%

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Payroll Technician vs Payroll & Human Resources Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

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