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The differences between payroll technicians and payroll representatives 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 representative. Additionally, a payroll representative has an average salary of $45,054, 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 representative are data entry, payroll data, and payroll system.
| Payroll Technician | Payroll Representative | |
| Yearly salary | $44,971 | $45,054 |
| Hourly rate | $21.62 | $21.66 |
| Growth rate | -3% | -3% |
| Number of jobs | 11,297 | 6,076 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
A payroll representative typically works in a company's human resources department, where their role focuses on processing payrolls and assisting employees. Although the extent of their duties depends on their company or industry of employment, it often includes answering employee inquiries about salaries and benefits, preparing and processing requests, and resolving issues and concerns. Moreover, a payroll representative is also responsible for tracking employee work hours, updating databases, and maintaining an active communication line with team members for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Payroll technicians and payroll representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Payroll Technician | Payroll Representative | |
| Average salary | $44,971 | $45,054 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $66,000 | Between $31,000 And $63,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Hartford, CT |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | InfosysPublicService | ABB |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a payroll technician and a payroll representative in terms of educational background:
| Payroll Technician | Payroll Representative | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 50% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between payroll technicians' and payroll representatives' demographics:
| Payroll Technician | Payroll Representative | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.1% Female, 80.9% | Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5% |
| 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, 9.5% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 6.1% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |