Pension administrator vs plan administrator

The differences between pension administrators and plan administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a pension administrator and a plan administrator. Additionally, a plan administrator has an average salary of $68,435, which is higher than the $57,547 average annual salary of a pension administrator.

The top three skills for a pension administrator include customer service, plan administration and IRS. The most important skills for a plan administrator are payroll, HR, and plan administration.

Pension administrator vs plan administrator overview

	Pension Administrator	Plan Administrator
Yearly salary	$57,547	$68,435
Hourly rate	$27.67	$32.90
Growth rate	7%	2%
Number of jobs	50,422	51,856
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Average age	45	46
Years of experience	6	6

Pension administrator vs plan administrator salary

Pension administrators and plan administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Pension Administrator	Plan Administrator
Average salary	$57,547	$68,435
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $87,000	Between $45,000 And $103,000
Highest paying City	Needham, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	New Jersey	New York
Best paying company	Kerkering Barberio	Apple
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between pension administrator and plan administrator education

There are a few differences between a pension administrator and a plan administrator in terms of educational background:

	Pension Administrator	Plan Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 70%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Pension administrator vs plan administrator demographics

Here are the differences between pension administrators' and plan administrators' demographics:

	Pension Administrator	Plan Administrator
Average age	45	46
Gender ratio	Male, 35.7% Female, 64.3%	Male, 39.1% Female, 60.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.9% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	35%

Differences between pension administrator and plan administrator duties and responsibilities

Pension administrator example responsibilities.

Lead special project team construct to interpret the initial impact of ERISA legislation on company pension operations.
Participate in establishing and testing pension plans on PeopleSoft to automate applicable calculations.
Assist in plan design issues that comply with client needs and ERISA and DOL laws.
Train in filing of 5500 tax returns with the DOL.
Review trend analysis for fail ACP and ADP tests.
Conduct top heavy, ADP, and ACP compliance testing of define contribution plans.

Plan administrator example responsibilities.

Create custom macro to expedite data transfer of manage ESOP.
Participate in establishing and testing pension plans on PeopleSoft to automate applicable calculations.
Establish and maintain IRA, SEP, SARSEP and Keogh plans.
Gather plan date (census, assets) from clients, CPA's, attorneys, and investment brokers.
Process monthly stock option and RSU grants.
Prepare RSU tax withholding calculations for mobility employees on a monthly basis.

Pension administrator vs plan administrator skills

Common pension administrator skills

Customer Service, 11%
Plan Administration, 9%
IRS, 7%
Financial Statements, 7%
ERISA, 7%
DOL, 5%

Common plan administrator skills

Payroll, 9%
HR, 7%
Plan Administration, 6%
Database, 5%
PowerPoint, 4%
SOX, 4%

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Pension Administrator
Pension Administrator vs Plan Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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