Plan administrator vs employee benefits coordinator

The differences between plan administrators and employee benefits coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a plan administrator and an employee benefits coordinator. Additionally, a plan administrator has an average salary of $68,435, which is higher than the $42,484 average annual salary of an employee benefits coordinator.

The top three skills for a plan administrator include payroll, HR and plan administration. The most important skills for an employee benefits coordinator are human resources, OSHA, and workers compensation.

Plan administrator vs employee benefits coordinator overview

	Plan Administrator	Employee Benefits Coordinator
Yearly salary	$68,435	$42,484
Hourly rate	$32.90	$20.43
Growth rate	2%	2%
Number of jobs	51,856	22,910
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	6	6

What does a plan administrator do?

A plan administrator's duties depend on their line of work or place of employment. Still, they typically include understanding the client or the project's needs, developing plans, performing research and analysis, liaising with internal and external parties, setting goals, establishing guidelines and timelines, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They must also respond to issues and concerns, resolving them efficiently. Moreover, as a plan administrator, it is essential to monitor the daily operations and manage staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does an employee benefits coordinator do?

An employee benefits coordinator works at a company's human resources department, where they are in charge of overseeing benefits programs and assisting employees in its enrollment procedures. Their responsibilities usually include answering inquiries, discussing benefits and retirement plans, helping employees process their requirements, and updating employees with any changes related to their applications. They must also liaise with benefits and insurance providers, assist the human resources staff in maintaining and updating employee records, and conduct regular reviews and assessments to ensure that all procedures adhere to standards and regulations.

Plan administrator vs employee benefits coordinator salary

Plan administrators and employee benefits coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Plan Administrator	Employee Benefits Coordinator
Average salary	$68,435	$42,484
Salary range	Between $45,000 And $103,000	Between $30,000 And $59,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	-
Highest paying state	New York	-
Best paying company	Apple	-
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	-

Differences between plan administrator and employee benefits coordinator education

There are a few differences between a plan administrator and an employee benefits coordinator in terms of educational background:

	Plan Administrator	Employee Benefits Coordinator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Plan administrator vs employee benefits coordinator demographics

Here are the differences between plan administrators' and employee benefits coordinators' demographics:

	Plan Administrator	Employee Benefits Coordinator
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 39.1% Female, 60.9%	Male, 17.5% Female, 82.5%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 3.4% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 6.7% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	35%	35%

Differences between plan administrator and employee benefits coordinator duties and responsibilities

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.

Employee benefits coordinator example responsibilities.

Lead departmental PeopleSoft projects and initiatives; involve in systems testing when additional system upgrades are implemented.
Enter benefit enrollments and update internal and external HRIS.
Maintain and update employee records via HRIS system.
Calculate hourly employees and process payroll through outside service ADP.
Process release of information requests according to company and HIPAA policy.
Assist with educating employees with the leave of absence process for FMLA.

Plan administrator vs employee benefits coordinator skills

Common plan administrator skills

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

Common employee benefits coordinator skills

Human Resources, 11%
OSHA, 9%
Workers Compensation, 8%
PowerPoint, 8%
Background Checks, 7%
Cobra, 6%

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Plan Administrator
Plan Administrator vs Employee Benefits Coordinator

Updated January 8, 2025

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