Senior payroll specialist vs payroll & human resources assistant

The differences between senior payroll specialists 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 senior payroll specialist and a payroll & human resources assistant. Additionally, a senior payroll specialist has an average salary of $59,503, which is higher than the $41,680 average annual salary of a payroll & human resources assistant.

The top three skills for a senior payroll specialist include peoplesoft, payroll data and reconciliations. The most important skills for a payroll & human resources assistant are data entry, assist human resources, and background checks.

Senior payroll specialist vs payroll & human resources assistant overview

	Senior Payroll Specialist	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Yearly salary	$59,503	$41,680
Hourly rate	$28.61	$20.04
Growth rate	-3%	-3%
Number of jobs	6,310	45,318
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	4	4

What does a senior payroll specialist do?

Senior payroll specialists are professionals who are responsible for calculating the wages of employees of an organization accurately. These specialists are required to analyze and verify payroll reports and documents for accuracy while making the necessary corrections through journal entries or other established procedures. They must authorize and review payroll transactions as well as complete appropriate forms to adjust salary account funds. Senior payroll specialists must also conduct training sessions for other payroll professionals to explain information regarding payroll policies and procedures.

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.

Senior payroll specialist vs payroll & human resources assistant salary

Senior payroll specialists and payroll & human resources assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Payroll Specialist	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Average salary	$59,503	$41,680
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $82,000	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	MongoDB	Compunetix
Best paying industry	Technology	Manufacturing

Differences between senior payroll specialist and payroll & human resources assistant education

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

	Senior Payroll Specialist	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior payroll specialist vs payroll & human resources assistant demographics

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

	Senior Payroll Specialist	Payroll & Human Resources Assistant
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 23.2% Female, 76.8%	Male, 10.3% Female, 89.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.5% 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 senior payroll specialist and payroll & human resources assistant duties and responsibilities

Senior payroll specialist example responsibilities.

Manage payroll imports into and out of HRIS, including master file and pay data additions and changes.
Update the maintenance of all job-relate records in the KRONOS timekeeping system, for all employees.
Perform thorough analysis of UltiPro timekeeping system prior to uploading to the payroll system on a biweekly basis.
Process payroll using ADP/ KRONOS for multiple companies.
Load pay changes for pay period into UltiPro.
Process regular wages, overtime wages, PTO, tips and toke incomes, etc.

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.

Senior payroll specialist vs payroll & human resources assistant skills

Common senior payroll specialist skills

PeopleSoft, 15%
Payroll Data, 5%
Reconciliations, 4%
HRIS, 4%
ADP Workforce, 3%
Data Entry, 3%

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%

Senior Payroll Specialist vs. similar jobs

Senior Payroll Specialist related careers

Senior Payroll Specialist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Senior Payroll Specialist
Senior Payroll Specialist vs Payroll & Human Resources Assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs