Tax clerk vs payroll clerk

The differences between tax clerks and payroll clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a tax clerk, becoming a payroll clerk takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a payroll clerk has an average salary of $41,602, which is higher than the $32,304 average annual salary of a tax clerk.

The top three skills for a tax clerk include corrective action, IRS and data entry. The most important skills for a payroll clerk are data entry, payroll system, and photocopying.

Tax clerk vs payroll clerk overview

	Tax Clerk	Payroll Clerk
Yearly salary	$32,304	$41,602
Hourly rate	$15.53	$20.00
Growth rate	-5%	-3%
Number of jobs	93,267	71,944
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age	51	48
Years of experience	6	4

Tax clerk vs payroll clerk salary

Tax clerks and payroll clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Tax Clerk	Payroll Clerk
Average salary	$32,304	$41,602
Salary range	Between $26,000 And $38,000	Between $31,000 And $55,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Oregon	Connecticut
Best paying company	Ramsey County	MDU Resources
Best paying industry	Government	Government

Differences between tax clerk and payroll clerk education

There are a few differences between a tax clerk and a payroll clerk in terms of educational background:

	Tax Clerk	Payroll Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 41%	Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Tax clerk vs payroll clerk demographics

Here are the differences between tax clerks' and payroll clerks' demographics:

	Tax Clerk	Payroll Clerk
Average age	51	48
Gender ratio	Male, 21.7% Female, 78.3%	Male, 12.4% Female, 87.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.6% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 58.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	10%

Differences between tax clerk and payroll clerk duties and responsibilities

Tax clerk example responsibilities.

Manage resident's private information for insurance verification, billing, and eligibility to apply for Medicaid.
Research job aid tools such as: CRG, IDRS.
Search DMV records to reroute return mail
Suspend and clear tags/licenses on DMV system.
Collect and process quarterly taxes for the borough of Fairview.
Assemble tax returns, make copies and deliver to CPA.

Payroll clerk example responsibilities.

Manage all worker compensation and cobra benefit issues and filings.
Manage employee drug and background screenings, train new hires and verify I9 information.
Process payroll; assist in establishing new time and attendance (KRONOS) computer system; balance insurance billings.
View, key, post and monitor time and labor, absences and leave balances in PeopleSoft HRIS system.
Compile data and enter information into ADP payroll processing system.
Process payroll and transmit electronically to outside computer service for preparation of payroll checks and reports.

Tax clerk vs payroll clerk skills

Common tax clerk skills

Corrective Action, 30%
IRS, 13%
Data Entry, 6%
Treasury, 5%
Individual Tax Returns, 5%
Revenue Service, 5%

Common payroll clerk skills

Data Entry, 19%
Payroll System, 10%
Photocopying, 7%
Excellent Organizational, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
ADP, 5%