Payroll Specialist Salary Range
Although their jobs center on making sure other workers get paid, payroll specialists do far more than just issue checks. Payroll specialists, also called payroll clerks or timekeepers, input employee work hours, account for vacation and sick time, review payroll spreadsheets for errors, add bonuses or commissions and distribute paychecks or stubs.
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Facts
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After conducting a country-wide salary study, the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reported payment for payroll clerks averaging $36,600 per year, with the clerks at the bottom of the range earning $23,660 per year and those in the top 90th percentile earning $51,000 per year. Payroll specialists in certain industries earned at significantly higher rates. The postal service led the country as the top-paying industry for payroll specialists, with an annual mean wage of $53,660. The computer equipment manufacturing industry also paid its payroll specialists higher-than-average salaries of $45,810 per year.
Location
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Payroll specialists on either coast of the country earned higher salaries than their mid-country colleagues. The BLS' top-paying area for 2009 was the District of Columbia, paying annual salaries of $50,290 to its payroll clerks. In second place was California at $41,740, followed closely by Massachusetts at $41,560 and Connecticut at $41,210. Alaska also paid a higher-than-median salary to its payroll personnel, at $40,810 per year.
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Considerations
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No single requirement beyond a high school diploma is required for earning a salary as a payroll specialist. Prospective payroll clerks may seek training from community colleges or technical schools in administrative office procedures, computer skills, accounting or payroll administration to set themselves apart from the candidate pool. Most payroll specialist training is handled on the job, as each organization has different components for the clerk to handle.
Outlook
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Due to an increase in computers performing many of the tasks that fall under the payroll specialist's domain, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a five percent decrease in employment in the field through 2018, resulting in a reduction of 10,900 jobs. The BLS recommends payroll specialist candidates seek optional certifications for the best opportunities to secure jobs.
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References
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