Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks: Career Overview
Compile and record employee time and payroll data. May compute employees' time worked, production, and commission. May compute and post wages and deductions, or prepare paychecks.
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What Tasks Do Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Do?
Typical responsibilities of payroll and timekeeping clerks cover:
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
- Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
- Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
- Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
- Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
- Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
- Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
- Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.
What Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Need to Know
Top payroll and timekeeping clerks draw on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Key Skills
The competencies most important for this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Accounting Assistant
- Attendance Clerk
- Bonus Clerk
- Checkman
- Commissions Clerk
- Finance Specialist
- Flight Crew Scheduler
- Flight Crew Time Clerk
How Many Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Are There?
There are about 229,022 payroll and timekeeping clerks working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -3.1% over the projection horizon.
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $62,520 |
| Hourly median | $30.06 |
| 10th percentile | $42,155 |
| 25th percentile | $52,337 |
| 75th percentile | $72,702 |
| 90th percentile | $82,884 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Salary by State
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $69,210 |
| Washington | $62,310 |
| California | $61,670 |
| Minnesota | $60,780 |
| Connecticut | $60,720 |
| New Hampshire | $60,670 |
| New York | $60,600 |
| Massachusetts | $60,260 |
| Illinois | $60,060 |
| New Jersey | $59,920 |
| Rhode Island | $59,500 |
| Oregon | $59,430 |
| Alaska | $59,360 |
| Vermont | $59,210 |
| Colorado | $59,130 |
| North Dakota | $58,580 |
| Idaho | $58,200 |
| Hawaii | $58,010 |
| Delaware | $57,690 |
| Maryland | $57,590 |
| Nevada | $56,310 |
| Pennsylvania | $55,620 |
| Wisconsin | $55,430 |
| Virginia | $55,240 |
| Utah | $54,790 |
| Michigan | $54,690 |
| New Mexico | $54,170 |
| Wyoming | $53,650 |
| Maine | $53,110 |
| Nebraska | $52,660 |
| Georgia | $52,220 |
| North Carolina | $52,000 |
| Texas | $51,990 |
| Missouri | $51,940 |
| Ohio | $51,460 |
| South Carolina | $50,710 |
| Arizona | $50,600 |
| Montana | $50,270 |
| Kentucky | $50,190 |
| Tennessee | $50,140 |
| Kansas | $50,020 |
| Iowa | $49,990 |
| Louisiana | $49,840 |
| Indiana | $49,380 |
| Florida | $48,030 |
| Guam | $48,010 |
| South Dakota | $46,940 |
| Arkansas | $45,830 |
| Oklahoma | $45,670 |
| Alabama | $45,470 |
| Mississippi | $43,790 |
| West Virginia | $42,080 |
| Virgin Islands | $37,950 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,670 |
Where Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Earn the Most
Earnings for payroll and timekeeping clerks differ across the country. Top regions by median wage:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Far Western US | $61,243 | 20.4% | 1.22 |
| New England | $59,839 | 4.5% | 0.98 |
| Middle Atlantic | $58,985 | 13.8% | 0.91 |
| Rocky Mountains | $56,869 | 3.7% | 0.93 |
| Great Lakes | $54,445 | 14.4% | 1.02 |
| Plains States | $53,652 | 6.8% | 1.01 |
| Southwest | $51,009 | 13.7% | 1.11 |
| Southeast | $49,706 | 22.0% | 0.92 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $80,150 | 990 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | CA | $78,180 | 2,590 |
| Napa, CA | CA | $67,250 | 120 |
| Boulder, CO | CO | $65,520 | 120 |
| Vallejo, CA | CA | $64,700 | 140 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | WA | $64,480 | 100 |
| Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | WA | $64,210 | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $63,710 | 7,950 |
Top Industries Employing Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
The largest employers of payroll and timekeeping clerks are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 27,300 | $49,990 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 19,060 | $51,340 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 14,120 | $53,330 |
| Construction | 13,510 | $57,360 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 13,490 | $60,260 |
| Educational Services | 12,380 | $58,080 |
| Manufacturing | 7,740 | $58,500 |
| Retail Trade | 7,210 | $49,960 |
The table below shows some of the most common industries where those employed in this career field work.
Tools and Technology
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Time accounting software: Kronos Workforce Timekeeper (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Oracle PeopleSoft (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software (hot technology)
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: Workday software (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Accounting software (in demand)
Work Environment
The work environment for payroll and timekeeping clerks is shaped by the following characteristics:
- Importance of Being Exact or Accurate
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
- Spend Time Sitting
- Telephone Conversations
How to Become Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
Most payroll and timekeeping clerks positions require a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), reflecting the level of preparation typically expected.
Related Careers
Similar Occupations
- Financial Managers (Supplemental)
- Treasurers and Controllers (Supplemental)
- Compensation and Benefits Managers (Supplemental)
- Human Resources Specialists (Supplemental)
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists (Supplemental)
- Accountants and Auditors (Supplemental)
- Budget Analysts (Supplemental)
- Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents (Supplemental)
Where to Study
Aspiring payroll and timekeeping clerks commonly pursue programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 43-3051.00 (Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks).
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