Payroll Clerk Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Payroll Clerk, or Payroll Administrator, is responsible for processing employees’ paychecks, they collect their payroll data and timesheets and that information is what’s used to process the paychecks.

Their responsibilities include verifying employees’ work hours and payments using the payroll system, issuing deductions when necessary, earnings, and other statements to employees, and updating payroll records frequently.

Payroll Clerk responsibilities and duties

Although a Payroll Clerk has a variety of responsibilities and duties, their major role includes:

• The Maintenance of payroll information by gathering, calculating and imputing data.
• Updating payroll inventory by entering all changes into employee information or benefits like job title changes, exemptions and saving deductions.
• Assembling reports that include outlines of earnings, tax deductions, leave, compassionate leave and non-taxable wages.
• Computing payroll liabilities by detecting employee taxes, including federal and state income, social security tax, and calculating employer’s payments for social security, unemployment and worker’s compensation.
• Solving payroll irregularities and answering any employee payroll complaints.
• Servicing all payroll operations according to company policies and procedures
• Processing and presenting W-2 forms to employees.

What does a Payroll Clerk do?

Payroll Clerks work inside a company’s payroll or accounting department collating employees’ payroll data to organize and send paychecks.

They usually gather employees’ timesheets after every pay period and will confirm that their payroll data and work hours are accurate.

Payroll Clerks utilizes software programs to input the collated data into the payroll system. 

They also work closely with employees to collate any crucial payment information or to answer any questions surrounding their paychecks.

Payroll Clerks work cautiously to compute payroll information like taxes, deductions, bonuses, commissions, and every other payable hour. If any payroll-related problem or discrepancy occurs, the Payroll Clerk ought to investigate and resolve them.

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Payroll Clerk skills and qualifications

A professional Payroll Clerk should possess these skills to successfully carry out their job functions:

• Sturdy computer skills like typing, system and specific software knowledge.
• Knowledge of salary withholding orders.
• Excellent data entry skills with a keen attention to detail
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, both oral and written.
• Great customer service skills
• Be a team player
• Elite decision-making skills
• Capacity to multitask in a stressful environment to meet specific deadlines
• Capacity to work alone in a time-sensitive environment
• Confidentiality and topmost respect for the privacy.

Payroll Clerk salary expectations

A Payroll Clerk earns an average salary of $16.92 per hour. The pay rate is usually dependent on the level of experience, education, and geographical location.

Payroll Clerk education and training requirements

Payroll Clerks typically are not subject to formal education prerequisites besides a high school diploma or GED, but certificate programs in bookkeeping and payroll administration are appreciated. They can also become certified through the American Payroll Association (APA) or obtain an official appointment as a Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or a Fundamental Payroll Certification (PFC) by taking an examination. Some companies prefer candidates with an associate or bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field. 

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Payroll Clerk experience requirements

Entry-level Payroll Clerks normally start with little or no experience, while a mid-level Payroll Clerk is expected to have three to five years of relevant experience. The years of experience you should sight in your job listing ought to depend on the seniority of the position and the needs of your organization.