Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
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.
Also known as: Accounting Assistant, Attendance Clerk, Bonus Clerk, Checkman, Commissions Clerk, Finance Specialist, Flight Crew Scheduler, Flight Crew Time Clerk, ...
Annual Salary
Median annual wage (May 2024)
Job Outlook
Projected growth, 2024–2034 (Declining)
What You'd Do
- Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
- Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
- Compile employee time, production, and payroll data from time sheets and other records.
- Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
- Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.
- Issue and record adjustments to pay related to previous errors or retroactive increases.
- Keep informed about changes in tax and deduction laws that apply to the payroll process.
- Provide information to employees and managers on payroll matters, tax issues, benefit plans, and collective agreement provisions.
- Complete time sheets showing employees' arrival and departure times.
- Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
- Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
- Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
- Keep track of leave time, such as vacation, personal, and sick leave, for employees.
- Conduct verifications of employment.
- Complete, verify, and process forms and documentation for administration of benefits, such as pension plans, and unemployment and medical insurance.
- Compile statistical reports, statements, and summaries related to pay and benefits accounts, and submit them to appropriate departments.
- Coordinate special programs, such as United Way campaigns, that involve payroll deductions.
- Balance cash and payroll accounts.
- Train employees on organizations' timekeeping systems.
Top Skills
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Knowledge Areas
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Education Level Distribution
Percentage of workers in this occupation by education level
Technology & Tools
Software and tools commonly used in this role
In-Demand Technologies
Other Tools
Work Styles
Personality traits and work styles important for this career
Key Abilities
Cognitive, physical, and sensory abilities important for this role
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Activities
General types of job behaviors occurring on this job
Importance scale: 1 (low) – 5 (high)
Work Environment
Physical and social factors that influence the nature of work
Related Careers
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Salary data: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Outlook data: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.2 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license.