Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk

Payroll and timekeeping clerks specialize in one area of human resources. While a human resource specialist or assistant will work with payroll and timekeeping alongside other duties like hiring, onboarding, and employee management, a payroll and timekeeping clerk just worries about paychecks. These professionals make sure everyone in the company receives the proper paycheck at the appropriate time. If you've cashed an employer check, you probably have someone in this field to thank.

If you're detail-oriented with a knack for math, this career could be an excellent fit. Organized workers with strong communication skills and a steady approach to their work will enjoy the easy pace and comfortable routine of a career in this area.

What is a Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk?

Payroll and timekeeping clerks are human resource professionals who are responsible for gathering employee data on hours worked and payroll compensation. They will calculate things such as overtime pay, holiday pay, vacation pay, and other special considerations to ensure that employees receive appropriate compensation for the time they contribute. In the event of a paycheck error, the payroll and timekeeping clerk will review the employee's logged hours and other variables to pinpoint the issue and correct the problem.

Job Responsibilities:

• Calculating employee earnings
• Verifying days in attendance and hours worked
• Ensuring checks are properly signed
• Distributing paychecks to employees
• Resolving issues with inaccurate pay
• Stopping paycheck cycles as appropriate after employee termination
• Calculating deductions such as insurance, union dues, Social Security, and income tax withholdings
• Handling wage garnishment for IRS intervention or child support
• Managing employee compensation
• Distributing and collecting timecards
• Managing 401(k) contributions
• Distributing bonuses
• Calculating commissions
• Verifying invoices for independent contractors

Request Information

What is the Job Outlook for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), employment for payroll and timekeeping clerks is expected to decrease by one percent over the 2016 to 2026 decade. The BLS suggests that reduced demand in this area is due to technology advancements, which allow computers to perform many of the tasks previously handled by payroll and timekeeping clerks.

Payroll and timekeeping clerks are considered a type of financial clerk. Financial clerks overall have an anticipated job growth of 9 percent over the 2016 to 2026 decade. This is higher than the national average of 7 percent for all occupations. The BLS expects the highest rates of job growth for billing and posting clerks, insurance claims and policy processing clerks, and loan interviewers. In these areas, human interviews are a major part of the clerk's job responsibilities. This makes it less likely that automated systems will successfully take over in these areas.

With a background as any type of financial clerk, you'll be well-positioned to seek employment in similar fields if you find the job opportunities for payroll and timekeeping clerks slim in your area. The states with the highest employment levels for payroll and timekeeping clerks are California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, and Florida. However, the highest concentration of these jobs per thousand is in Oklahoma, California, Louisiana, North Dakota, and Kansas.

Where Do Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Work?

Payroll and timekeeping clerks typically work in an office environment, logging regular weekday hours. Job opportunities are most common in large companies and enterprises or specialized businesses that provide payroll and timekeeping services on an outsourced basis to a number of clients. Elementary and secondary schools, employment services, and the local government also employ a large number of professionals in this field.

What Education is Required to Become a Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk?

Payroll and timekeeping clerks need a minimum of a high school diploma. The limited number of job openings in this field could lead to stiff competition. You can increase your employability as a payroll and timekeeping clerk by pursuing continuing education. An AAS Human Resource Specialist Degree will help equip you for a position in this and other human resource positions.

This degree program at Bryant & Stratton College requires just 39 credit hours. Courses cover accounting principles, business law and ethics, employment law and labor relations, organizational behavior and leadership, and more. These subjects will give you a well-rounded education with a strong emphasis on human resources. You'll be equipped for a position not only as a payroll and timekeeping clerk, but in many other related areas as well.

What Can I Do with an AAS Human Resource Specialist Degree?

An AAS Human Resource Specialist degree will equip you for a variety of jobs in human resources. You can become a financial clerk specializing in payroll and timekeeping or you might choose a different specialty such as brokerage, procurement, new accounts, insurance claims and policy processing, credit authorization, or billing and posting.

Jobs in this area can go by many titles. Some other positions that you might want to look into include:

• Account clerk
• Payroll clerk
• Checkman
• Bookkeeper
• Fiscal technician
• Paymaster
• Payroll administrator
• Personnel technician
• Timekeeper
• Time clerk
• Employment coordinator
• Employment specialist
• Human resources coordinator
• Personnel coordinator
• Employee benefits manager
• Employee relations manager

With an AAS Human Resource Specialist degree, you'll be well-equipped for any of these or similar jobs in the field of human resources. This is a diverse career area where you can find many opportunities in companies of all sizes.

Please note that the information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics offers averages and educated projections only. It is not intended as a guarantee of employment opportunities. It can, however, give you a general idea of the job possibilities that will likely exist within a field.

For more information on how an AAS Human Resource Specialist degree can help you in your future career, visit the human resource section of our blog. You'll find a wealth of information to give you deeper insights into this field of study and the careers associated with it.