What You'll 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.

Essential Skills

Reading Comprehension 3.88/5
Active Listening 3.75/5
Mathematics 3.25/5
Writing 3.12/5
Speaking 3.12/5
Critical Thinking 3.12/5
Monitoring 3.0/5
Service Orientation 3.0/5
Complex Problem Solving 3.0/5
Social Perceptiveness 2.88/5
Judgment and Decision Making 2.88/5
Time Management 2.88/5

Career Fit Overview

Use this summary to understand the kind of profile this role rewards. It helps you judge whether this career looks like a stronger match than your current role, a nearby move worth exploring, or a broader path to compare more seriously.

Top passions

  • Organizer: Bringing order to data and processes satisfies you.
  • Leader: Taking charge and moving ideas forward motivates you.
  • Helper: Supporting people and making a difference matters to you.

Common styles

Attention to Detail, Dependability, Integrity, Cautiousness, Perseverance

Want a personal read on fit? Take the free assessment and compare this career to your current role, nearby alternatives, and broader stronger-fit options.

Key Abilities

This career demands strong capabilities in the following areas:

Oral Comprehension 3.88/5
Written Comprehension 3.88/5
Written Expression 3.75/5
Near Vision 3.75/5
Oral Expression 3.62/5
Mathematical Reasoning 3.5/5
Information Ordering 3.38/5
Number Facility 3.38/5

Technologies & Tools

Accounting software ADP Enterprise HR ADP eTIME ADP PC/Payroll ADP Workforce Now API Navigator Asure Software HCM Automated payroll software Automated timekeeping software BMH Open4 Payroll BSI ComplianceFactory CyberShift Workforce Management 3G Time and Attendance Data entry software EBS On Line InstaPay Email software Fund accounting software Galaxy Technologies TimeStar Enterprise Human resource management software HRMS Human Resource MicroSystems HR Entre IBM Cognos Impromptu

Work Environment & Strengths

Common Strengths for This Career

  • Attention to Detail (High importance: 5.0/5)
  • Dependability (High importance: 4.77/5)
  • Integrity (High importance: 4.52/5)
  • Cautiousness (High importance: 4.49/5)
  • Perseverance (High importance: 3.65/5)

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How to Become One

This career typically requires vocational school, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. Some specialized training or certification may also be required.

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Also Known As

This career is known by many different job titles across industries. Here are all the variations:

Accounting Assistant Attendance Clerk Bonus Clerk Checkman Commissions Clerk Finance Specialist Flight Crew Scheduler Flight Crew Time Clerk Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant) Payroll Administrator (Payroll Admin) Payroll Analyst Payroll and Benefits Specialist Payroll Assistant Payroll Associate Payroll Bookkeeper Payroll Clerk Payroll Coordinator Payroll Officer Payroll Processor Payroll Representative Payroll Secretary Payroll Specialist Payroll Tax Specialist Payroll Technician Personnel Assistant Personnel Clerk Personnel Scheduler Personnel Technician Sign Out Clerk Time and Attendance Clerk Time Checker Time Clerk Time Recorder Timekeeper Wanigan Clerk

Career Fit FAQs

Is this career a good fit for me

This page shows the role itself. To see personal fit, use the assessment to compare your interests, motivations, and strengths against this career and against the role you are in now.

Can this help if I want to stay in my field

Yes. Many people use career pages like this to compare nearby roles in the same field and see whether they need a full switch or a better-fit version of the work they already know.

What should I compare first

Start with the daily tasks, the preparation level, and the work-style signals on this page. Then use the assessment to see whether this role looks like a stronger fit than your current role or just a different title.