Payroll Administrator Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the payroll administrator job description, including the duties, tasks, and responsibilities they perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to meet to be hired for the payroll administrator role.

What Does a Payroll Administrator Do?

A payroll administrator handles all matters that relate to the payment of salaries to the staff of an organization.

His/her job description involves the tracking of the hours worked so as to know the right amount due to each member of staff.

It also involves calculating, deducting, and processing of taxes and other benefits that are offered to employees by an organization or company.

As such, a payroll administrator is the first point of call for an employee in relation to the time of resumption, attendance, and payroll.

Depending on the size of the company or organization, a payroll administrator’s task would involve the issuance of checks for weekly, biweekly, and monthly payments, and the job could be as complex as involving the payment of thousands of employees and contractors.

Aside the issuance of pay checks, the work description of a payroll administrator includes managing direct deposits, benefit withholding, payroll deductions, paid leave, sick time reporting and the monitoring of employees hour compliance.

A payroll administrator will provide support to other financial personnel in an organization such as the accounting and reporting department.

He/she makes use of customized software tools that help him/her to easily track and manage all the gamut of the payroll administration system.

Payroll Administrator Job Description Example/Sample/Template

A payroll administrator performs various functions in ensuring effective and efficient payment of salaries to staff and employees of an organization.

The job description example below highlights major obligations, tasks, duties, and responsibilities a payroll administrator commonly performs:

• Gathers and tracks time records of employees and calculates hours worked in order to make accurate payments
• Ensures the payment of employees – weekly, biweekly or monthly
• Acts as a receptionist to the payroll department by answering all questions relating to employees payments
• Maintains records of regular deductions from employees payments such as deductions on health care and other deductions like Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
• Coordinates efforts between the payroll department and other departments such as the human resources and budget in order to ensure accurate employee data
• Handles and monitors the use of the electronic timekeeping system
• Maintains employees records; including the correct entry of changes in employees status
• Ensures maximum compliance with local, state, and federal laws and regulations
• Ensures prompt update of all software for accurate payroll processing and administration
• Prepares and applies accounting standard to all financial matters
• Ensures the proper filing of tax and voluntary deduction reports
• Ensures the updating of the organization’s payroll procedures
• Creates a company’s salary sheets and reports
• Updates salary sheets and schedules
• Ensures the submission of payroll reports and sheets for timely processing of staff salary
• Trains departmental staff on how to handle the computerization of the payroll system
• Completes additional accounting tasks as assigned by the organization.

Payroll Administrator Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge for Success on the Job

When hiring for the role of payroll administrator, employers generally seek candidates with certain skills, abilities, knowledge, professional training, educational qualification, etc. to be sure they will be able to carry out the purpose, obligations, objectives, and responsibilities of the position.

Shown below are major employer requirements for the role of payroll administrator in most organizations:

• Possess Bachelor’s degree in any of Business Administration, Accounting, or Finance
• At least 3 years cognate experience in Payroll Administration
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and other applications such as Sage’s Peachtree Accounting software
• Strong ability to maintain confidentiality in the course of work
• Ability to exercise discretion at all times
• Must possess strong organizational skills
• Strong ability to pay attention to detail and perform tasks accurately
• Ability to work under intense pressure
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and also meet deadlines
• Excellent problem-solving skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Must be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the area of payroll taxes
• Proficiency in the use of the timekeeping system will be an added advantage
• Possess outstanding accounting and math skills
• Ability to work with a team as well as with external auditors
• Excellent administration skills.

Conclusion

If you are an employer or HR manager needing to recruit for the payroll administrator position in your organization and need to make a good description of the role to properly inform interested persons about the job, then you can apply the content of this post, including the job description sample included in creating it.

You will stand a better chance of attracting the best candidates to your job offer if you provided interested persons a detailed description of the job that perfectly highlights all the expected duties and responsibilities the successful payroll administrator will perform.

You will equally find this post helpful if you desire the career of a payroll administrator and want to learn about what they do.

Did you find this article useful in learning about what payroll administrators do? Please, leave a comment in the box below. And if you work as an administrator of payroll in your organization, you can also share your job description with other readers.