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Financial Services
JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
Payroll and timekeeping clerks make sure hours, wages, deductions, and employee records line up before payday. The work sits between HR and bookkeeping: part data entry, part paperwork, and part error-checking when timecards, new-hire forms, or bank totals do not match. The tradeoff is steady, structured office work with modest pay, but the job is repetitive and shrinking as payroll software takes over routine tasks.
Also known as Payroll ClerkPayroll AdministratorPayroll TechnicianTimekeeping ClerkTime and Attendance Clerk
Median Salary
$55,290
Mean $56,870
U.S. Workforce
~157K
13K openings per year
10-Year Growth
+-16.7%
161.1K to 134.2K
Entry Education
High school diploma or equivalent
+ None experience
What This Role Looks Like in Practice
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks sits in the Business category. In practical terms, this role combines day-to-day execution, cross-team coordination, and consistent decision-making under real business constraints.
U.S. employment is currently about ~157K workers, with a median annual pay of $55,290 and roughly 13K openings each year. Based on BLS projections, total employment is expected to decline from 161.1 K in 2024 to 134.2K in 2034.
Most hiring paths start with Bachelor's degree in accounting, business, or human resources, and employers typically expect none of related experience. Many careers in this track begin around Payroll Assistant and can progress toward Payroll Supervisor. High-value skills usually include Reading payroll documents and company policies, Active listening to employee and manager questions, and Microsoft Excel, PivotTables & Spreadsheet Reconciliation, paired with soft skills such as Attention to detail, Clear communication, and Organization.
Core Responsibilities
- Check employees' clock-in and clock-out records and fix missing or incorrect hours.
- Add new hires to the payroll system and update records when people change jobs, transfer, or leave.
- Calculate pay, deductions, and take-home amounts in payroll software.
- Gather time, production, and payroll information from different records and turn it into reports.
Keep exploring: more Business careers or browse all job titles.
A Day in the Life
01 Check employees' clock-in and clock-out records and fix missing or incorrect hours.
02 Add new hires to the payroll system and update records when people change jobs, transfer, or leave.
03 Calculate pay, deductions, and take-home amounts in payroll software.
04 Gather time, production, and payroll information from different records and turn it into reports.
05 Compare payroll totals with bank statements and end-of-period reports to catch mismatches before payday closes.
06 Confirm employment details for outside requests and handle timecards each pay period.
Industries That Hire
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Healthcare
HCA Healthcare, Kaiser Permanente, Mayo Clinic
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Retail
Walmart, Target, Amazon
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Manufacturing
General Motors, Caterpillar, 3M
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Professional Services
ADP, Robert Half, Randstad
Pros and Cons
Advantages
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You can get into the field with a high school diploma and moderate on-the-job training, so the barrier to entry is lower than many office jobs.
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Pay is solid for clerical work, with a median annual wage of $55,290 and mean annual wage of $56,870.
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There are still about 13.0K annual openings, so people do move in and out of the field even as demand weakens.
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The work builds transferable skills in Excel, HR systems, recordkeeping, and reconciliation that can move you into HR or accounting later.
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The job has a predictable rhythm tied to pay cycles, which makes day-to-day expectations clearer than in many customer-facing roles.
Challenges
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The occupation is projected to shrink 16.7% by 2034, dropping from 161.1K jobs to 134.2K, so long-term demand is getting weaker.
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Routine timekeeping and payroll entry are easy to automate, which means software is likely to keep absorbing the simplest tasks.
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Small mistakes can cause real problems fast because a wrong hour, deduction, or tax entry affects employee pay and compliance.
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The role has a fairly limited ceiling unless you move into supervision, HR, or accounting, so advancement can stall at the clerical level.
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The work can be repetitive and deadline-driven, especially when timecards are missing or payroll has to be balanced before payday.
Career Progression
Payroll Assistant
0-1 years
$36K-$45K
Supports the team by collecting timecards, entering basic data, and learning the payroll system.
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk
1-4 years
$47K-$62K
Runs day-to-day payroll tasks, checks hours and deductions, and helps close each pay cycle on time.
Senior Payroll Specialist THIS ROLE
5-8 years
$63K-$79K
Handles complicated payroll questions, audits exceptions, and manages pay issues across more than one location or pay group.
Payroll Supervisor
8+ years
$80K-$99K
Leads the payroll team, reviews final pay runs, and works with HR, finance, and auditors on process fixes.
Education Paths
Bachelor's degree in accounting, business, or human resources
This is the most common entry point in the O*NET distribution, held by 31.84% of workers in this role.
High school diploma or equivalent
BLS lists this as the typical entry point, and 20.55% of workers in the O*NET distribution report it.
Associate degree in accounting, office administration, or business
This is a real alternative route and appears in 17.26% of the O*NET distribution.
Payroll certificate or short-term HRIS training
A non-degree credential can help you get hired for clerk-level payroll work even though it does not appear as a separate share in the distribution data.
Key Skills
Technical
Reading payroll documents and company policies 78%
Active listening to employee and manager questions 69%
Microsoft Excel, PivotTables & Spreadsheet Reconciliation 66%
Payroll Calculations, Deductions & Wage Garnishment Rules 56%
ADP Workforce Now, UKG Pro & Workday Payroll 53%
Timekeeping Systems, Timecards & Clock-In Audits 50%
Soft Skills
Attention to detailClear communicationOrganizationCritical thinkingWriting clearlyProfessional discretion Job Outlook and Trends
+-16.7%
Projected growth (2024-2034)
13K
Annual job openings
Employment is projected to rise from 161.1K to 134.2 K over the next decade, representing -16.7% growth. Around 13 K openings per year include both newly created roles and replacement hiring from turnover.
Remote availability is currently Moderate. Demand remains strongest where employers need practical domain knowledge plus modern workflow and data skills.