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.
What it pays
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks earn a median of $28.01/hr — about $58,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.99/hr; the top 10% earn $39.11/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks earn a median of $28.01/hr — about $58,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $18.99/hr; the top 10% earn $39.11/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
- Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
- Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
- Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
- Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
- Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: High school diploma. Overall preparation: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
The feel of the work
The work is mostly indoors; precision matters — small details carry weight. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 0.9% of payroll and timekeeping clerks are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused and take-charge.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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Quick questions
- How much does a payroll and timekeeping clerk make?
- The median pay is $28.01 per hour — roughly $58,500 a year, with the real range running from about $18.99/hr (10th percentile) to $39.11/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a payroll and timekeeping clerk?
- The typical entry-level education is: High school diploma. Overall preparation level: medium preparation (Job Zone 3 of 5).
- What does a payroll and timekeeping clerk actually do all day?
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records. Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions. Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.