Careers / Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$58,260
United States, 2025
Employment
153,140
United States, 2025
Typical education
Bachelor's Degree
Job Zone 3
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
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.
- O*NET code
- 43-3051.00
- Job zone
- 3
- Experience required
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years
Typical tasks
- 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.
- Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
- Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$39,500
25th percentile
$47,990
75th percentile
$69,600
90th percentile
$81,350
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Active Listening3.8
- Mathematics3.3
- Writing3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Service Orientation3.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.0
- Time Management2.9
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9
- Social Perceptiveness2.9
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 9 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
9
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Active Listening | 3.8 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Mathematics | 3.3 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | 2.8 | Not selected | 2.8 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Payroll and Timekeeping ClerksHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $80,510 | 2,260 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $77,950 | 1,000 | 2025 |
| DC | $74,670 | 270 | 2025 |
| Santa Rosa, CA | $68,870 | 300 | 2025 |
| Santa Cruz, CA | $68,380 | 120 | 2025 |
| Kahului, HI | $67,740 | 110 | 2025 |
| Fort Collins, CO | $67,710 | 100 | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $66,930 | 2,500 | 2025 |
| Bremerton, WA | $66,800 | 60 | 2025 |
| Mount Vernon, WA | $66,650 | 50 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $66,630 | 1,980 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $66,140 | — | 2025 |
| Sacramento, CA | $65,810 | 2,000 | 2025 |
| Olympia, WA | $65,790 | 80 | 2025 |
| CA | $65,340 | 20,590 | 2025 |
| New Haven, CT | $65,190 | 250 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $65,040 | 6,600 | 2025 |
| Bellingham, WA | $64,990 | 140 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $64,760 | 1,580 | 2025 |
| Oshkosh, WI | $64,690 | 70 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.