SOC 43-3051.00

    Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

    Compile and record employee time and payroll data.

    Median pay
    $58,260
    Growth
    -15.9%
    Decline
    Openings a year
    11,400
    Typical education
    High school diploma

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Source: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

    See the pathway

    Annual pay range

    Lowest 10% earn less than
    $39,500
    Median
    $58,260
    Highest 10% earn more than
    $81,350
    National wages for all workers in this occupation. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.

    153,140 people work in this occupation.

    In short

    Payroll and timekeeping clerks compile and record employee hours, wages, and deductions to prepare paychecks. This career offers a median annual pay of $58,260, with the highest earners making over $81,350.

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What payroll and timekeeping clerks do

    Job Zone 3: Medium preparation

    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.

    Usually vocational training, an associate degree or related experience.

    What the work is like

    People in this career focus on processing information and working with computers to manage employee time and pay data. On a daily basis, they calculate hours worked, commissions, and taxes, while documenting and recording this information to ensure compliance with standards. The job requires strong administrative skills, mathematics, and economics and accounting knowledge. Clerks must communicate regularly with supervisors and peers to resolve inquiries and gather necessary details.

    This role fits individuals with conventional interests who enjoy structured, detail-oriented tasks. Success in this field requires dependability, integrity, and cautiousness, as clerks handle sensitive financial and personnel records. Active listening, reading comprehension, and critical thinking help clerks solve complex payroll problems and make sound decisions under tight deadlines.

    How to get there

    To enter this field, candidates typically need a high school diploma. However, the career generally requires medium preparation, which often includes vocational training, an associate degree, or related work experience. Students interested in this path frequently major in accounting and related services.

    While not always mandatory, obtaining professional credentials can help job seekers demonstrate their expertise. Relevant certifications available for this career include the Fundamental Payroll Certification and the Certified Payroll Professional, both offered by the American Payroll Association. Additionally, the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers offers a Bookkeeping Certification and a Payroll Certification.

    Pay and outlook explained

    The median annual pay for these clerks is $58,260. The lowest 10 percent of earners make less than $39,500, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $81,350.

    There are 153,140 people employed in this occupation. However, opportunities are shrinking, as employment is projected to decline by -15.9 percent from 2025 to 2035. Despite this decline, the field is still expected to have 11,400 job openings each year.

    Interest profile

    Realistic (R)
    14 / 100
    Investigative (I)
    1 / 100
    Artistic (A)
    0 / 100
    Social (S)
    15 / 100
    Enterprising (E)
    39 / 100
    Conventional (C) · strongest
    100 / 100
    How strongly each interest area describes the work, from O*NET (scores rescaled to 0–100). The interest code lists the strongest areas in order.

    Interest code CES. Compare it with yours

    What you'd do

    Working with Computers
    84
    Processing Information
    83
    Getting Information
    81
    Performing Administrative Activities
    80
    Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
    75
    Documenting/Recording Information
    72
    Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
    68
    Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
    68
    Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
    66
    Making Decisions and Solving Problems
    66
    Work activities rated by importance for this occupation, O*NET (0–100).

    Skills and strengths

    Skills

    • Reading Comprehension
    • Active Listening
    • Mathematics
    • Critical Thinking
    • Speaking
    • Writing
    • Complex Problem Solving
    • Monitoring
    • Service Orientation
    • Judgment and Decision Making

    Knowledge

    • Administrative
    • Mathematics
    • English Language
    • Economics and Accounting
    • Personnel and Human Resources
    • Administration and Management
    • Customer and Personal Service
    • Computers and Electronics
    • Communications and Media
    • Education and Training

    Abilities

    • Oral Comprehension
    • Written Comprehension
    • Near Vision
    • Written Expression
    • Oral Expression
    • Mathematical Reasoning
    • Information Ordering
    • Number Facility
    • Problem Sensitivity
    • Deductive Reasoning

    Work styles

    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Integrity
    • Cautiousness
    • Perseverance
    • Cooperation
    • Self-Control
    • Achievement Orientation
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Sincerity

    Also called

    Accounting Assistant · Attendance Clerk · Bonus Clerk · Checkman · Commissions Clerk · Finance Specialist · Flight Crew Scheduler · Flight Crew Time Clerk · HR and Payroll Admin (Human Resources and Payroll Administrator) · Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant)

    Career pathway

    From your interests to payroll and timekeeping clerks

    Interests that fit the work, the career, majors that lead there and colleges whose graduates in those majors earn the most. Hover or focus a step to follow one path.

    1. Interests

    2. This career

      • Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks$58,260 median pay

    3. Majors

    4. Colleges

    College Scorecard program outcomes

    Colleges with strong outcomes

    Programs that lead to this career, ranked by what their graduates earn four years after finishing. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid.

    1. 1Georgetown University-DC logo
      Georgetown University-DC

      Washington, DC · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $141,931
      Median debt
      $16,035
    2. 2Bucknell University logo
      Bucknell University

      Lewisburg, PA · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $87,150
      4 yrs after
      $130,990
      Median debt
      $25,350
    3. 3Santa Clara University logo
      Santa Clara University

      Santa Clara, CA · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $88,383
      4 yrs after
      $130,087
      Median debt
      $16,249
    4. 4Boston College logo
      Boston College

      Chestnut Hill, MA · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $85,089
      4 yrs after
      $126,461
      Median debt
      $19,000
    5. 5Lehigh University logo
      Lehigh University

      Bethlehem, PA · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $83,966
      4 yrs after
      $125,874
      Median debt
      $19,000
    6. 6
      Villanova University

      Villanova, PA · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      $83,193
      4 yrs after
      $120,207
      Median debt
      $24,187
    7. 7American University logo
      American University

      Washington, DC · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $119,020
      Median debt
      Not reported
    8. 8Washington and Lee University logo
      Washington and Lee University

      Lexington, VA · Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's

      1 yr after
      Not reported
      4 yrs after
      $118,946
      Median debt
      $19,500

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Programs with few graduates are not listed.

    NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk

    Majors that lead here

    Related programs by four-digit CIP code. They are common routes in, not the only ones.

    CareerOneStop

    Certifications, licenses and pay by state

    What payroll and timekeeping clerks may need beyond a degree, where a license is required, and what the work pays in each state.

    Certifications

    Core certifications employers recognise for this work.

    Search all certifications on CareerOneStop

    Training

    Programs of study that prepare people for this work.

    • Accounting Technology/Technician and Bookkeeping

    Find training near you on CareerOneStop

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Your plan

    Build my pathway plan

    Courses, majors, colleges, scholarships and a timeline for this career, built from your profile.

    Related careers

    Careers with similar work, interests or skills.

    All careers

    Questions about payroll and timekeeping clerks

    Written with AI from the BLS, O*NET and CareerOneStop data on this page. Every figure is checked against that data before it is published.

    What are some alternative job titles for this career?

    People in this occupation are also called accounting assistants, attendance clerks, bonus clerks, commissions clerks, or finance specialists. Other common titles include flight crew schedulers, human resources administrative assistants, and payroll administrators.

    What college majors are most relevant to this job?

    College programs in accounting and related services directly prepare students for this career. These programs provide the necessary training in mathematics, economics, and administrative procedures.

    What certifications can a payroll clerk earn?

    Clerks can earn the Fundamental Payroll Certification or the Certified Payroll Professional designation from the American Payroll Association. They can also pursue Bookkeeping or Payroll Certifications through the National Association of Certified Public Bookkeepers.

    Sources and attribution

    Every figure on this page comes from these public datasets. Missing values are shown as not reported, never estimated.

    O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.

    Data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (Employment and Training Administration, with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development). Retrieved November 9, 2026.

    Page data updated November 5, 2026.