Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

What Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Do

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.

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience

None

On-the-job training

Moderate-term on-the-job training

Self-employed

0.9%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

• Administrativeimportance 4.5/5
• Mathematicsimportance 4.2/5
• English Languageimportance 4.2/5
• Economics and Accountingimportance 4.1/5
• Personnel and Human Resourcesimportance 3.9/5
• Administration and Managementimportance 3.8/5
• Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.2/5
• Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.1/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

• Importance of Being Exact or Accurate4.9/5
• Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.8/5
• Spend Time Sitting4.8/5
• Telephone Conversations4.7/5
• E-Mail4.7/5
• Importance of Repeating Same Tasks4.6/5

Related Careers

• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
• Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
• First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• Billing and Posting Clerks
• Office Clerks, General
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs
• Administrative Services Managers
• Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

• Genetic Counselors97% skill match
• Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks97% skill match
• School Psychologists97% skill match
• Paralegals and Legal Assistants97% skill match
• Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants97% skill match
• New Accounts Clerks96% skill match
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs96% skill match
• Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

• Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
• Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.0/5
• Social Perceptivenessimportance 2.9/5
• Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.9/5
• Time Managementimportance 2.9/5
• Coordinationimportance 2.8/5
• Instructingimportance 2.3/5
• Systems Analysisimportance 2.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

• Attention to Detail
• Dependability
• Integrity
• Cautiousness
• Perseverance
• Cooperation
• Self-Control

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

• ConventionalHigh
• EnterprisingMedium
• SocialLow
• RealisticLow
• InvestigativeLow
• ArtisticLow

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where payroll and timekeeping clerks make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1. 1Yuma, AZ1.91× national avg
2. 2Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA1.88× national avg
3. 3Hanford-Corcoran, CA1.82× national avg
4. 4Oklahoma City, OK1.75× national avg
5. 5Medford, OR1.72× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

• Billing and Posting ClerksLateral Move
• Eligibility Interviewers, Government ProgramsLateral Move
• Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and TimekeepingLateral Move
• Tax PreparersCareer Change

See the full career path from Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.