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.
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Writing
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Service Orientation
Key knowledge
- Administrative
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Economics and Accounting
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Administration and Management
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
What the work involves
- Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
- Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
- Compile employee time, production, and payroll data from time sheets and other records.
- Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
- Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
- Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.
- Issue and record adjustments to pay related to previous errors or retroactive increases.
- Keep informed about changes in tax and deduction laws that apply to the payroll process.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Conventional, Enterprising, Social.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Bachelor's Degree (31.8% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 2 years, up to and including 4 years (49.9%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (31.6%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Very low | Lower on contact with others than 84% of occupations compared | 32% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others” |
| Dealing with the public | Very low | Lower on dealing with the public than 87% of occupations compared | 38% of surveyed respondents chose “Important” |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 71% of occupations compared | 67% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important” |
| Freedom to make decisions | Very low | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 89% of occupations compared | 40% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | High | Higher on time pressure than 79% of occupations compared | 49% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Conflict situations | Very low | Lower on conflict situations than 82% of occupations compared | 29% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Moderate | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 51% of occupations compared | 30% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Consequence of error | Very low | Lower on consequence of error than 84% of occupations compared | 47% of surveyed respondents chose “Not serious at all” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: high
- Conflict situations: very low
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
- Consequence of error: very low
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 8.86%
- Contact with others about half the time: 31.6%
- Contact with others most of the time: 27.79%
- Constant contact with others: 31.74%
n = 24, Incumbent 08/2022
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 36.4%
- Fairly important: 16.43%
- Important: 38.12%
- Very important: 0%
- Extremely important: 9.05%
n = 24, Incumbent 08/2022
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 8.86%
- Important: 0.2%
- Very important: 23.46%
- Extremely important: 67.48%
n = 24, Incumbent 08/2022
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Very little freedom: 4.86%
- Limited freedom: 11.1%
- Some freedom: 40.21%
- A lot of freedom: 25.39%
n = 24, Incumbent 08/2022
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 0.83%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.03%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 48.73%
- Every day: 38.41%
n = 24, Incumbent 08/2022
Conflict situations
- Never: 28.15%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 29.47%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 23.72%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 16.84%
- Every day: 1.82%
n = 23, Incumbent 08/2022
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: 15.15%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 26.55%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 28.23%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 29.85%
- Every day: 0.21%
n = 23, Incumbent 08/2022
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 47.15%
- Fairly serious: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Serious: 8.21%
- Very serious: 12.3%
- Extremely serious: 13.24%
n = 23, Incumbent 08/2022
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O*NET-SOC 43-3051.00 · SOC 43-3051 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8