Getting a payroll administrator job.

How did you get your start doing payroll administrator work, and what career moves did you make to get to your current position?

Do you need a particular educational background?

I am with Robert Half and would be very happy to assist reviewing the resumes of someone that is looking to advance their career in Payroll. Please feel free to email me at
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You do not need any specific education or certification to get started in payroll. I used to work for a staffing company, and they had an incredible volume of weekly payroll. So, they would promote to a Payroll Administrator from an Administrative Assistant. Even their Administrative Assistant job was loaded with small accounting tasks. That is how I got a job as a Payroll Admin. I moved up from an Admin. Asst.

Of course, Payroll is not an easy task. It requires a lot of attention to detail, a lot of repetition, and good customer service skills, because employees are your customers in this case.

The level of responsibility is enormosly high when it comes to payroll. You are dealing with confidential documents, with Social Security numbers, with taxes, with garnishments, with Child Support Services, with Workers Compensation, with Identity Fraud, with verifications, etc. Many government agencies will hold you personally liable for making a mistake on an employment verification or not collecting a garnishment.

You need to have very good math skills. Specifically - calculating an average of multiple amounts, calculating ratios, etc. Microsoft Excel proficiency is critical.

You also need a good memory to remember all employment laws, minimum wage rate in your state and employment of a minor.

All of this is easy to acquire if you have a good on-the-job training.