Job profile
Payroll and Benefits
Similar job titles
Payroll and benefits assistant
Payroll officer
Payroll clerk
Payroll processing
What
Every employee looks forward to receiving their pay pinging into their bank account. The perk to this
job is, get it right month after month, and you’re likely to be the most popular person within the
organisation. You will be responsible for ensuring employees are paid the correct amount, on time.
Accuracy is essential, so being methodical, organised and attention to detail are vital. Traditionally
payroll was a finance function, but today it is often more closely aligned with human resources (HR).
This is largely due to the people aspect and the development of integrated HR software and wider
employee benefits, which in today’s world may also fall under your radar. While the most visible
function is producing the monthly pay slips, there’s an awful lot of work that goes on behind the
scenes, including communicating closely with mangers and HR colleagues to add new recruits to the
payroll, and promoting specific benefits packages to employees. You will also be responsible for
reporting to external agencies, keeping up to date with payroll legislation and dealing with payroll in a
confidential and secure manner in line with data protection legislation.
Salary
Entry level positions, such as administration or support role, start at approximately £15,000 per
annum. With the right experience, qualifications and skills you could progress to management roles
and earn in excess of £50,000 per annum. This does not include potential bonuses and additional
benefits. Salaries will vary considerably based on location and employer.
Tasks
 Calculating employees gross and net pay
 Creating and maintaining employee records within a payroll administration system
 Resolving any employees queries relating to their pay
 Identifying, calculating and checking any statutory entitlements to ensure aggregate payroll totals
are correct
 Controlling the accuracy and compliance of the payroll
 Producing management information and reports
 Providing information and making payments to authorised agencies
 Producing periodic payroll returns and reports, reconciling balances and data
 Processing expenses and benefits in kind
Skills
 Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
 Attention to detail
 Confident using computers and learning new software packages
 Comfortable working with numbers
 Well organised and methodical
 Enjoy working to set deadlines, sometimes under pressurised and tight timescales
 Respectful and discreet when handling highly confidential employee information
 Self motivated but equally work well in a team setting
Useful knowledge and experience
A new entrant will not always be required to have this knowledge. Employers usually provide training
to acquire skills for:
 Verifying and processing personal data for new employees and leavers
 How to identify statutory entitlements when calculating gross pay
 How to check and validate the payroll information for each set payroll period, taking into account
statutory and non-statutory deductions
 Checking the taxable value of benefits and expenses
 The process for running month-end and payroll year-end reports and returns
Entry qualifications
It is possible for people to enter payroll careers through administrative and support functions in human
resource or finance departments. Payroll also provides an opportunity for people to step up from
general bookkeeping or accountancy roles and specialise in a particular field. It also offers a good
introduction to wider HR functions.
Although many payroll systems are automated, you need to be able to check back over figures and
verify information, often manually, and breakdown and explain calculations. Qualifications in English
and maths are therefore very useful. Good IT skills are essential.
In order to gain an entry level administrative or support position, employers will look for people who
have:
 GCSEs, Scottish Standard Grades or equivalent qualifications such as Business, Administration
and Finance (BAF) Diploma, Welsh Baccalaureate (BAC) Foundation and Intermediate Diploma,
and Scottish National Qualifications at Intermediate 2 (SCQF Level 5)
Apprenticeships can be a useful way to gain entry and to progress on in the profession:

Level 2 Apprenticeship in Payroll (England, Wales and Northern Ireland (April 2012 Start)

Level 3 Apprenticeship in Payroll (England, Wales and Northern Ireland (April 2012 Start)
Professional and higher qualifications
There’s a wide selection of professional qualifications available, ranging from basic introductory
qualifications right up to degree level.
Recognised qualifications include those from the Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP),
and the International Association of Bookkeepers (IAB) and the Institute of Certified Bookkeepers
(ICB).
 IAB Level 1 and Level 2 Award and Level 3 Certificate in Payroll
 IAB Level 2 and Level 3 Award in Computerised Payroll
 CIPP National Payroll Certificates
 ICB Level 3 Diploma in Payroll Management
Higher level learning routes which may complement career progression include:
 CIPP Foundation Degree in Payroll Management
 CIPP Advanced Diploma in Applied Payroll Management
 Masters degree in Payroll Management - offered jointly by Derby University and the CIPP
 CIPP Professional Certificate in Team Management
Some payroll staff may decide to work towards an accounting technician qualification such as
Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
(ACCA) Foundations in Accounting (FIA), or the ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in
England and Wales) Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (CFAB).
UK and global opportunities
You could work in the finance department of larger companies, public sector organisations like local
authorities or the NHS, or a payroll bureau that provides contracted payroll services to other
companies. Jobs exist throughout the UK. Some organisations have small teams, where duties will
be quite varied, possibly extending to HR and sourcing new employee benefits. Smaller employers
also require payroll personnel to administer the full payroll function which would include payroll
processing, record keeping and the completion of internal and external reporting – including year-end
procedures.
Find out more
Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) – www.aat.org.uk
Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA) – www.accaglobal.com
Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals (CIPP) – www.payrollprofession.org
Directions – www.directions.org.uk
ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) – www.icaew.com/careers
Institute of Certified Bookkeepers (ICB) – www.bookkeepers.org.uk
International Association of Book-keepers (IAB) – www.iab.org.uk
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