$23.5 per hour
package, attractive compensation, flexible hours, and a fully subsidized Signature Life Time Membership.Position SummaryThe Payroll Specialist I provides responsive and reliable customer service while supporting payroll…
Finance & Accounting
Payroll Specialist jobs
Payroll specialists make sure people are paid correctly and on time. They process pay runs, handle deductions, and keep payroll compliant with federal, state, and local requirements.
12,395
Open roles today
$22–$43/hr
Typical pay range
$64k
Median, full-time
3
Fresh in this list
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01
What payroll specialists earn in the US
Hourly first — that's how the offer arrives
| Experience | Hourly | Annual, full-time |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $22–$28 | $45k–$58k |
| Mid level | $26–$35 | $55k–$72k |
| Senior | $34–$43 | $70k–$90k |
National ranges. City pages adjust for the local market.
02
Open roles across the US
3 shown of 12,395 · sorted by freshness
We are looking for an experienced Payroll/ Human Resources Specialist to join a team in California. This position is ideal for someone who can manage payroll operations with precision, protect confidential employee data,…
Job SummaryThe Payroll Specialist will be detail-oriented and experienced in supporting payroll processing across all U.S. states and Canadian provinces, with responsibility for validating and ensuring the accuracy of pa…
03
What employers ask for
The skills these listings keep naming
Payroll processingADP, Paychex, or WorkdayMulti-state payroll taxWage and hour complianceGarnishments and deductionsBenefits administration basicsExcelDiscretion and confidentialityAccuracy under deadlines
04
Interview questions worth rehearsing
With the thing the interviewer is actually listening for
Walk me through a full payroll cycle you have run.
Cover collecting time data, validating changes, processing, review, and post-run reporting. Emphasize your checks before anything is finalized.
How do you handle a payroll error after employees have been paid?
Show urgency and correctness: quantify the error, follow the legal rules for corrections, communicate honestly with those affected, and fix the root cause.
What experience do you have with multi-state payroll?
Name the states and the wrinkles you managed, such as local taxes, differing overtime rules, or remote-worker registrations.
How do you process garnishments and other involuntary deductions?
Show you know the order of priority, response deadlines, and the documentation trail, and that you treat these with strict confidentiality.
Which payroll systems have you used, and have you been through a conversion?
Name the platforms and your depth in each. Conversion or implementation experience is a strong differentiator worth detailing.
How do you keep payroll data confidential?
Mention access controls, clean-desk habits, and declining to discuss compensation outside proper channels, even under social pressure.
05
Resume tips that move the needle
For payroll specialists specifically — generic advice costs you here
01
State the payroll size you ran: employee count, pay frequencies, and number of states or entities.
02
Quantify accuracy, such as error rates or consecutive on-time pay runs, since that is the core promise of the role.
03
Name your platforms exactly — ADP Workforce Now, Paychex Flex, Workday, Gusto — as job posts filter on them.
04
Include compliance wins, like clean payroll tax filings, resolved agency notices, or year-end W-2 cycles delivered without corrections.
05
List certifications such as FPC or CPP; they carry real weight in payroll hiring.
06
Where this role goes
Typical progression
01
Payroll Clerk
02
Payroll Specialist
03
Senior Payroll Specialist
04
Payroll Manager
08
Payroll Specialist jobs by city
RemoteNew York, NYSan Francisco, CASan Jose, CALos Angeles, CASan Diego, CASacramento, CAFresno, CASeattle, WAPortland, ORDenver, COSalt Lake City, UTLas Vegas, NVPhoenix, AZTucson, AZAlbuquerque, NMBoston, MAPhiladelphia, PAPittsburgh, PAWashington, DCBaltimore, MDRichmond, VAChicago, ILColumbus, OHCleveland, OHCincinnati, OHDetroit, MIIndianapolis, INMilwaukee, WIMinneapolis, MNKansas City, MOSt. Louis, MOOmaha, NEHouston, TXDallas, TXFort Worth, TXAustin, TXSan Antonio, TXOklahoma City, OKAtlanta, GAMiami, FLTampa, FLOrlando, FLJacksonville, FLCharlotte, NCRaleigh, NCNashville, TNMemphis, TNLouisville, KYNew Orleans, LA
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