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Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in Rhode Island

Considering working as a Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks in Rhode Island? Here’s what the data says. 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. Excludes “Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks” (43-3031).

What do Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Make in Rhode Island?

The payroll and timekeeping clerks working in Rhode Island, the typical annual salary is $59,500 per year (or roughly $28.61/hour).Annual wages span from $40,230 at the 10th percentile to $79,760 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$40,230	$19.34
25th percentile	$49,900	$23.99
Median (50th)	$59,500	$28.61
75th percentile	$67,400	$32.40
90th percentile	$79,760	$38.35

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in Rhode Island compared to the national average — is 0.57, suggesting fewer payroll and timekeeping clerks per worker than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, payroll and timekeeping clerks earn a median of $62,520 per year ($30.06/hour), below the Rhode Island median.

Employment Outlook

There are roughly 229,022 payroll and timekeeping clerks in the U.S.. In Rhode Island alone, about 290 people work in this role. That’s fewer than the typical state, which employs around 1,700 payroll and timekeeping clerks.

Top Rhode Island Metros for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

The metro areas below employ the most payroll and timekeeping clerks in Rhode Island.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Providence-Warwick, RI-MA	490	$58,030

Top States for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks Employment

These states have the highest employment of payroll and timekeeping clerks work.

State	Number Employed
California	23,180
Texas	14,130
Florida	10,060
New York	9,040
Illinois	6,060
Ohio	5,690
Pennsylvania	5,630
Georgia	4,740
New Jersey	4,350
Indiana	4,120
Michigan	3,920
Washington	3,880
Arizona	3,670
North Carolina	3,620
Massachusetts	3,470
Tennessee	3,240
Missouri	3,190
Wisconsin	2,910
Virginia	2,850
Oklahoma	2,840

Highest-Paying States for Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Where payroll and timekeeping clerks earn the most: payroll and timekeeping clerks.

State	Annual Median Salary
District of Columbia	$69,210
Washington	$62,310
California	$61,670
Minnesota	$60,780
Connecticut	$60,720
New Hampshire	$60,670
New York	$60,600
Massachusetts	$60,260
Illinois	$60,060
New Jersey	$59,920

Skills

Key payroll and timekeeping clerks skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Key knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for payroll and timekeeping clerks, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Common tasks include:

• Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
• Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
• Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
• Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
• Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
• Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
• Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
• 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 track of leave time, such as vacation, personal, and sick leave, for employees.
• Compile employee time, production, and payroll data from time sheets and other records.
• Keep informed about changes in tax and deduction laws that apply to the payroll process.

Work Activities

• Working with Computers
• Processing Information
• Getting Information
• Performing Administrative Activities
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Tools & Technology

Technologies frequently used: Hot technologies: Intuit QuickBooks, Kronos Workforce Timekeeper In-demand technologies: Accounting software, ADP Workforce Now

Related Careers

Related occupations to payroll and timekeeping clerks include:

• Financial Managers
• Treasurers and Controllers
• Compensation and Benefits Managers
• Human Resources Specialists
• Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists
• Accountants and Auditors

Also Known As

Accounting Assistant, Attendance Clerk, Bonus Clerk, Checkman, Commissions Clerk, Finance Specialist, Flight Crew Scheduler, Flight Crew Time Clerk, HR and Payroll Admin (Human Resources and Payroll Administrator), Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant), Human Resources Coordinator (HR Coordinator), Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist), Payroll Administrator (Payroll Admin), Payroll Analyst, Payroll Assistant.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-3051.00