NextChapter

Entry-level payroll specialist jobs: what the job is, skills and open roles

A payroll specialist makes sure employees are paid correctly and on time: hours, deductions, taxes and corrections. Right now 571 entry-level payroll specialist jobs are open on employers’ own career sites.

What a payroll specialist does

In the finance and accounting family of jobs. Roles that keep the books, check the numbers and pay the bills.

A typical day

  1. 1. Collect and check timesheets
  2. 2. Run payroll in the system
  3. 3. Handle deductions and tax forms
  4. 4. Answer pay questions
  5. 5. Prepare payroll reports

Do you need experience?

2 of the 571 open entry-level payroll specialist jobs say in their own text that no experience is required. 1 say they provide training. The figures are counted from the posting text and change as jobs open and close.

Open entry-level payroll specialist jobs

Taken from employers’ own career sites and checked to still be open within the last week.

Showing the newest 15 of about 571 verified open jobs here. Search all jobs

Search all payroll specialist jobs

Skills for payroll specialist jobs

The skills this job uses, most important first. Most can be learned or shown before the first day.

Skills to build or show

  1. 1. Payroll software (ADP, Paycom or similar)
  2. 2. Attention to detail
  3. 3. Confidentiality
  4. 4. Excel
  5. 5. Wage and hour rules basics

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The market for payroll specialist work

Every figure names its source.

Open entry-level payroll specialist jobs
571

Source: NextChapter, checked against employer career sites, last 7 days.

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Openings that say no experience is required
2

Source: The posting’s own text, counted by NextChapter.

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Openings that say they provide training
1

Source: The posting’s own text, counted by NextChapter.

Median pay in listings that state it
$66,000

Source: NextChapter verified openings (122 with pay).

See the detail →
Employment outlook, the closest government category
Projected to shrink 16% from 2025 to 2035.

Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035.

AI use at work, the closest government category
AI use among payroll and timekeeping clerks is little observed so far.

Source: Anthropic Economic Index.

Across 122 open entry-level payroll specialist listings that state an annual pay figure, the middle half run from $55,000 to $76,500, with a median of $66,000. Listings that state pay are not every listing, and some roles add commission or bonus on top.

Outlook and AI-use figures are for the government category “Payroll and timekeeping clerks”, the closest match to this job.

Where entry-level payroll specialist jobs are

Between jobs? Unemployment benefits and severance rules in these states, or in every state.

Employers hiring payroll specialists now

  • Creative Financial Staffing 22
  • Robert Half 20
  • ADP - Automatic Data Processing 7
  • MediaNews Group 7
  • ADP 6
  • LHH 6
  • Quanta Services 4
  • The Pivot Group 4
  • Asure Software 3
  • Confidential 3

More jobs like payroll specialist

Roles that use the same skills, and where this job commonly leads.

Where it can lead

Similar entry-level jobs

All entry-level finance and accounting jobs · Payroll Specialist jobs at every level

Questions about payroll specialist jobs

What does a payroll specialist do?
A payroll specialist makes sure employees are paid correctly and on time: hours, deductions, taxes and corrections. A typical day includes: collect and check timesheets; run payroll in the system; handle deductions and tax forms; answer pay questions; prepare payroll reports.
Can I get an entry-level payroll specialist job with no experience?
2 of the 571 open entry-level payroll specialist jobs say in their own text that no experience is required. 1 say they provide training. The figures are counted from the posting text and change as jobs open and close.
What skills do you need to be a payroll specialist?
The skills this job uses most are payroll software (adp, paycom or similar), attention to detail, confidentiality, excel, wage and hour rules basics. Most can be learned before the first day through coursework, short courses, practice or a related job.
How much does an entry-level payroll specialist make?
Across 122 open entry-level payroll specialist listings that state an annual pay figure, the middle half run from $55,000 to $76,500, with a median of $66,000. Listings that state pay are not every listing, and some roles add commission or bonus on top.
Where can a payroll specialist job lead?
People in this job commonly move to HR coordinator, staff accountant, benefits coordinator, HR generalist. The link between jobs is the shared skills; the path is not guaranteed and depends on the employer.

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