Payroll Accountant job description

What is a Payroll Accountant?

Payroll accountants are in charge of payroll operations in organizations. They usually report to the Director of Finance. 

What does a Payroll Accountant do?

Payroll accountants prepare employee salary statements and process paychecks. They maintain payroll files and create reports. Payroll accountants ensure all payroll procedures are in line with governmental laws and policies.

Payroll Accountant responsibilities include:

• Calculating net salaries, deductions, and withholdings
• Updating payroll files and general ledger
• Resolving payroll issues (e.g. late payments)

What kind of degree do you need for payroll?

Most payroll accountants have a degree in Finance, Accounting, or similar field. They usually hold a payroll certification as well, such as Certified Payroll Professional. When creating your own payroll accountant job description, make sure to mention these in requirements.

Job brief

We are looking for an experienced payroll accountant to overview daily payroll operations in our company. 

Your primary responsibility will be to issue employee payments, considering deductions and withholdings. You’ll prepare payroll schedules and records and you’ll contribute to various accounting tasks, such as updating payroll files. To succeed in this role, you must have strong mathematical skills and knowledge of national and regional laws on payroll and taxes.

If you meet these criteria and you have a degree in Finance or similar field, we’d like to hear from you.

Responsibilities

• Oversee employee paychecks
• Calculate net salaries considering deductions and withholdings
• Ensure payroll and tax documents are accurate
• Update general ledger and payroll files
• Prepare accounting files, records, and schedules
• Monitor paid and unpaid leaves
• Process overtime earnings or holiday deductions
• Resolve payroll problems (e.g. overlooked bank holidays, late payments, etc.)
• Answer employee questions concerning payroll
• Participate in payroll audits
• Ensure compliance with governmental laws on payroll accounting and taxes

Requirements and skills

• Previous experience as a payroll accountant or in a similar role
• Understanding local and governmental rules about payroll 
• Excellent knowledge of MS Office, especially Excel
• Great computational ability
• Attention to detail
• A valid national certification (e.g. Fundamental Payroll Certification)
• Degree in Accounting, Finance, or relevant field