To become a payroll specialist, one needs education, certification, and experience. A post-secondary education in accounting or payroll is required, along with certification from the American Payroll Association. Two years of experience in payroll or human resources is also necessary. The role involves payroll processing and accounting, and there are many job opportunities available.
There are three steps to becoming a payroll specialist: education, certification, and experience. All three are required to get a job as a payroll specialist. A payroll specialist is responsible for all aspects of a company’s payroll. Their tasks include keeping records, calculating salary, deductions and remittances.
To become a payroll specialist, you will need to complete a post-secondary education in accounting or payroll. Community and career colleges often offer a degree in payroll or payroll accounting. These programs last two to three years. They often include a co-op or job placement term to allow students to gain important work experience.
The first year of the payroll diploma covers basic accounting, payroll calculations and remittances. In the second year, human resources courses on hiring practices, termination requirements, and record keeping rules are discussed. Additional courses are offered on different computer systems, data management and filing rules.
Certification as a Payroll Specialist is available from the American Payroll Association. This association is responsible for evaluating post-secondary education, creating certification courses, and managing exams. Exams are offered four times a year and are usually held in a large hall or auditorium.
To become a specialist, you need at least two years of experience working in a payroll or human resources department. In these roles, you learn about standard business practices, how to work with a wide variety of people and customers. Additional skills include year-end reporting, reconciliation and transaction audit trail.
The responsibility of this position can be divided into two areas, payroll processing and accounting. Almost all payroll processing is now done by computer software. The role of the payroll specialist is focused on ensuring that the system has the right rules, adjustments, and exceptions to calculate payroll correctly. They must become experts on the computer system and be able to train others as needed.
Accounting responsibility is focused on reconciliation, cost accounting and shipments. Reconciliation is the process of comparing two sets of data to ensure transactions are posted correctly. Cost accounting is the allocation of expenses to a specific account based on activity. Remittance is the calculation and payment of amounts owed to external agencies, such as the Internal Revenue Service or the company’s pension plan.
There are many job opportunities when you become a payroll specialist. Additional qualifications in business or management can further expand your career to include departmental management. Invest the time to figure out what you want to do so your career can grow to meet your needs.
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