Also called: Payroll Director
Makes sure everyone in a company gets paid correctly and on time, and that taxes are withheld properly.
You approve payroll for 3,000 employees, fix an error that shorted a worker's overtime and update the system for a new state tax law.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 8 years after high school. Bachelor's in accounting or business; Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Accounting, Business Administration.
Growing faster than average (about 5% over 10 years). Tracks compensation and benefits managers.
Medium risk for 10 years. Payroll software automates most calculations; fixing errors, new tax rules and compliance stay human.
Classes: Accounting, Spreadsheets or computer applications, Business elective.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-3111.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.