Payroll Specialist Resume

Reviewed By Eva Chan

To land the payroll specialist job you want, you’ll need a standout resume. Here’s a free payroll specialist resume example, followed by HR-approved writing tips to help you get hired faster.

November 13, 2024

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A payroll specialist resume example with a black header, a summary, as well as professional experience, education and additional skills sections

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Payroll Specialist Resume Template

Use the template below to help format your resume and make your qualifications and skills clear to employers.

[Your Name]

[Your Address], [City, State]

[Your Email Address] | [Your Phone Number]

[LinkedIn Profile] (optional)

Professional Summary

Analytical payroll specialist with 4+ years of experience performing high-volume payroll processing duties, coordinating/auditing payroll functions, and supervising staff. Comfortable preparing and delivering coaching materials by analyzing the organization’s training needs and clarifying goals. Seeking an opportunity to build team chemistry while using problem-solving approaches to refine payroll procedures at [Company Name].

Skills

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP), American Payroll Association
Computer skills: Oracle PeopleSoft, ADP Payroll

Professional Experience

Global Payments Inc.

Payroll Specialist | Atlanta, GA | May 20XX – Present

Coordinate with payroll department of 10 employees, executing and standardizing operations complying with state/federal tax procedures
Collaborate with the HR department to upgrade payroll, time, and attendance software, ensuring the transition of 440+ salary non-exempt employees to exempt status
Create consistency in procedures involving payroll systems by creating detailed training materials
Inspect payroll errors and prevent repeated mistakes by making adjustments to upcoming pay periods

Bosselman Enterprises

Payroll Specialist | Grand Island, NE | August 20XX – April 20XX

Organized training sessions for 20+ employees on company processes and payroll policies, teaching techniques for conducting payroll reconciliations
Researched, gathered, and accurately input data into the company’s payroll and administrative systems
Developed and submitted 4 annual payroll reports to senior management for further review and analysis
Collected staff members’ data to administer payroll procedures for 3K employees located in multiple locations

Education

Resume Genius University | BS in Accounting

Graduation Date: May 20XX

Average payroll specialist salaries in the US

The following table includes information from O*NET Resource Center by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. The data is presented based on the top states in the United States.

Average payroll specialist annual salaries by state

State	Salary / Year
Texas	$49,680
California	$60,170
New York	$58,690
Florida	$49,060
Pennsylvania	$50,240
Illinois	$60,740
Ohio	$50,060
Georgia	$52,960
North Carolina	$49,150
Michigan	$47,160
National Average	$51,626

How to write a payroll specialist resume

Businesses need payroll specialists to manage all aspects of payroll, including employee salaries and tax information.

Because understanding a company’s finances and accurately paying each employee’s salary is essential for all businesses, hiring managers carefully search for the best candidates to fill their payroll specialist openings.

To get a payroll specialist job, you need to submit a resume that showcases your experience and ability to perform high-volume payroll processing duties in a fast-paced environment.

Here are three tips for writing an impressive payroll specialist resume:

1. Highlight your payroll specialist skills

Payroll specialists manage a company’s budget, document the attendance of hourly employees, prepare tax documents, distribute payments, and ensure compliance with tax laws. These are examples of hard skills (abilities you learned through training), and they show how you’ve achieved results in a payroll specialist role. For example, include mathematical skills on your resume to show your proficiency in processing complex payroll data.

You can also mention your expertise in using spreadsheet programs like Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets to prepare payroll and record your organization’s budget. Here are other essential technical skills to highlight on your payroll specialist resume:

Accounting software: QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Sage 50 Accounting
Tax preparation software: Turbo Tax, Intuit ProSeries Professional
Project management software: Trello, Asana, Basecamp
Payroll software: ADP, Paychex, Gusto
Understanding of compliance
Data analysis skills
Understanding of wage garnishments and benefits distribution

Your payroll specialist resume should also showcase your soft skills that help you relate with others and manage your tasks in the workplace. For instance, because handling payroll is a high-pressure job, your ability to stay calm is crucial to avoiding calculation errors while meeting performance standards.

These are other essential soft skills to include on your resume:

Organizational skills
Problem-solving skills
Time management skills
Communication skills
Customer service skills
Attention to detail
Administration skills
Teamwork

2. Open with a job-relevant payroll specialist resume summary

What should you do when an angry employee comes to you for an explanation about why they haven’t received their pay for the month? Rather than listing problems, you provide facts and solutions.

Likewise, when writing your payroll specialist resume, you should create a resume summary using facts from your background to convince hiring managers you’re the solution to their payroll needs.

A resume summary is a short paragraph (usually 2–4 sentences) at the top of your resume that highlights your professional experience and your most relevant hard and soft skills. If this section of your resume features job-specific information, employers will be more likely to read your entire application.

Before writing your resume summary, read and understand the job description so you can focus on areas that fit what the hiring manager is looking for.

For instance, if your target company is looking for someone to handle coaching materials and manage training exercises, list any experience you have in that area. This is an example from a payroll specialist’s resume summary that emphasizes training expertise:

An example of a payroll specialist resume summary with bolded keywords showing the applicant — Write your payroll specialist resume summary based on the job description.

3. Include payroll specialist-related keywords on your resume

Hiring managers often use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to scan resumes and sort candidates based on keywords from the job description. So, include payroll specialist keywords from the job ad on your resume to get your application past the ATS and into the hiring manager’s inbox.

Use these resume keywords naturally in all your resume sections. In addition to helping your resume get through an ATS, job-relevant keywords show you’re qualified for the payroll specialist job you’re targeting.

These are relevant payroll specialist keywords to put on your resume to impress employers and move forward in the recruiting process:

Recruiting
Payroll processing
Human resources (HR)
Employee relations
HR consulting
Salary
Payroll services

Additional resources

Are you applying for your first job as a payroll specialist? Take a look at this video by TikToker and payroll specialist Marisol Caves to find out more about what the job is like:

@marisolcaves Thursdays at the office💖 I will add links to the keyboard and cloud☁️ and i will buy an ice scooper🤭 #officelife #keyboardasmr #asmr #workvlog #workwithme #8to5worklife ♬ original sound – cutepunkin

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