13102 Payroll administrators

What this occupation covers

Payroll administrators collect, verify and process payroll information, determine pay and benefit entitlements for employees, maintain accurate payroll records, and provide payroll information within a department, company or other establishment. They are employed by payroll administration companies and by establishments throughout the public and private sectors.

Official main duties

The NOC profile lists 10 main duties for this code.

• Maintain and update employee information, such as records of employee attendance, leave and overtime to calculate pay and benefit entitlements, in Canadian and other currencies, using manual or computerized systems
• Prepare and verify statements of earnings for employees, indicating gross and net salaries and deductions such as taxes, union dues, garnishments and insurance and pension plans
• Prepare, verify and process all employee payroll related payments, including regular pay, benefit payments, and special payments such as bonuses and vacation pay
• Complete, verify and process forms and documentation for administration of benefits such as pension plans, leaves, share savings, employment and medical insurance
• Prepare payroll related filings and supporting documentation, such as year-end tax statements, pension, Records of Employment and other statements
• Provide information on payroll matters, benefit plans and collective agreement provisions
• Compile, review, and monitor statistical reports, statements, and summaries related to pay and benefits accounts
• Prepare and balance period-end reports and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements
• Identify and resolve payroll discrepancies
• May be responsible for the development and/or implementation of payroll policies, procedures or processes

Do not copy these lines into your reference letter. The letter has to describe what you actually did, in your employer’s words. DUTYPROOF flags wording lifted from the NOC as something to review, and an officer reading a letter that mirrors the NOC reads it the same way.

What DUTYPROOF screens for

This is DUTYPROOF’s screening threshold, not IRCC’s decision. For this NOC, screening requires at least 2 of its 10 official duties to be evidenced in your own words, plus the required letter elements. IRCC asks that you performed the actions in the occupation’s lead statement and a substantial number of its main duties — so treat the duty coverage as the number that matters, not the badge.

Codes this one is confused with

The NOC profile names these itself. Choosing the wrong code of a look-alike pair is the most common way genuine work experience fails to establish eligibility.

• 12104 Employment insurance and revenue officers
• 12101 Human resources and recruitment officers
• 12011 Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers
• 14102 Personnel clerks

Excluded from this code

• Benefits officer - government services (See 12104 Employment insurance and revenue officers)
• Human resources and recruitment officers (See 12101 Human resources and recruitment officers)
• Payroll clerk supervisor (See 12011 Supervisors, finance and insurance office workers)
• Personnel clerks (See 14102 Personnel clerks)

Job titles filed under this code

A title on this list does not by itself put your experience in this code — the duties in your letter decide that.

account records clerk - payroll · assistant paymaster · benefits and pension plan officer · benefits officer - payroll administration · pay accounts clerk · pay advisor · pay and benefits administrator · pay and benefits clerk · pay clerk · pay verifier · payroll administrator · payroll clerk · payroll machine operator · payroll officer · payroll technician · salary administration officer · superannuation clerk - government · timekeeper - payroll

Employment requirements

• Completion of secondary school is usually required.
• Completion of college or other courses in accounting, bookkeeping or payroll administration or Experience in payroll administration is usually required.
• Payroll association certification may be required.
• Experience using a payroll system or software may be required.