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The Payroll Professional
By Kathy A. Johnson
kathy.johnson@hqpublications.com
Business Programs Columnist
Payroll professionals can be found in every industry, but automation and outsourcing are changing the scope of their duties.
"Payroll and timekeeping clerks perform a vital function: ensuring that employees are paid on time and that their paychecks are accurate," according to the 2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook from the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Payroll clerks collect timecard information and screen it for errors and compute pay by subtracting various withholding amounts for taxes, contributions to retirement plans, insurance, and so on. They must stay abreast of tax laws, the range of employee benefits (insurance and retirement plans, for instance), and many other related pieces of information. They can be found in nearly every industry or they may work for a payroll service company.
Changing Duties
Many companies use payroll software, reducing the data entry aspect of the job. This frees payroll clerks for more complex tasks such as analyzing trends in the data collected or answering payroll questions from other employees.
While no special degree is required at entry level, the American Payroll Association has designed a program of professional learning to sharpen payroll professionals' skills, and to help them prepare for the American Payroll Associations Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or the Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) examinations.
According to their Web site, this program includes a review of "fundamental payroll calculations and applications," federal payroll law and "regulatory compliance," and more advanced work for those wanting to become supervisors or managers.
Certification Important
As automation and outsourcing shrink the number of jobs in payroll, "Those with payroll certifications indicating that they can handle more complex payroll issues will have an advantage in the job market," according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. And as long as employees receive checks, they will need payroll professionals.
About the Author:
Kathy A. Johnson is a freelance writer and editor based in Florida. She has worked as a writer and editor for several publications, writing articles on a wide variety of topics. She and her husband owned and operated an insurance and financial services company for 13 years.
Sources
- http://www.americanpayroll.org
- http://www.bls.gov/oco
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