What Does a Payroll Clerk Do?

Answer:
A payroll clerk is an employee who works in the payroll department,

dealing with payments made to employees. Payroll clerks used to perform all the calculations as to what specific employees were to get paid manually, but payroll software has made this task much more manageable and less work-intensive. Payroll clerks process the regular salary or wages of the employees as well as any bonuses or commissions that may be applicable.

In addition to payments, a payroll clerk may be responsible for recording any time off that an employee has taken, or how many vacation or sick days the employee has accured towards those amounts allowed. If taxes, union dues, or other withholdings are taken out of an employee's paycheck, a payroll clerk usually monitors and forwards those amounts also. It is helpful if a payroll clerk has a background in accounting and payroll software.