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Boston Career Explorer

Office and Administrative Support

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

Compile and record employee time and payroll data. May compute employees' time worked, production, and commission. May compute and post wages and deductions, or prepare paychecks.

Also called: Payroll Assistant, Payroll Clerk, Payroll Coordinator, Payroll Representative, Payroll Specialist, Payroll Technician

Median pay in Greater Boston
$66,930
$32.18/hr
Jobs in Greater Boston
2,500
Massachusetts 2024–2034
−16.9%
280 openings a year
Typical U.S. entry requirement
High school diploma or equivalent
plus Moderate-term on-the-job training

Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.

Pay range in Greater Boston

Yearly pay in Greater Boston by percentile
10th25thMedian75th90th
$50,510$56,990$66,930$79,440$89,450

10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.

What you’d do

  • Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
  • Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
  • Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
  • Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
  • Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
  • Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.

AI and this job

AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.

Higher exposure80 of 100

The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:

  • AIOE 83
  • Language-model AIOE 80
  • GPTs-are-GPTs 78

Observed AI use today: Some (Anthropic Economic Index)

AI exposure for this job is higher, though observed AI use is so far only some. Computing wages, entering data, and preparing reports are tasks that AI tools and payroll software can help with. Federal projections say more payroll work will be automated, and Massachusetts jobs are projected to shrink 16.9% from 2024 to 2034. Tasks that involve confirming details with employees and balancing records against bank statements still need people.

Likely to change

  • Computing wages and deductions
  • Entering employee data into payroll systems

Still relies on people

  • Verifying hours and pay adjustments with people
  • Reconciling payroll to bank statements

What federal projections say

“Productivity change - share decreases as more payroll and timekeeping work is automated, reducing the need for these workers.”
BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, factors affecting this job (U.S.)

Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.

Next steps from here

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Training near Boston

College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).

4 programs near Boston

Related occupations

Talk to a career coach

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