Payroll Officer
What the work is
Collects, organises and enters information into payroll systems to calculate pay and deductions of employees.
Would you enjoy the work?
These are the main tasks in the official description. Mark how each one sounds to you.
- Creates and maintains employee records
- Processes payments to employees, including pay adjustments
- Prepares separation certificates or transfers
- Interprets and applies legislation, awards and enterprise agreements
- Maintains records relating to leave taken, overtime, promotions, transfers and other variations to wages or salaries and employment arrangements
Try it
A simulation and a case study from this kind of work, set in the payroll office of a regional food manufacturer with day, afternoon and night shifts. They are fictional.
The kind of days you could have
Good days
- Pay day comes and nobody has a single query
- You find an underpayment, fix it and the worker is paid what they are owed
- A new starter says their first payslip was easy to understand
Hard days
- A pay run is due and a manager sends changes at the last minute
- Someone is short on pay and they are furious with you
- Rules for overtime and leave that change from one agreement to another
Written by Career Calling as a general guide. Real roles vary by employer and place.
Work a mission
Step into a simulated workplace in this field, with a brief from your manager.
Description and tasks: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Occupation Standard Classification for Australia, 2024, Version 1.0 (opens another site), occupation 541331, used under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. The skill guide above is our plain English summary.