Bill and Account Collectors
Median $47,030
Occupation · SOC 43-3051
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks: pay and where the jobs are
What payroll and timekeeping clerks earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$58,260 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $59,630
- Median hourly wage
- $28.01
- Mean hourly wage
- $28.67
- Employment
- 153,140
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-3051.
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See where your pay falls among payroll and timekeeping clerks nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do payroll and timekeeping clerks make?
The median annual wage for payroll and timekeeping clerks was $58,260 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,500 and the highest-paid 10% more than $81,350. As an hourly rate, the median is $28.01. About 153,140 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($74,670), California ($65,340) and Washington ($64,560). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for payroll and timekeeping clerks looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,500 | $18.99 | $3,292 | $2,827 |
| 25th percentile | $47,990 | $23.07 | $3,999 | $3,395 |
| Median | $58,260 | $28.01 | $4,855 | $4,083 |
| 75th percentile | $69,600 | $33.46 | $5,800 | $4,816 |
| 90th percentile | $81,350 | $39.11 | $6,779 | $5,505 |
Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$57,186 take-home in national prices
2
$52,732 take-home in national prices
3
$50,800 take-home in national prices
Where a median payroll and timekeeping clerk paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 270 | $74,670 | $49,270 | $98,760 | $57,953 | $52,732 |
| California | 20,590 | $65,340 | $46,120 | $92,080 | $51,830 | $46,811 |
| Washington | 3,560 | $64,560 | $50,220 | $89,290 | $53,158 | $49,675 |
| Colorado | 2,580 | $64,140 | $46,590 | $88,050 | $51,321 | $49,801 |
| Massachusetts | 3,280 | $63,670 | $49,110 | $86,360 | $50,082 | $47,356 |
| New Hampshire | 800 | $63,090 | $42,220 | $87,140 | $52,873 | $50,759 |
| Alaska | 360 | $62,210 | $46,790 | $78,450 | $51,895 | $50,699 |
| Connecticut | 1,540 | $62,200 | $47,120 | $83,950 | $49,176 | $47,462 |
| Hawaii | 700 | $62,070 | $45,140 | $83,810 | $48,829 | $44,410 |
| Illinois | 5,580 | $61,390 | $39,670 | $86,460 | $48,613 | $48,633 |
| Minnesota | 2,790 | $61,320 | $49,270 | $79,370 | $48,534 | $49,213 |
| New York | 8,400 | $61,040 | $45,140 | $86,470 | $48,232 | $44,692 |
| Oregon | 2,890 | $60,980 | $42,430 | $82,080 | $46,762 | $45,241 |
| New Jersey | 4,290 | $60,750 | $42,990 | $84,990 | $48,738 | $44,794 |
| North Dakota | 300 | $60,600 | $46,880 | $77,530 | $50,872 | $57,186 |
| Georgia | 6,720 | $59,990 | $39,590 | $76,790 | $48,137 | $49,990 |
| Maryland | 1,870 | $59,760 | $31,750 | $82,140 | $47,725 | $45,470 |
| Rhode Island | 410 | $59,370 | $38,080 | $82,090 | $47,621 | $46,560 |
| Wisconsin | 2,590 | $59,310 | $42,730 | $76,830 | $47,800 | $50,800 |
| Virginia | 3,400 | $58,250 | $43,890 | $78,800 | $46,449 | $45,941 |
| Nevada | 1,390 | $58,220 | $37,850 | $78,410 | $48,960 | $48,970 |
| Maine | 590 | $57,360 | $43,370 | $79,040 | $45,788 | $47,180 |
| Ohio | 5,820 | $57,270 | $40,310 | $80,650 | $47,065 | $50,731 |
| Kansas | 1,400 | $56,590 | $42,340 | $79,160 | $45,292 | $50,286 |
| Delaware | 320 | $56,430 | $38,680 | $86,620 | $44,841 | $44,927 |
| Utah | 1,590 | $56,430 | $43,400 | $74,530 | $45,480 | $46,002 |
| Michigan | 4,050 | $56,160 | $38,560 | $78,200 | $45,169 | $46,944 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,170 | $55,690 | $39,630 | $76,980 | $45,178 | $46,302 |
| Vermont | 270 | $55,340 | $45,010 | $70,690 | $45,226 | $46,168 |
| Montana | 530 | $55,040 | $37,910 | $78,500 | $44,574 | $47,096 |
| Nebraska | 910 | $54,900 | $43,320 | $74,360 | $44,674 | $49,581 |
| Texas | 13,220 | $54,090 | $36,040 | $75,850 | $45,641 | $47,025 |
| Iowa | 1,230 | $54,080 | $39,410 | $70,990 | $44,230 | $50,398 |
| Missouri | 3,460 | $54,080 | $37,030 | $79,470 | $44,029 | $48,481 |
| Indiana | 4,020 | $53,770 | $38,910 | $77,700 | $43,827 | $46,960 |
| North Carolina | 3,630 | $53,550 | $36,620 | $74,480 | $43,580 | $46,201 |
| New Mexico | 820 | $53,230 | $37,230 | $69,990 | $43,614 | $47,298 |
| Kentucky | 1,670 | $52,890 | $36,600 | $76,590 | $42,944 | $47,631 |
| South Carolina | 1,550 | $52,240 | $38,180 | $77,660 | $43,007 | $45,874 |
| Wyoming | 160 | $51,940 | $38,320 | $74,610 | $43,914 | $47,377 |
| Florida | 10,910 | $51,910 | $35,730 | $76,710 | $43,890 | $42,441 |
| Idaho | 800 | $51,790 | $41,440 | $70,390 | $42,157 | $44,146 |
| Tennessee | 3,680 | $51,780 | $36,270 | $75,160 | $43,785 | $47,660 |
| Louisiana | 2,160 | $50,800 | $29,480 | $71,750 | $41,860 | $47,457 |
| Arizona | 3,540 | $50,210 | $33,870 | $69,980 | $41,662 | $41,382 |
| Oklahoma | 2,470 | $49,920 | $32,410 | $74,190 | $40,590 | $46,207 |
| South Dakota | 370 | $47,680 | $38,780 | $64,350 | $40,491 | $45,708 |
| West Virginia | 580 | $47,460 | $30,990 | $63,390 | $38,977 | $43,551 |
| Alabama | 1,360 | $46,170 | $32,210 | $64,170 | $37,377 | $42,080 |
| Arkansas | 1,220 | $46,110 | $34,270 | $71,280 | $38,011 | $43,722 |
| Mississippi | 1,330 | $45,170 | $30,560 | $66,930 | $37,399 | $43,011 |
| Guam | 60 | $38,550 | $27,590 | $55,060 | — | — |
| Virgin Islands | 40 | $38,100 | $34,610 | $53,890 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 1,040 | $34,200 | $24,290 | $48,580 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-3051. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.