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Payroll Officer

Payroll officers calculate and arrange payment of staff salaries and wages.

Tasks & duties

Payroll officers may do some or all of the following:

check hours worked by staff and any leave taken
use a computer to calculate pay, tax deductions, and any other deductions such as student loan and superannuation payments
forward information to the Inland Revenue Department, Work and Income and Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC)
arrange for staff to be paid
print payslips
record changes to employees' details, such as address or tax code changes
maintain computer records of all transactions
keep records of overtime and leave taken
be responsible for maintaining an employee's personnel file
produce payroll statistics and a variety of reports, such as journals for accounting staff
respond to internal and external enquiries
be responsible for relevant legislation compliance
perform other administrative, finance or human resources-related duties

Skills & knowledge

Payroll officers need to have:

knowledge of basic accounting and various payment systems and scales
knowledge of the tax system
record-keeping skills
analytical skills
computer skills
good communication skills

Knowledge of employment legislation is also useful.

Entry requirements

There are no specific entry requirements to become a payroll officer, and skills are gained on the job.

Secondary education

Having Sixth Form Certificate or an NCEA equivalent in English, maths, accounting or computer studies is preferred.

Training on the job

The New Zealand Payroll Practitioners Association (NZPPA) was established in 2007 to support the development of all payroll professionals in the country. The NZPPA provides training on a range of payroll topics, ecouraging people to develop their skills and qualifications on the job.