Average Payroll Clerk Salary in Australia for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Payroll Clerk salary for 2024 in Australia and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Payroll Clerk Make in Australia?

A Payroll Clerk working in Australia will typically earn around 62,100 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 26,900 AUD to the highest average salary of 95,000 AUD.

Average Annual Salary
62,100 AUD
Average Monthly Salary
5,175 AUD

Lowest Annual Salary
26,900 AUD
Lowest Monthly Salary
2,241 AUD

Highest Annual Salary
95,000 AUD
Highest Monthly Salary
7,916 AUD

These are average salaries for a Payroll Clerk in Australia and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Payroll Clerk to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Payroll Clerk salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Payroll Clerk Salaries in Australia

So we've looked at the average salaries a Payroll Clerk will earn in Australia. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Payroll Clerk can earn between 26,900 AUD and 95,000 AUD on average in Australia. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Payroll Clerk in Australia is 65,500 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 65,500 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 65,500 AUD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Payroll Clerk salary in Australia, 25% of the population are earning less than 41,000 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 41,000 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 85,100 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 85,100 AUD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Payroll Clerk Salary by Experience Level in Australia

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average payroll clerk salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Payroll Clerk in Australia that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 32,300 AUD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Payroll Clerk salary would increase to 46,200 AUD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Payroll Clerk, the average salary would be 63,800 AUD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 77,300 AUD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Payroll Clerk with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 84,200 AUD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Payroll Clerk with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 91,700 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
32,300 AUD
2-5 Years +38%
46,200 AUD
5-10 Years +42%
63,800 AUD
10-15 Years +22%
77,300 AUD
15-20 Years +6%
84,200 AUD
20+ Years +9%
91,700 AUD

Payroll Clerk Salary by Education Level in Australia

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Payroll Clerk in Australia based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Payroll Clerk in Australia with a high school education can earn an average salary of 39,800 AUD.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Payroll Clerk in Australia with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 59,500 AUD.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Payroll Clerk in Australia with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 87,900 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
39,800 AUD
Certificate or Diploma +51%
59,500 AUD
Bachelor's Degree +50%
87,900 AUD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in Australia is around 37,800 to 114,000 AUD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Payroll Clerk Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Australia, a male payroll clerk will earn an average of 61,700 AUD, while a female payroll clerk will earn around 58,400 AUD.

This means that a male payroll clerk earns approximately 6% more than a female payroll clerk for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Australia

Male
61,700 AUD
Female -6%
58,400 AUD

Payroll Clerk Average Pay Raise in Australia

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Payroll Clerk in Australia is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a Payroll Clerk in Australia can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Australia for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in Australia.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
4%
Energy
8%
Information Technology
3%
Healthcare
7%
Travel
2%
Construction
6%
Education
1%

Payroll Clerk Bonus and Incentive Rates in Australia

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Payroll Clerk is a low bonus based job, with 33% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

67% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus
33%
No Bonus
67%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
92,500 AUD
Private Sector -5%
87,900 AUD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Payroll Clerk

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Payroll Clerk in Australia.

Job Title Category Salary
Account Examiner Accounting and Finance 45,600 AUD
Account Executive Accounting and Finance 87,500 AUD
Accountant Accounting and Finance 66,700 AUD
Accounting Analyst Accounting and Finance 83,000 AUD
Accounting Assistant Accounting and Finance 50,600 AUD
Accounting Associate Accounting and Finance 47,600 AUD
Accounting Clerk Accounting and Finance 41,300 AUD
Accounting Coordinator Accounting and Finance 56,800 AUD
Accounting Head Accounting and Finance 137,100 AUD
Accounting Manager Accounting and Finance 134,700 AUD
Accounting Officer Accounting and Finance 46,200 AUD
Accounting Specialist Accounting and Finance 86,100 AUD
Accounting Supervisor Accounting and Finance 91,600 AUD
Accounting Technician Accounting and Finance 50,000 AUD
Accounting Unit Controller Accounting and Finance 107,300 AUD
Accounts Executive Accounting and Finance 80,900 AUD
Accounts Officer Accounting and Finance 51,800 AUD
Accounts Payable and Receivable Specialist Accounting and Finance 64,900 AUD
Accounts Payable Assistant Accounting and Finance 53,800 AUD
Accounts Payable Associate Accounting and Finance 60,100 AUD
Accounts Payable Clerk Accounting and Finance 47,100 AUD
Accounts Payable Manager Accounting and Finance 130,500 AUD
Accounts Receivable Administrator Accounting and Finance 93,100 AUD
Accounts Receivable Clerk Accounting and Finance 49,300 AUD
Accounts Receivable Financial Analyst Accounting and Finance 92,100 AUD
Accounts Receivable Manager Accounting and Finance 128,400 AUD
Accounts Receivable Team Leader Accounting and Finance 92,100 AUD
Assistant Accountant Accounting and Finance 53,300 AUD
Assistant Accounting Manager Accounting and Finance 124,500 AUD
Assistant Auditor Accounting and Finance 67,800 AUD
Assistant Corporate Controller Accounting and Finance 88,300 AUD
Assistant Finance Manager Accounting and Finance 142,300 AUD
Assistant Financial Controller Accounting and Finance 86,800 AUD
Audit Director Accounting and Finance 152,700 AUD
Audit Supervisor Accounting and Finance 117,100 AUD
Auditing Clerk Accounting and Finance 51,800 AUD
Auditing Manager Accounting and Finance 140,200 AUD
Billing Clerk Accounting and Finance 50,500 AUD
Billing Coordinator Accounting and Finance 58,700 AUD
Billing Specialist Accounting and Finance 70,500 AUD
Billing Supervisor Accounting and Finance 99,600 AUD
Bookkeeper Accounting and Finance 43,500 AUD
Bookkeeping Specialist Accounting and Finance 67,800 AUD
Budget Analyst Accounting and Finance 114,600 AUD
Budget Manager Accounting and Finance 138,700 AUD
Business Support Analyst Accounting and Finance 76,000 AUD
Capital Markets Associate Accounting and Finance 95,100 AUD
Cash Flow Analyst Accounting and Finance 103,600 AUD
Cash Management Manager Accounting and Finance 134,700 AUD
Cash Management Officer Accounting and Finance 79,600 AUD
Cashbook Clerk Accounting and Finance 45,400 AUD
Chartered Accountant Accounting and Finance 79,500 AUD
Chief Accountant Accounting and Finance 100,700 AUD
Collections Clerk Accounting and Finance 44,300 AUD
Collections Representative Accounting and Finance 54,200 AUD
Collections Specialist Accounting and Finance 70,800 AUD
Corporate Controller Accounting and Finance 107,300 AUD
Corporate Treasurer Accounting and Finance 128,400 AUD
Cost Accountant Accounting and Finance 64,900 AUD
Cost Accounting Manager Accounting and Finance 137,100 AUD
Cost Accounting Supervisor Accounting and Finance 102,700 AUD
Cost Analyst Accounting and Finance 99,700 AUD
Credit and Collection Manager Accounting and Finance 132,000 AUD
Credit and Collection Staff Accounting and Finance 51,300 AUD
Credit and Loans Officer Accounting and Finance 46,700 AUD
Credit Controller Accounting and Finance 86,800 AUD
Credit Manager Accounting and Finance 134,700 AUD
Debt Adviser Accounting and Finance 114,600 AUD
Debt Collector Accounting and Finance 54,100 AUD
Debtors Clerk Accounting and Finance 46,000 AUD
Debtors Controller Accounting and Finance 46,200 AUD
Deputy CFO Accounting and Finance 189,800 AUD
Deputy Head of Finance Accounting and Finance 172,200 AUD
Derivative Trader Accounting and Finance 116,400 AUD
Director of Finance Accounting and Finance 204,900 AUD
Economist Accounting and Finance 152,900 AUD
Equity Analyst Accounting and Finance 112,700 AUD
Escrow Assistant Accounting and Finance 59,800 AUD
Executive Accountant Accounting and Finance 74,900 AUD
External Auditor Accounting and Finance 97,400 AUD
Finance Administrator Accounting and Finance 77,300 AUD
Finance Analyst Accounting and Finance 118,900 AUD
Finance Associate Accounting and Finance 57,900 AUD
Finance Director Accounting and Finance 195,200 AUD
Finance Executive Accounting and Finance 148,300 AUD
Finance Licensing Clerk Accounting and Finance 48,600 AUD
Finance Licensing Manager Accounting and Finance 128,200 AUD
Finance Licensing Specialist Accounting and Finance 74,000 AUD
Finance Manager Accounting and Finance 189,800 AUD
Finance Officer Accounting and Finance 62,300 AUD
Finance President Accounting and Finance 193,200 AUD
Finance Relationship Manager Accounting and Finance 152,900 AUD
Finance Release Analyst Accounting and Finance 73,700 AUD
Finance Specialist Accounting and Finance 114,600 AUD
Finance Team Leader Accounting and Finance 140,200 AUD
Financial Accountant Accounting and Finance 61,400 AUD
Financial Actuary Accounting and Finance 100,100 AUD
Financial Administrator Accounting and Finance 107,700 AUD
Financial Advisor Accounting and Finance 123,800 AUD
Financial Analyst Accounting and Finance 123,000 AUD
Financial Applications Specialist Accounting and Finance 78,700 AUD
Financial Assistant Accounting and Finance 51,500 AUD
Financial Associate Accounting and Finance 49,700 AUD
Financial Associate Accounting and Finance 60,100 AUD
Financial Claims Analyst Accounting and Finance 86,300 AUD
Financial Claims Manager Accounting and Finance 114,300 AUD
Financial Claims Supervisor Accounting and Finance 108,200 AUD
Financial Clerk Accounting and Finance 50,000 AUD
Financial Commercial Analyst Accounting and Finance 99,100 AUD
Financial Compliance Analyst Accounting and Finance 105,800 AUD
Financial Consultant Accounting and Finance 85,400 AUD
Financial Controller Accounting and Finance 105,800 AUD
Financial Controller Accounting and Finance 109,700 AUD
Financial Coordinator Accounting and Finance 63,200 AUD
Financial Customer Service Manager Accounting and Finance 119,700 AUD
Financial Dealer and Broker Accounting and Finance 70,600 AUD
Financial Director Accounting and Finance 185,900 AUD
Financial Encoder Accounting and Finance 53,600 AUD
Financial Manager Accounting and Finance 175,200 AUD
Financial Manager Accounting and Finance 191,100 AUD
Financial Operations Manager Accounting and Finance 172,200 AUD
Financial Policy Analyst Accounting and Finance 100,700 AUD
Financial Project Manager Accounting and Finance 140,200 AUD
Financial Quantitative Analyst Accounting and Finance 111,700 AUD
Financial Reporting Consultant Accounting and Finance 92,100 AUD
Financial Reporting Manager Accounting and Finance 123,800 AUD
Financial Section Head Accounting and Finance 125,400 AUD
Financial Services Manager Accounting and Finance 160,600 AUD
Financial Services Sales Agent Accounting and Finance 74,100 AUD
Fixed Assets Administrator Accounting and Finance 69,200 AUD
Forensic Accountant Accounting and Finance 78,500 AUD
Fraud Detection Supervisor Accounting and Finance 80,500 AUD
Fraud Prevention Manager Accounting and Finance 138,700 AUD
Fund Accountant Accounting and Finance 66,900 AUD
Grants Coordinator Accounting and Finance 50,000 AUD
Group Financial Manager Accounting and Finance 184,700 AUD
Internal Auditor Accounting and Finance 83,000 AUD
Internal Control Adviser Accounting and Finance 105,200 AUD
Internal Control Officer Accounting and Finance 58,200 AUD
International Tax Director Accounting and Finance 153,700 AUD
Inventory Accountant Accounting and Finance 68,800 AUD
Investment Advisor Accounting and Finance 184,700 AUD
Investment Analyst Accounting and Finance 123,800 AUD
Investment Associate Accounting and Finance 109,700 AUD
Investment Broker Accounting and Finance 109,000 AUD
Investment Fund Manager Accounting and Finance 148,300 AUD
Investment Operations Manager Accounting and Finance 146,700 AUD
Investment Underwriter Accounting and Finance 57,200 AUD
Investor Accounting and Finance 86,100 AUD
Investor Relations Manager Accounting and Finance 132,000 AUD
KYC Team Leader Accounting and Finance 130,400 AUD
Loan Processor Accounting and Finance 55,600 AUD
Management Accountant Accounting and Finance 73,700 AUD
Management Economist Accounting and Finance 152,700 AUD
Paymaster Accounting and Finance 54,700 AUD
Payroll Administrator Accounting and Finance 90,900 AUD
Payroll Benefits Coordinator Accounting and Finance 70,000 AUD
Payroll Billing Manager Accounting and Finance 117,100 AUD
Payroll Manager Accounting and Finance 114,300 AUD
Payroll Officer Accounting and Finance 56,800 AUD
Payroll Specialist Accounting and Finance 69,800 AUD
Payroll Supervisor Accounting and Finance 83,700 AUD
Pensions Administrator Accounting and Finance 71,700 AUD
Personal Financial Advisor Accounting and Finance 98,300 AUD
Pricing Analyst Accounting and Finance 105,800 AUD
Private Equity Analyst Accounting and Finance 112,700 AUD
Project Accountant Accounting and Finance 71,200 AUD
Proposal Development Coordinator Accounting and Finance 60,500 AUD
Receivables Accountant Accounting and Finance 59,800 AUD
Regulatory Accountant Accounting and Finance 72,700 AUD
Retirement Plan Analyst Accounting and Finance 107,300 AUD
Revenue Management Specialist Accounting and Finance 111,700 AUD
Revenue Recognition Analyst Accounting and Finance 127,700 AUD
Risk Management Director Accounting and Finance 164,100 AUD
Risk Management Supervisor Accounting and Finance 137,100 AUD
Staff Accountant Accounting and Finance 63,100 AUD
Tax Accountant Accounting and Finance 58,800 AUD
Tax Administrator Accounting and Finance 73,800 AUD
Tax Advisor Accounting and Finance 95,600 AUD
Tax Analyst Accounting and Finance 98,000 AUD
Tax Associate Accounting and Finance 56,100 AUD
Tax Consultant Accounting and Finance 105,200 AUD
Tax Director Accounting and Finance 152,900 AUD
Tax Examiner Accounting and Finance 68,300 AUD
Tax Manager Accounting and Finance 127,600 AUD
Tax Research Manager Accounting and Finance 128,400 AUD
Teller Accounting and Finance 37,800 AUD
Treasury Accountant Accounting and Finance 68,400 AUD
Treasury Analyst Accounting and Finance 111,700 AUD
Underwriter Accounting and Finance 46,700 AUD
Underwriting Assistant Accounting and Finance 41,000 AUD
Vice President of Finance Accounting and Finance 183,900 AUD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in Australia, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Adelaide 59,800 AUD
Brisbane 62,300 AUD
Canberra-Queanbeyan 56,100 AUD
Gold Coast-Tweed 57,100 AUD
Gosford 50,600 AUD
Melbourne 63,100 AUD
Newcastle 58,100 AUD
Perth 60,900 AUD
Sunshine Coast 53,600 AUD
Sydney 62,100 AUD
Wollongong 52,300 AUD

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