How Do I Become a Payroll Trainee?

Payroll trainees are individuals who are practicing to become payroll technicians — people who manage employees’ payment and time records. These people must be detail-oriented and strive to be accurate while also having strong communication skills. A person who seeks to become a payroll trainee can complete a year of training beyond high school, during which he or she takes multiple industry classes. He or she then can apply for a training position in a real-world setting and sharpen his or her skills on the job.

If you want to become a payroll trainee, you should consider completing a certificate program in payroll work, which typically lasts one year. Employers might not require that you attend college, but completing post-secondary training increases your chances of succeeding in this field. Schools require that program applicants turn in their high school transcripts and fill out enrollment applications. Institutions additionally ask that you provide them with your standardized exam results as well as your high school diploma or the equivalent certification.

Courses on finance and law give you the foundation that you need to thrive in this career area. For instance, you will learn about business math and payroll/accounting procedures, which will help you to understand how to use industry systems to calculate employees’ paycheck totals. You have to study topics such as benefits policies, taxes, and workers’ compensation standards, as your work will require expertise in these areas when you become a payroll trainee. Classes cover different payroll laws so that you understand how to manage personnel payments according to established legislation.

You must apply for a training opportunity in this field after completing your coursework. To become a payroll trainee, a company might ask you to submit your resume detailing any related experience that you have in the field along with your educational attainments. The hiring manager likely will require you to also participate in an interview in which you explain why you wish to become a payroll trainee and how you can benefit the organization.

Honing your industry skills prepares you to seek long-term employment. When you become a payroll trainee, you should practice processing a wide range of payroll transactions, tracking employee time, and keeping employee information confidential. Your organization also will require you to find solutions to paycheck errors as well as apply industry regulations to your work on a daily basis. The company then might be willing to hire you permanently or suggest another company that can accept you as an employee in this field.