Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks
SOC 43-3051 · 2024-2034
Compile and record employee time and payroll data. May compute employees' time worked, production, and commission. May compute and post wages and deductions, or prepare paychecks.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
Shrinking -13.8%
California projects this job will shrink over the next ten years. Fewer openings may mean a harder search.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $66,886per year
- Projected openings
- 17,950
- Projected change
- -13.8%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Mathematics
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Writing
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $83,962 | 1,060 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $81,876 | 740 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $78,355 | 980 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $74,960 | 110 |
| Napa MSA (Napa County) | $68,698 | 120 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $66,093 | 120 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $64,745 | 1,400 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $64,449 | 130 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $64,449 | 1,750 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $64,030 | 70 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $63,744 | 200 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville MSA (Santa Cruz County) | $63,529 | 120 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $61,864 | 90 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $61,374 | 1,450 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $60,859 | 5,200 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $60,577 | 90 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $60,434 | 1,910 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $59,780 | 230 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $59,760 | 60 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $59,739 | 60 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $59,443 | 320 |
| North Coast Region (Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino Counties) | $58,963 | 110 |
| Chico MSA (Butte County) | $58,922 | 70 |
| Merced MSA (Merced County) | $57,645 | 110 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $57,645 | 290 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $57,645 | 300 |
| El Centro MSA (Imperial County) | $57,145 | 100 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $56,440 | 640 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $54,254 | 500 |
| Visalia MSA (Tulare County) | $54,203 | 300 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $47,211
- A quarter earn under
- $57,561
- Half earn under
- $66,886
- Three quarters earn under
- $80,736
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $94,259
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping | $58,953 | 11,530 | -3.5% |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | $60,632 | 178,570 | -4.1% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | $79,426 | 146,890 | +1.9% |
| Billing and Posting Clerks | $57,591 | 44,130 | +4.8% |
| Office Clerks, General | $49,607 | 356,700 | -4.5% |
| Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs | $65,023 | 28,150 | +5.4% |
Programs that train for this job — 24
Accounting Clerk/Bookkeeper Certificate
Shasta College · Redding · $2,657
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Shasta College Accounting Clerk Apprenticeship
Shasta College · Redding · $0
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Bookkeeping Plus
West Los Angeles College · Culver City · $323
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Bookkeeping Plus QuickBooks Series
West Los Angeles College · Culver City · $623
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Accounting - Bookkeeping Certificate of Achievement
Cabrillo College · Aptos · $1,991
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Accounting - Accounting Certificate of Achievement
Cabrillo College · Aptos · $3,171
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Intuit QuickBooks
Antelope Valley Adult School · Lancaster · $300
- Working 6 months later
- 50%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $17,500
Certified Bookkeeper (Exam Cost Included) - Ed2Go
Los Medanos College · Pittsburg · $2,375
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Fundamentals Payroll Certification (FPC) and Certified Payroll Certificate
University of La Verne · La Verne · $2,799
- Working 6 months later
- 38%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $14,000
Bookkeeper
Martinez Adult Education · Martinez · $1,525
- Working 6 months later
- 82%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $11,322
Accounting Specialist Certificate
Liberty Adult Education · Brentwood · $3,025
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Business- Accounting Certificate of Achievement
Mendocino College · Ukiah · $1,438
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Accounting & Finance
Sillers Institute · Palm Desert · $8,000
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Accounting Clerk
Ventura Adult and Continuing Education · Ventura · $5,028
- Working 6 months later
- 100%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $11,120
Outcomes cover more than this program The provider filed these figures against more than the program named — several of its programs, or the whole institution. They are shown because they are real, and nothing here ranks or rates them, because they do not describe this program.
Accounting: All in One & Payroll Certification
Amfasoft · Fremont · $10,500
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Certified Bookkeeper
Amfasoft · Fremont · $6,003
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Computerized Accounting
Softtech · Richmond · $10,000
- Working 6 months later
- 60%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $5,710
Financial Records Processing
Premiere Career College · Irwindale · $5,500
- Working 6 months later
- 63%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $9,600
Certified Bookkeeper (Exam Cost Included)
SDSU Global Campus · San Diego · $2,583
- Working 6 months later
- 93%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $13,475
Professional Bookkeeping with QuickBooks Online with Payroll Practice and Management (Voucher Included)
SDSU Global Campus · San Diego · $4,359
- Working 6 months later
- 89%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $13,000
Quick Books and MS Office
AAA Institute · Van Nuys · $6,499
- Working 6 months later
- 84%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $10,000
Accounting (AS Degree)
Butte College · Oroville · $5,742
- Working 6 months later
- 74%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- $10,905
Office Specialist
Mission Career College · Riverside · $8,000
- Working 6 months later
- Not reported
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported
Accounting Principles and QuickBooks
Corona-Norco Adult School · Corona · $160
- Working 6 months later
- 35%
- Earnings in one quarter after
- Not reported