Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Timesheet Clerk

🎯 Role Definition

The Timesheet Clerk serves as a cornerstone of the payroll and accounting functions, holding the primary responsibility for the collection, verification, and processing of employee time and attendance data. This role is crucial for ensuring that employees are compensated accurately and on time, while also maintaining the organization's compliance with federal, state, and local wage and hour laws. A successful Timesheet Clerk is a detail-oriented and trustworthy professional who acts as a reliable point of contact for employees and managers regarding timekeeping matters. They are instrumental in maintaining data integrity, generating critical labor reports, and supporting the seamless operation of the payroll cycle.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Data Entry Clerk
Administrative Assistant
Accounting Assistant

Advancement To:

Payroll Specialist / Coordinator
Senior Payroll Administrator
Human Resources Generalist

Lateral Moves:

Accounts Payable / Receivable Clerk
Human Resources Assistant
Accounting Clerk

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Diligently collect, review, and verify all employee timesheets on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, ensuring they are complete, accurate, and properly approved by management.
Meticulously enter and validate employee time and attendance data into the designated payroll and timekeeping systems, ensuring every entry is accurate and properly coded.
Proactively investigate and resolve complex timesheet discrepancies by communicating effectively with employees and their supervisors to clarify hours worked, leave taken, and overtime.
Serve as the first point of contact for all employee inquiries regarding their hours, paid time off (PTO) balances, and timesheet submission procedures, providing clear and courteous support.
Rigorously ensure all timekeeping practices and payroll calculations adhere to company policies and are in strict compliance with federal, state, and local labor laws, including FLSA regulations.
Systematically maintain and update accurate, confidential records of employee attendance, including vacation days, sick leave, personal time, and other forms of paid or unpaid leave.
Generate, compile, and distribute a variety of standard and custom time and attendance reports to management, HR, and accounting departments for analysis and decision-making.
Perform detailed reconciliation of timesheet data against payroll system outputs prior to final processing to catch and correct any potential errors.
Process necessary payroll adjustments resulting from missed punches, retroactive pay changes, shift differentials, and other corrections to ensure payment accuracy.
Carefully monitor, track, and manage employee paid time off (PTO), sick leave, and other benefit time accruals in accordance with established company policies.
Collaborate closely with the Human Resources and Payroll departments to address and resolve any complex timekeeping issues, policy questions, or employee concerns.
Ensure the proper allocation and coding of employee hours to specific projects, departments, or cost centers as required for accurate job costing and financial reporting.
Conduct regular audits of timekeeping records to identify patterns of inconsistency, potential for time fraud, or non-compliance with attendance policies.
Prepare and organize all necessary timekeeping documentation and reports to support internal and external audits, including financial, compliance, and workers' compensation audits.
Actively participate in training new employees and managers on the correct procedures for using the company's timekeeping system and adhering to time-entry policies.
Uphold the highest standard of confidentiality and discretion when handling sensitive payroll data, employee records, and other personal information.
Stay current with changes and updates in federal, state, and local wage and hour regulations to ensure the organization's ongoing compliance.
Support the payroll team with various aspects of the payroll processing cycle, including data verification, pre-check reporting, and post-payroll tasks.
Meticulously process and track employee leave of absence requests, such as FMLA, short-term disability, and personal leave, ensuring system data is accurate.
Administer and enforce the company's attendance policies consistently and fairly across all departments, documenting and reporting any significant issues to HR and management.
Reconcile and process timesheets for temporary or contract employees, ensuring accurate invoicing and payment in coordination with staffing agencies or accounts payable.

Secondary Functions

Assisting with the onboarding process by training new hires on timekeeping systems and policies.
Participating in year-end closing activities related to payroll and time-off accruals.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by suggesting improvements to time-capture processes.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for reporting.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Timekeeping Software Proficiency: Hands-on experience with major time and attendance systems such as Kronos, ADP Workforce Now, Workday Time Tracking, or Paycom.
Advanced Microsoft Excel Skills: The ability to use formulas, VLOOKUP, pivot tables, and other advanced functions for data analysis, reconciliation, and reporting.
High-Speed Data Entry: Demonstrable speed and, most importantly, accuracy in 10-key and alphanumeric data entry.
Payroll Systems Knowledge: Familiarity with the fundamentals of integrated payroll software and how timekeeping data flows into the payroll calculation engine.
Understanding of Wage & Hour Laws: A solid working knowledge of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state-specific regulations concerning overtime, breaks, and pay.
Data Reconciliation: Proven ability to meticulously compare data from multiple sources, identify discrepancies, and investigate the root cause.
Report Generation: Skill in extracting data from systems and formatting it into clear, actionable reports for various stakeholders.
Basic Accounting Principles: A foundational understanding of debits, credits, and how labor costs are recorded in the general ledger.
Records Management: Experience in maintaining organized, secure, and compliant physical and digital records.
Problem-Solving & Troubleshooting: The technical aptitude to identify a system or data error and work logically through steps to find a solution.

Soft Skills

Unwavering Attention to Detail: An exceptional ability to spot and correct minute discrepancies in timesheet data to guarantee payroll accuracy and compliance.
Superior Organizational Skills: The capacity to manage multiple tasks, deadlines, and a high volume of data in a structured and efficient manner.
Clear and Professional Communication: The ability to explain complex timekeeping policies and resolve discrepancies with employees and managers both verbally and in writing.
Discretion and Confidentiality: Absolute integrity and trustworthiness in handling sensitive employee pay rates, personal information, and company financial data.
Time Management & Prioritization: The skill to effectively manage one's own workload, prioritize urgent tasks, and meet strict payroll deadlines without fail.
Customer Service Mindset: A patient, helpful, and approachable demeanor when addressing employee questions and concerns about their time and pay.
Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills: The ability to think critically about data anomalies and independently investigate issues to find a resolution.
Dependability and Reliability: A consistent and reliable work ethic, understanding the critical nature of the role in the payroll process.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or GED equivalent.

Preferred Education:

Associate's Degree (A.A.) or a professional certificate in a relevant discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting
Business Administration
Finance
Human Resources

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1-3 years of direct experience in a timekeeping, payroll processing, or closely related administrative accounting role.

Preferred:

Experience in an environment with a large number of hourly employees (e.g., manufacturing, healthcare, retail).
Previous experience working with union contracts and collective bargaining agreements is highly desirable.
Experience participating in a system implementation or upgrade for a timekeeping or payroll platform.