Payroll administrator CV

Payroll administrators make sure people are paid correctly and on time, and that the business stays compliant with HMRC and pensions rules. Mistakes are highly visible and can be costly, so employers look for accuracy, confidentiality and a solid grasp of UK payroll legislation. Your CV should show the size and complexity of the payrolls you run and your knowledge of compliance.

What employers look for

• End-to-end payroll processing. Starters, leavers, changes, overtime, deductions and final checks.
• Volume and complexity. Number of employees, number of payrolls, weekly and monthly frequencies, multiple entities.
• Statutory knowledge. PAYE, National Insurance, RTI submissions, SSP, SMP and other statutory payments, student loans, attachment of earnings orders.
• Pensions. Auto-enrolment, salary sacrifice and pension provider submissions.
• Year-end and benefits. Payroll year-end, P60s, P11D and benefits in kind.
• Systems. Sage Payroll, Moorepay, ADP, iTrent, Cintra, BrightPay, Workday.

CIPP (Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals) qualifications are well regarded. Say if you hold one or are studying.

Keywords from payroll adverts

• Payroll processing, end-to-end payroll, weekly and monthly payroll
• PAYE, National Insurance, RTI, FPS, EPS, HMRC
• Starters and leavers, P45, P60, P11D, benefits in kind
• SSP, SMP, SPP, statutory payments
• Auto-enrolment, pensions, salary sacrifice
• Attachment of earnings, student loans
• Payroll reconciliations, payroll journals, BACS
• Sage, ADP, Moorepay, iTrent, Cintra, BrightPay, Workday
• Confidentiality, GDPR, employee queries

A typical advert, decoded

A paraphrased example of what payroll administrator adverts usually say, and what each line is really asking for.

The advert says	What it really means
"End-to-end payroll for several hundred employees"	State the headcount and pay frequencies you've run.
"RTI submissions and HMRC compliance"	You'll file FPS and EPS submissions. Name them.
"Statutory payments"	SSP, SMP and similar will come up. Show you can calculate them.
"Pension auto-enrolment"	You'll handle assessments and provider submissions.
"High level of confidentiality"	You'll see everyone's pay. Reassure them you handle it carefully.

Example CV profile

CIPP-qualified payroll administrator running weekly and monthly payrolls for 900 employees across three entities using iTrent. I handle starters, leavers, statutory payments, pension submissions and RTI filings, and I complete the payroll year-end and P11Ds. I've maintained a 99.8% accuracy rate and introduced a pre-payroll checklist that halved post-payroll corrections.

Example achievements

Use your own figures.

• Processed weekly and monthly payrolls for 900 employees across three entities with 99.8% accuracy.
• Halved post-payroll corrections by introducing a pre-payroll variance check and starter and leaver checklist.
• Completed payroll year-end, P60s and P11Ds for three entities on time for three consecutive years.
• Moved pension contributions to salary sacrifice for 600 employees, working with HR and the pension provider.
• Supported migration from Sage Payroll to iTrent, running parallel payrolls for two months with no pay errors at go-live.
• Answered around 80 employee pay queries a month, resolving most within one working day.

Common mistakes

• No headcount or payroll count. These are the first things a payroll hiring manager wants to know.
• Missing the compliance words. RTI, auto-enrolment and statutory payments are common search terms.
• Not naming the software. Payroll systems vary a lot, and recruiters often filter on them.
• Overlooking confidentiality. Mention it briefly. It reassures employers handling sensitive data.

Interview questions to prepare for

• Talk me through your payroll process from cut-off to payment.
• How do you check a payroll before it's finalised?
• An employee says they've been underpaid. How do you handle it?

See all 12 payroll administrator interview questions, with why interviewers ask each one and what a strong answer covers.