Building a Career in Payroll Management in Canada
Payroll coordinators or clerks are responsible for monitoring and managing employee work hours and payment records. This ensures that a company pays its employees accurately and on time. They can work practically in every industry and play a key role. The typical work activities of payroll officers or accountants include:
- Compiling each employee’s work hours from time sheets
- Verifying hours worked
- Calculating weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments
- Making required adjustments (deducting taxes or adding overtime payments)
- Issuing paychecks
- Maintaining payment records
- Adding and removing employees from automated payroll system
- Adhere to payroll regulations and company policies related to employee wages and monetary benefits
- Preparing reports on payroll trends
- Assisting finance officers
In addition to this, they might need to answer phone calls, fax required documents to authorized people, and handle light bookkeeping responsibilities.
Becoming a Payroll Clerk in Canada
Educational Qualifications
Individuals interested in working as payroll clerks in an industry need to at least have undergone a formal education and training in payroll management. They can enroll into a professional graduate certificate course to gain knowledge, and develop and enhance crucial skills in key areas, such as
- Financial accounting
- Payroll compliance
- Strategic compensation
- Management accounting for human resources
- Pensions and benefits
- Payroll systems
Centennial College’s one-year post-graduate certification in payroll management equips students with a solid foundation in all these subjects, helping them advance their careers. The program uses classroom learning, case studies, simulations, and project-based learning, focusing on helping students develop project management, teamwork, report writing and presentation skills.
Additionally, a strong emphasis is laid on emerging trends and issues in payroll management, such as changing legislative requirements and use of technology.
Skills
As payroll clerks have to make use of electronic equipments, they are expected to have sound knowledge of operating fax machines, computer systems and payroll software. They should possess excellent typing skills, and firm understanding of math. They must have an eye for detail and should be capable of working in a team as well as alone. They should be organized and motivated and able to manage projects and write financial reports. Centennial College’s program incorporates project-based learning and case studies to help students develop all necessary skills.
Benefits of Payroll Management Program
Upon successful completion of the program, they can seek employment practically in every industry as payroll officers, payroll clerks, payroll and benefits administrators, payroll accountants, human resource and payroll generalists, and general accounting coordinators, and small business bookkeepers or accountants.
Graduates of this program are also eligible to receive the Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) from the Canadian Payroll Association (CPA), subject to their joining the CPA and complying with its professional requirements. Students will need to register for this at the time of admission. This incurs costs in addition to tuition.
Enrolment Guide
In order to apply for this program, students will need:
- College diploma or university degree in any discipline
- Relevant work experience (for students with partial post-secondary education)
- A proof of English proficiency
- To take an assessment of numeracy skills
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