Can Agents Work?

Jobs / Office and administrative support / 43-3051.00

Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks

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.

US jobs
153,140
Median wage
$58,260 a year
Job family
Office and administrative support

Can agents do the work of payroll and timekeeping clerks?

We read the evidence at the level of the job family, Office and administrative support:

  • Task levelStrongOn computer-use and office-task benchmarks, top agents pass most tasks: 90.2% on OSWorld-Verified (humans: 72.4%), 83.1% on SpreadsheetBench, and 63.3% on WorkArena L1 under the standard protocol. Limits: many top entries are self-submitted and not re-run by the maintainers, and on TheAgentCompany's multi-step workplace tasks the best agent resolves 42.9%.
  • Project levelPartialOnly adjacent evidence. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.5's GDPval deliverables won or tied against professionals' work in 84.9% of comparisons, but GDPval tasks are one-shot and fully specified. No benchmark in our collection tests multi-day administrative work, such as running a calendar or a purchasing process.

Benchmarks for the job family

These cover work in office and administrative support, not always this occupation's tasks.

Typical tasks

From O*NET 31.0. Core tasks first. Few of these tasks have a benchmark today.

  • Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.
  • Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.
  • Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.
  • Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.
  • Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.
  • Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.
  • Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.
  • Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.
  • Issue and record adjustments to pay related to previous errors or retroactive increases.
  • Keep track of leave time, such as vacation, personal, and sick leave, for employees.
  • Compile employee time, production, and payroll data from time sheets and other records.
  • Keep informed about changes in tax and deduction laws that apply to the payroll process.
Other job titles for this occupation (38)

Payroll Assistant · Payroll Clerk · Payroll Coordinator · Payroll Representative · Payroll Specialist · Payroll Technician · Personnel Assistant · Personnel Technician · Timekeeper · Accounting Assistant · Attendance Clerk · Bonus Clerk · Checkman · Commissions Clerk · Finance Specialist · Flight Crew Scheduler · Flight Crew Time Clerk · HR and Payroll Admin (Human Resources and Payroll Administrator) · Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant) · Human Resources Coordinator (HR Coordinator) · Human Resources Specialist (HR Specialist) · Payroll Administrator (Payroll Admin) · Payroll Analyst · Payroll and Benefits Specialist · Payroll Associate · Payroll Bookkeeper · Payroll Officer · Payroll Processor · Payroll Secretary · Payroll Tax Specialist · Personnel Clerk · Personnel Scheduler · Sign Out Clerk · Time and Attendance Clerk · Time Checker · Time Clerk · Time Recorder · Wanigan Clerk