Payroll Tax Specialist Salary in the United States
How much does a Payroll Tax Specialist make in the United States?
As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Payroll Tax Specialist in the United States is $86,700 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $42.
However, a Payroll Tax Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $100,473
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $79,574 to $93,909
Key Factors That Influence Payroll Tax Specialist Salaries
A Payroll Tax Specialist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Payroll Tax Specialist Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Payroll Tax Specialist's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:
How Do Payroll Tax Specialist Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Payroll Tax Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $109,354
San Francisco: $108,157
Oakland: $105,878
San Jose, CA$109,354
San Francisco, CA$108,157
Oakland, CA$105,878
New York, NY$99,825
Paramus, NJ$98,611
Queens Village, NY$98,607
Passaic, NJ$98,525
Bergenfield, NJ$98,517
Stamford, CT$98,326
Huntington, NY$98,291
Newark, NJ$97,650
Bridgeport, CT$97,467
Vallejo, CA$97,295
New Brunswick, NJ$97,260
Petaluma, CA$97,208
Middlesex, NJ$97,043
Somerset, NJ$96,982
Santa Cruz, CA$96,870
Boston, MA$96,341
Monterey, CA$96,037
Seattle, WA$95,838
Santa Rosa, CA$95,821
Los Angeles, CA$95,795
Juneau, AK$95,569
Washington, DC$95,474
Orange, CA$95,165
Santa Ana, CA$94,936
Long Beach, CA$94,850
Anaheim, CA$94,832
Anchorage, AK$94,789
Santa Maria, CA$94,529
Everett, WA$94,511
Danbury, CT$94,206
Bremerton, WA$94,087
Tacoma, WA$93,775
New Suffolk, NY$93,773
Sacramento, CA$93,748
Santa Barbara, CA$93,653
Trenton, NJ$93,558
San Diego, CA$93,558
Brockton, MA$93,462
Fairbanks, AK$93,250
Lompoc, CA$93,029
Lowell, MA$92,959
Ventura, CA$92,942
Nashua, NH$92,925
Stockton, CA$92,916
Modesto, CA$92,283
Poughkeepsie, NY$92,093
Olympia, WA$91,928
Kennewick, WA$91,928
New Haven, CT$91,893
Lawrence, MA$91,581
Hartford, CT$91,494
Riverside, CA$91,477
New Bedford, MA$91,390
Richland, WA$91,390
Bakersfield, CA$91,269
San Bernardino, CA$91,234
New Britain, CT$91,226
Atlantic City, NJ$91,226
New London, CT$91,191
Norwich, CT$91,165
Portsmouth, NH$91,147
Boulder, CO$90,964
Portland, OR$90,844
Worcester, MA$90,835
Minneapolis, MN$90,567
Philadelphia, PA$90,445
Honolulu, HI$90,159
Saint Paul, MN$90,118
Vineland, NJ$90,098
Providence, RI$89,847
Chicago, IL$89,596
Bellingham, WA$89,492
Springfield, MA$89,422
Baltimore, MD$89,396
Chico, CA$89,179
Pittsfield, MA$88,945
Manchester, NH$88,781
Spokane, WA$88,399
Denver, CO$88,390
Albany, NY$87,983
Troy, NY$87,948
Nassau, NY$87,856
Schenectady, NY$87,766
Wilmington, DE$87,697
Burlington, VT$87,575
Salem, OR$87,541
Portland, ME$87,272
Yakima, WA$87,185
Rochester, MN$86,917
Reno, NV$86,873
Fresno, CA$86,873
Milwaukee, WI$86,795
Detroit, MI$86,708
Ann Arbor, MI$86,694
Allentown, PA$86,682
Colorado Springs, CO$86,535
Syracuse, NY$86,492
Carson City, NV$86,492
Houston, TX$86,370
Eugene, OR$86,327
Gary, IN$86,223
Springfield, OR$86,154
Bismarck, ND$86,136
Galveston, TX$86,076
Medford, OR$85,946
Fort Collins, CO$85,911
Concord, NH$85,867
Austin, TX$85,841
Mesa, AZ$85,659
Reading, PA$85,651
Phoenix, AZ$85,642
Dallas, TX$85,616
Saint Cloud, MN$85,533
Madison, WI$85,417
Utica, NY$85,183
Rochester, NY$85,044
Des Moines, IA$85,035
Raleigh, NC$85,026
Atlanta, GA$84,896
Battle Creek, MI$84,870
Salt Lake City, UT$84,844
Lancaster, PA$84,714
Harrisburg, PA$84,593
Kansas City, MO$84,506
Champaign, IL$84,489
Kansas City, KS$84,489
Fort Worth, TX$84,480
Columbus, OH$84,466
Boca Raton, FL$84,446
Pittsburgh, PA$84,411
Richmond, VA$84,376
Indianapolis, IN$84,359
Cleveland, OH$84,350
Las Vegas, NV$84,246
Cincinnati, OH$84,246
Petersburg, VA$84,116
Huntsville, AL$83,986
Lansing, MI$83,928
Lebanon, PA$83,917
Pueblo, CO$83,908
Appleton, WI$83,882
Buffalo, NY$83,847
Dayton, OH$83,821
Racine, WI$83,804
Charlotte, NC$83,795
Saint Louis, MO$83,769
York, PA$83,717
Elkhart, IN$83,717
Gastonia, NC$83,701
Billings, MT$83,680
Beaumont, TX$83,657
Lorain, OH$83,639
Benton Harbor, MI$83,622
Toledo, OH$83,605
Binghamton, NY$83,561
Rock Hill, SC$83,553
Rockford, IL$83,509
Springfield, IL$83,475
Elyria, OH$83,466
Fargo, ND$83,466
Flagstaff, AZ$83,405
Fort Lauderdale, FL$83,353
Duluth, MN$83,301
Miami, FL$83,301
Cheyenne, WY$83,240
Grand Forks, ND$83,240
Bangor, ME$83,050
Cedar Rapids, IA$82,954
Durham, NC$82,918
Louisville, KY$82,911
Grand Rapids, MI$82,894
Hialeah, FL$82,885
Casper, WY$82,764
Scranton, PA$82,660
New Orleans, LA$82,634
Virginia Beach, VA$82,625
Akron, OH$82,582
Peoria, IL$82,469
Sarasota, FL$82,452
Nashville, TN$82,391
Omaha, NE$82,391
Green Bay, WI$82,391
Baton Rouge, LA$82,347
Charleston, SC$82,330
Jamestown, NY$82,287
Davenport, IA$82,287
Tucson, AZ$82,243
Saint Petersburg, FL$82,191
Tampa, FL$82,174
Evansville, IN$82,122
Port Arthur, TX$82,122
Bradenton, FL$82,087
Santa Fe, NM$81,931
Orlando, FL$81,775
Clearwater, FL$81,749
Canton, OH$81,567
La Crosse, WI$81,567
Albuquerque, NM$81,515
Newport News, VA$81,506
High Point, NC$81,480
Ogden, UT$81,446
Corpus Christi, TX$81,376
Norfolk, VA$81,324
Laramie, WY$81,324
Rock Island, IL$81,272
Saginaw, MI$81,255
Jacksonville, FL$81,246
Salisbury, NC$81,229
Boise, ID$81,212
Moline, IL$81,168
Fort Myers, FL$81,142
Memphis, TN$81,125
Tulsa, OK$81,082
Waterloo, IA$81,030
Spartanburg, SC$80,943
Lincoln, NE$80,900
Fort Wayne, IN$80,882
Provo, UT$80,874
Cedar Falls, IA$80,770
San Antonio, TX$80,735
Greensboro, NC$80,700
South Bend, IN$80,692
Savannah, GA$80,596
Muskegon, MI$80,561
Birmingham, AL$80,553
Winston Salem, NC$80,510
Lake Charles, LA$80,301
Anderson, IN$80,284
Lexington, KY$80,258
Augusta, GA$80,232
Greenville, SC$80,232
Lima, OH$80,163
Wichita, KS$80,154
Tuscaloosa, AL$80,154
Columbia, SC$80,076
Springfield, OH$80,059
Asheville, NC$79,920
Bloomington, IN$79,859
Knoxville, TN$79,547
Shreveport, LA$79,538
Wilmington, NC$79,426
Roanoke, VA$79,426
Topeka, KS$79,270
Frankfort, KY$79,260
Oklahoma City, OK$79,200
Chillicothe, OH$79,166
Longview, TX$79,157
Melbourne, FL$79,148
Sioux Falls, SD$79,010
Mobile, AL$79,001
Terre Haute, IN$78,966
Altoona, PA$78,914
Amarillo, TX$78,853
Killeen, TX$78,827
Fayetteville, AR$78,758
Chattanooga, TN$78,732
Sioux City, IA$78,654
Idaho Falls, ID$78,637
Lynchburg, VA$78,567
Gainesville, FL$78,455
Portsmouth, OH$78,411
Little Rock, AR$78,394
Lafayette, LA$78,359
Youngstown, OH$78,359
Daytona Beach, FL$78,307
Clarksville, TN$78,299
Pensacola, FL$78,290
Temple, TX$78,284
Hopkinsville, KY$78,030
Erie, PA$78,012
Florence, SC$77,978
Charleston, WV$77,839
Great Falls, MT$77,796
Macon, GA$77,674
Tallahassee, FL$77,666
Fayetteville, NC$77,648
Waco, TX$77,631
Helena, MT$77,570
Pine Bluff, AR$77,537
Vincennes, IN$77,432
Lubbock, TX$77,397
Alamogordo, NM$77,345
Twin Falls, ID$77,267
Rapid City, SD$77,241
Jackson, MS$77,085
Huntington, WV$77,079
Greenville, MS$77,076
Parkersburg, WV$76,988
Montgomery, AL$76,972
Wichita Falls, TX$76,885
Springfield, MO$76,885
Biloxi, MS$76,842
Monroe, LA$76,755
Johnstown, PA$76,695
Sumter, SC$76,660
Columbus, GA$76,651
Pascagoula, MS$76,487
Abilene, TX$76,487
Kingsport, TN$76,261
Albany, GA$76,261
Gulfport, MS$76,235
Alexandria, LA$75,949
Fort Smith, AR$75,732
El Paso, TX$75,498
Las Cruces, NM$75,108
Harlingen, TX$74,888
Pocatello, ID$74,874
Florence, AL$74,761
Brownsville, TX$74,744
Mcallen, TX$74,562
Dothan, AL$74,440
Columbus, MS$73,925
Altus, OK$73,521
Lawton, OK$73,357
Pierre, SD$73,045
What Skills Can Increase a Payroll Tax Specialist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Customer Service (Mentioned in 5.25% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
General Ledger (Mentioned in 2.28% Job Postings): Creating and keeping track of business transactions and activities to monitor financial operations.
Microsoft Excel (Mentioned in 1.28% Job Postings): Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet developed by Microsoft for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It features calculation or computation capabilities, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Payroll Tax Specialist's salary.
Workday: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.
Process Improvement: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Payroll Tax Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Payroll Tax Specialist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 20% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Biotechnology and Energy & Utilities
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 10% above the average.
In contrast, Payroll Tax Specialist positions in Retail & Wholesale or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Payroll Tax Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Payroll Tax Specialist
Understanding how a Payroll Tax Specialist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$79,574
Average$86,700/year
$93,909
$6,631
Average$7,225/month
$7,826
$1,530
Average$1,667/week
$1,806
$38
Average$42/hour
$45
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$93,909
$7,826
$1,806
$45
Average
$86,700
$7,225
$1,667
$42
25th Percentile
$79,574
$6,631
$1,530
$38
Salaries of Jobs related to Payroll Tax Specialist
Salaries for a Payroll Tax Specialist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $80,096 in 2023
to around $78,700 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Payroll Tax Specialist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Payroll Tax Specialist Over Time
$???
$80,096
$79,196
$78,700
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$80,096
2024
$79,196
2025
$78,700
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Payroll Tax Specialist
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Payroll Tax Specialist
Here are companies hiring for Payroll Tax Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
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FAQ about Payroll Tax Specialist
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Payroll Tax Specialist?
The Biotechnology industry offers the highest average compensation for Payroll Tax Specialist roles,
with salaries approximately 10% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
