Median yearly pay€61.9k715 postings with pay
North America€91.3k378 postings
EU/EEA€40.5k227 postings
UK€46.2k84 postings
What the job covers
This family covers payroll specialists, compensation and benefits analysts and total rewards managers. It is 6th of 8 HR role families by median pay, with a median 8% below the median for HR overall. The top 10% of postings pay €148k or more.
Salary by level
Junior / Associate€45.6k
Mid-level€49.8k
Senior€79.9k
Manager / Lead€108k
Director / Head€167k
| Level | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Pay ranges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior / Associate | €45,600 | €36,700 | €59,200 | 80 |
| Mid-level | €49,800 | €38,600 | €70,000 | 343 |
| Senior | €79,900 | €55,300 | €97,000 | 102 |
| Manager / Lead | €108,000 | €69,500 | €130,400 | 144 |
| Director / Head | €166,900 | €132,600 | €224,300 | 42 |
Payroll and compensation & benefits pay by country
Medians by country, and what each country pays for the same role and level against the EU average, so a country with more senior postings doesn't look better paid than it is.
United States€96.8k
Canada€56.1k
Netherlands€46.3k
United Kingdom€46.2k
| Country | Median | Same job vs EU | Pay ranges |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | €96,800 | +92% | 337 |
| Canada | €56,100 | +33% | 43 |
| Netherlands | €46,300 | +5% | 53 |
| United Kingdom | €46,200 | +15% | 84 |
Remote, hybrid or on-site
Remote€95.4k
Hybrid€70.2k
On-site€63k
| Work format | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Pay ranges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote | €95,400 | €66,300 | €130,800 | 83 |
| Hybrid | €70,200 | €49,800 | €108,000 | 167 |
| On-site | €63,000 | €52,800 | €84,600 | 83 |
Salary by company size
11–50 people€41.5k
51–200 people€52.6k
201–500 people€67k
501–1,000 people€70.3k
1,001–5,000 people€84.9k
5,000+ people€104k
| Company size | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Pay ranges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–50 people | €41,500 | €35,800 | €55,100 | 163 |
| 51–200 people | €52,600 | €38,600 | €84,700 | 112 |
| 201–500 people | €67,000 | €46,100 | €102,900 | 88 |
| 501–1,000 people | €70,300 | €55,800 | €102,100 | 92 |
| 1,001–5,000 people | €84,900 | €56,800 | €116,400 | 146 |
| 5,000+ people | €103,600 | €66,300 | €126,000 | 98 |
Salary by industry
Software and internet€123k
Professional services€99.1k
Healthcare and life sciences€93.4k
Manufacturing and industry€88.4k
Finance and insurance€87.4k
Staffing and HR services€48k
| Industry | Median | 25th percentile | 75th percentile | Pay ranges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software and internet | €122,800 | €88,500 | €172,100 | 60 |
| Professional services | €99,100 | €52,300 | €167,500 | 22 |
| Healthcare and life sciences | €93,400 | €71,400 | €125,800 | 54 |
| Manufacturing and industry | €88,400 | €54,900 | €115,100 | 42 |
| Finance and insurance | €87,400 | €55,300 | €123,800 | 73 |
| Staffing and HR services | €48,000 | €37,900 | €66,400 | 347 |
Frequently asked questions
›How much do payroll specialists earn?
The median advertised salary for payroll and compensation & benefits roles is €61,900 a year. Half of postings pay between €42,000 and €100,900.
›Where are payroll and compensation & benefits roles paid the most?
United States, with a median of €96,800 a year.
›How much does a senior payroll and compensation & benefits role pay?
Director / Head postings have a median of €166,900, against €45,600 at junior / associate level.
›Is payroll and compensation & benefits a well-paid HR job?
It is 6th of 8 HR role families by median pay, 8% below the median for all HR jobs (€67,500).
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Related salary data
About this dataPay ranges published in 132,956 job postings, collected from company career pages and applicant tracking systems. Each posting counts once, at the middle of its range, converted to yearly pay in euros. We show a figure only when at least 20 postings back it. Updated October 2026. How we collect and calculate the data