Payroll Administrator

Palmer Legal Staffing; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 42,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Palmer Staffing Services in Washington, DC, is seeking Payroll & Administrative Clerks for full-time, onsite contract roles. These positions support a high-volume payroll and personnel operation and may be classified as Data Entry Clerk I or General/Administrative Clerk I based on experience.

Responsibilities include processing hires and terminations, updating payroll data, handling W-4s and benefits forms, maintaining confidential records, and delivering strong customer service during the

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; college degree preferred.
• Minimum of 1 year of payroll processing or related office experience for entry-level consideration.
• 3+ years of professional administrative/office experience strongly encouraged to apply.
• Minimum of 2 years of Microsoft Office experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
• Strong data-entry skills with excellent accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience reviewing and processing documentation.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to research and resolve routine employee or payroll questions.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to appropriately handle confidential employee information.

Responsibilities

• Process new hires, terminations, salary adjustments and other personnel actions.
• Enter and update employee information in payroll systems.
• Process W-4s, address changes and employee information updates.
• Review and validate payroll, personnel and benefits documentation.
• Assist with health and life insurance-related forms and deductions.
• Review student loan and other employee forms.
• Assist with regular and off-cycle payroll processing.
• Research payroll discrepancies and employee questions.
• Answer phones and provide customer service to employees.
• Review incoming paperwork for accuracy and completeness.
• Perform high-volume data entry, documentation and filing.
• Maintain and update electronic employee records.
• Move documentation through established electronic workflow processes.
• Use Microsoft Outlook for email and calendar functions.
• Use Microsoft Word and Excel for correspondence, documentation and data processing.
• Assist permanent staff with payroll, benefits and administrative projects.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive payroll and personnel information.

Skills

Payroll processing

Data entry

Customer service

Attention to detail

Office administration

Communication skills

Multitasking

Independent work

Confidentiality

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Bachelor's degree preferred

Tools

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM–5:30 PM

Hours: 40 hours per week

Contract Period: October 1, 2026 – February 28, 2027

Work Location: Onsite

Position Overview

Palmer Staffing Services is seeking Payroll & Administrative Clerks for full-time, onsite contract opportunities in Washington, DC.

We are recruiting candidates for multiple openings supporting a high-volume payroll and personnel operation. Candidates may be considered for either a Data Entry Clerk I or General/Administrative Clerk I position based on their experience and qualifications.

These positions will provide administrative, data-entry, payroll and customer-service support during a high-volume transition period.

Responsibilities May Include

• Process new hires, terminations, salary adjustments and other personnel actions.
• Enter and update employee information in payroll systems.
• Process W-4s, address changes and employee information updates.
• Review and validate payroll, personnel and benefits documentation.
• Assist with health and life insurance-related forms and deductions.
• Review student loan and other employee forms.
• Assist with regular and off-cycle payroll processing.
• Research payroll discrepancies and employee questions.
• Answer phones and provide customer service to employees.
• Review incoming paperwork for accuracy and completeness.
• Perform high-volume data entry, documentation and filing.
• Maintain and update electronic employee records.
• Move documentation through established electronic workflow processes.
• Use Microsoft Outlook for email and calendar functions.
• Use Microsoft Word and Excel for correspondence, documentation and data processing.
• Assist permanent staff with payroll, benefits and administrative projects.
• Maintain confidentiality of sensitive payroll and personnel information.

Qualifications

Candidates may qualify for one, or both available positions based on experience.

• High school diploma or equivalent required; college degree preferred.
• Minimum of 1 year of payroll processing or related office experience for entry-level consideration.
• Candidates with 3+ years of professional administrative/office experience are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Minimum of 2 years of Microsoft Office experience.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.
• Strong data-entry skills with excellent accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience reviewing and processing documentation.
• Strong customer service and communication skills.
• Ability to research and resolve routine employee or payroll questions.
• Ability to multitask in a fast-paced, high-volume environment.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to appropriately handle confidential employee information.

About Us: Palmer is an award-winning staffing agency offering direct hire, temp-to-hire, and temporary placements for administrative, management, executive, legal and more. We represent more than 500 of the finest law firms and legal departments in the D.C. area.