Payroll clerks
An AI agent can at least partly carry out 100.0% of the task time of payroll clerks, and finish 16.1% alone. The barrier that holds most of the rest back is access to the systems the work runs on.
1st of 433 · interval 100.0–100.0
24th of 433 · interval 0.0–34.3
4th of 433 · interval 71.3–76.5
task statements rated by two models and weighted by importance and frequency. World employment: 0.7 million.
How the tasks rate
What stops the agent
Share of task weight flagged by each barrier; a task can carry several.
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Sonnet · Haiku | Barriers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verify attendance, hours worked, and pay adjustments, and post information onto designated records.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 6.7% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 40 min | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Compute wages and deductions, and enter data into computers.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 6.2% | L3 | L3L3 | 82% | 45 min | Access to systems |
| Keep track of leave time, such as vacation, personal, and sick leave, for employees.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 6.0% | L2 | L2L3 | 80% | 30 min | Access to systems |
| Distribute and collect timecards each pay period.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 5.7% | L2 | L2L2 | 62% | 1.8 h | Physical presence, Access to systems |
| Review time sheets, work charts, wage computation, and other information to detect and reconcile payroll discrepancies.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 5.7% | L2 | L2L3 | 75% | 1.0 h | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Record employee information, such as exemptions, transfers, and resignations, to maintain and update payroll records.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 5.6% | L2 | L2L3 | 75% | 18 min | Access to systems |
| Complete time sheets showing employees' arrival and departure times.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 5.1% | L3 | L3L3 | 85% | 30 min | Access to systems |
| Process paperwork for new employees and enter employee information into the payroll system.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 5.0% | L2 | L2L2 | 72% | 45 min | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Process and issue employee paychecks and statements of earnings and deductions.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 4.9% | L2 | L2L3 | 78% | 1.2 h | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Prepare and balance period-end reports, and reconcile issued payrolls to bank statements.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 4.9% | L2 | L2L2 | 72% | 2.0 h | Access to systems |
| Compile employee time, production, and payroll data from time sheets and other records.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 4.9% | L2 | L2L2 | 75% | 2.0 h | Access to systems |
| Compile statistical reports, statements, and summaries related to pay and benefits accounts, and submit them to appropriate departments.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · supplemental task | 4.8% | L3 | L3L3 | 82% | 1.8 h | Access to systems |
| Balance cash and payroll accounts.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · supplemental task | 4.7% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 1.5 h | Access to systems |
| Issue and record adjustments to pay related to previous errors or retroactive increases.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 4.4% | L2 | L2L3 | 72% | 45 min | Access to systems |
| Prepare and file payroll tax returns.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · supplemental task | 4.4% | L2 | L2L2 | 72% | 2.5 h | Accountability, Access to systems |
Show the other 6 tasks
| Task statement (O*NET occupation) | Sonnet · Haiku | Barriers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provide information to employees and managers on payroll matters, tax issues, benefit plans, and collective agreement provisions.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 4.2% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 15 min | Access to systems |
| Keep informed about changes in tax and deduction laws that apply to the payroll process.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 4.1% | L2 | L3L2 | 80% | 1.5 h | – |
| Complete, verify, and process forms and documentation for administration of benefits, such as pension plans, and unemployment and medical insurance.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · supplemental task | 4.0% | L2 | L2L2 | 70% | 30 min | Accountability, Access to systems |
| Train employees on organizations' timekeeping systems.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · supplemental task | 3.5% | L2 | L2L2 | 60% | 3.0 h | Trust and care, Access to systems |
| Conduct verifications of employment.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks | 3.2% | L2 | L2L2 | 72% | 18 min | Access to systems |
| Coordinate special programs, such as United Way campaigns, that involve payroll deductions.Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks · supplemental task | 2.2% | L2 | L2L2 | 60% | 6.0 h | Trust and care, Access to systems |
Level: consensus of the two models (the lower level when they disagree). Share: part of the task’s working time an agent could take over. Human time: minutes a competent person needs for one instance, as estimated by the models.
Exposure is not delegation
| Measure | Value | Percentile | Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADI (this index) | 100.0% | 100 | |
| Eloundou et al. (2024), GPT exposure β | 0.852 | 99 | |
| Felten et al. (2021), AI occupational exposure | 1.258 | 91 | |
| Webb (2020), AI patent exposure | 2 | 1 | |
| Eisfeldt et al. (2026), generative AI exposure | 0.773 | 99 | |
| Anthropic Economic Index, observed use | 0.049 | 60 |
Earlier indices measure whether AI can touch a task; ADI measures how much of it an agent can carry out from a goal. – : the source does not cover this occupation.
Neighbouring occupations
| Occupation | ADI | % |
|---|---|---|
| Production clerks 4322 | 100.0 | |
| Transport clerks 4323 | 100.0 | |
| Statistical, finance and insurance clerks 4312 | 95.8 | |
| Accounting and bookkeeping clerks 4311 | 90.1 | |
| Stock clerks 4321 | 43.9 |
Dashed line: payroll clerks (100.0%).
Espinal Maya, Cristian, and Santiago Jiménez Londoño. 2026. ADI v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and MCP server. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918. Record: Payroll clerks (ISCO-08 4313), https://balamlabs.org/adi/occupations/4313
@misc{espinal2026adidata,
title = {{ADI} v2026.1: Agent Delegability Index data, code and {MCP} server},
author = {Espinal Maya, Cristian and Jim{\'e}nez Londo{\~n}o, Santiago},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Zenodo},
version = {v2026.1},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
url = {https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23552918},
note = {Record: Payroll clerks (ISCO-08 4313)}
}The same record as static JSON, with its citation: /adi/v2026.1/isco/4313.json.