Occupations and Terms of Reference › Payroll officer
Universal terms of reference · POS-160 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Payroll officer
To pay staff accurately and on time, so that every employee is paid correctly and deductions and taxes are handled lawfully.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You run the payroll. You process starters, leavers and changes, check pay, handle deductions and taxes, and keep payroll records confidential and complete.
Reports to: Finance manager.
Leads or supervises: No direct reports.
What you do on a typical day
- Process starter, leaver and change forms.
- Run payroll checks before each run.
- Process deductions and taxes.
- Answer staff pay queries.
- Reconcile payroll to the ledger.
Working conditions and demands
- Deadlines are fixed; errors affect people's income.
- Handles highly confidential pay data.
- Complex rules change often.
What good looks like
- Staff are paid correctly and on time.
- Taxes and deductions are correct.
- Payroll reconciles to the ledger.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Public money and patient payments are handled with integrity and recorded fully.
- Staff are treated fairly, consistently and with respect.
- Confidential information about people and finances is protected at all times.
- Controls exist to prevent error and fraud, and are followed by everyone.
- Concerns about money or conduct are raised and investigated without reprisal.
- Decisions are recorded so that anyone can see why they were made.
- Every role has a clear procedure, and deviations are reported and corrected.
- Support teams are judged by how well they help clinical services deliver safe care.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-160 |
| ISCO-08 | 4311 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Finance |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-156. Supervises: .
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Finance manager | Payroll run and checks. |
| HR manager | Starters, leavers and changes. |
| Chief human resources officer | Pay policy. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll run | Runs payroll accurately and on time. | Payroll signed off before each run | Monthly | C-01 | T-06 | POL-DATA | 1 |
| Changes | Processes starters, leavers and changes within deadlines. | Changes processed before cut-off | Monthly | C-01 | T-06 | POL-DATA | 1 |
| Compliance | Keeps taxes and deductions compliant. | Returns filed on time | Monthly | C-02 | T-04 | – | 1 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Routine processing within payroll rules | Pay errors affecting several staff (finance manager and HR manager) |
| Payroll timing within the agreed calendar | Changes to pay rates without approval (finance manager and HR manager) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Payroll or accounting qualification | No | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Payroll administration experience | 2 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | C-02 |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | C-01 |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | – |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Payroll processing and checks | Processes pay accurately | Runs full payroll checks | Designs payroll controls | Payroll audit | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-02 | Tax and deductions compliance | Applies rules | Keeps rules current | Advises on compliance | Compliance review | Every 12 months | T-04 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Payroll run on time | 100% | payroll calendar | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Payroll errors corrected within one cycle | 100% | payroll log | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Tax returns filed on time | 100% | tax calendar | Monthly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Payroll officer | 2 years (recommended) | Q-01 | C-01 practitioner, C-02 foundation | T-04 · T-06 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |