HR Clerk Job Description Templates for Small Businesses
6 templates for the records tier of HR: standard, records custody, entry-level, HR and payroll, benefits and onboarding, and part-time or remote. With the non-exempt classification and retention duties written in. Download as DOCX.
The first HR clerk job description I ever reviewed for a client was four bullet points long, and one of them said general HR support. The company had 60 employees, two years of unfiled paperwork, and no idea whether the person they were about to hire would be filing documents or advising managers. They found out in the second week, when the new hire was asked to sit in on a termination.
That confusion is the whole problem with this role. HR clerk, HR assistant, HR coordinator, and HR specialist get used interchangeably in postings, but they describe four different jobs with different pay, different candidates, and different overtime classifications. Getting the wrong one on the posting costs you either the hire or the wage claim.
At FirstHR we write hiring templates for companies without a dedicated HR department, which is exactly who hires this role. The six templates below cover a standard clerk, a records custody role, an entry-level version, a combined HR and payroll clerk, a benefits and onboarding clerk, and a part-time or remote setup, each with the classification and retention language the generic versions leave out.
TL;DR
An HR clerk keeps the records tier of HR: personnel files, data entry, hiring paperwork, and retention, working from standards someone else set. The role is non-exempt under the FLSA regardless of salary. The federal government publishes no HR clerk occupation; the nearest is human resources assistants at a $50,610 median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Six templates below.
What an HR Clerk Actually Does
An HR clerk maintains employee records and processes HR paperwork against procedures that already exist. The job is documents: personnel files, data entry, form collection, retention, and routine correspondence. It is not policy interpretation, and that boundary is what defines the role legally and practically.
The best way to write this job description is to list the documents rather than the adjectives. A clerk creates and updates personnel files, enters status changes into the HR system, collects tax forms and Form I-9, checks returned paperwork for completeness, chases what is missing, and files everything where the retention schedule says it goes.
What a clerk does not do matters just as much. They do not decide who gets hired, interpret a policy for a manager, handle an investigation, or set a classification. When one of those questions arrives, the clerk routes it. Writing that escalation path into the posting is the single clearest way to signal which job you are filling. Our guide to writing a job description covers the general structure in more depth.
Replace General HR Support With a List
The phrase general HR support appears in most HR clerk postings and tells a candidate nothing. Swap it for the four or five things this person will genuinely do most weeks: maintain personnel files for 60 employees, enter status changes into the HR system, collect and verify hiring paperwork for roughly 20 hires a year, and run a quarterly file audit. Specific duties attract candidates who want that job. Vague duties attract everyone and fit no one.
Clerk, Assistant, Coordinator, Specialist
The four titles sit on one ladder, and the rung is set by how much judgment the job requires. A clerk keeps the record, an assistant keeps the record and supports the process, a coordinator runs the process, and a specialist or generalist interprets and decides. Pay and overtime classification follow that line.
HR clerk
Keeps the record
Files, data entry, forms, retention, routine correspondence. Works from written procedures against standards someone else set. Non-exempt, no exceptions. This is the role these six templates describe.
HR assistant
Keeps the record and supports the process
Everything a clerk does plus scheduling interviews, supporting onboarding, and being the first stop for employee questions. Still non-exempt, but broader and usually paid a little more.
HR coordinator
Runs the process
Owns a workflow end to end: the hiring pipeline, the onboarding sequence, open enrollment. Coordinates people rather than documents. Classification depends on real duties and needs a genuine look.
HR specialist or generalist
Decides and interprets
Applies and interprets policy, advises managers, handles cases. This is where discretion and independent judgment start, and where an exemption becomes arguable rather than assumed.
Titles drift between companies, so define the job by duties before you pick a word for it. A 30-person company calling someone an HR generalist may be describing clerk work, and a 500-person company calling someone a clerk may be describing a genuine records specialist. If you are weighing the next rung up, our HR coordinator templates and the breakdown of the HR generalist role map the difference in duties.
What Belongs in the Posting
An HR clerk posting has four jobs: set accurate expectations, filter out people who want a different job, protect you on classification, and actually close the hire. Most postings do only the first, which is why they produce volume and not fit.
The parts that set expectations
Company size and whether an HR department exists
Who the clerk reports to and works beside
The systems the role touches by name
Whether the job is paper, digital, or both
The parts that filter applicants
Concrete duties, not the phrase general HR support
The volume: employees, hires per year, files
Required accuracy standard and software comfort
Confidentiality expectation stated plainly
The parts that protect you
Non-exempt classification on the posting
Hourly rate rather than an annual figure
Essential functions written plainly
Equal opportunity statement
The parts that win the hire
The pay rate, not a range with no floor
Schedule and any flexibility you genuinely offer
What the person can grow into and by when
A named person and a real deadline to apply
The omission that costs small businesses the most is volume. Candidates want to know how many employees, how many hires a year, how many files, and whether the records are paper, digital, or a half-finished migration between the two. That last one is the honest question, and answering it up front saves you a resignation at month three.
6 HR Clerk Job Description Templates to Download
Download all six as one file or copy them individually. Each follows the same structure: company overview, position summary, key responsibilities, required qualifications, a classification or compliance note, an equal opportunity statement, and how to apply. The bracketed fields are the only parts you need to change.
Download All 6 HR Clerk Job Description Templates
Standard, records custody, entry-level, HR and payroll, benefits and onboarding, and part-time or remote. All in one download.
HR Clerk (Standard)
The general version
The baseline records and administration role: personnel files, data entry, hiring paperwork, and routine employee questions.
HR Records Clerk
Files and retention
For a records-custody role, with the file structure, the retention schedule, litigation holds, and employee file access requests.
Entry-Level HR Clerk
First office job
For a candidate with no HR experience, written around procedures, training, and a growth path rather than a requirements list.
HR and Payroll Clerk
Both sides, one person
For a small business where the same person keeps the record and prepares the pay that follows from it.
Benefits and Onboarding Clerk
Enrollments and first weeks
For enrollment processing, carrier reconciliation, new hire packets, and the onboarding checklist that has to run identically every time.
Part-Time / Remote HR Clerk
Fixed hours, defined tasks
For fewer than full-time hours or a home setup, with the data handling rules and the hour-tracking language written in.
Template 1: HR Clerk (Standard)
The baseline records and administration role, with personnel files, data entry, hiring paperwork, and a defined escalation path for anything requiring judgment.
[Company Name] is a [industry] business in [City, State] with [number] employees.
We are hiring an HR Clerk to keep our employee records accurate, our paperwork
complete, and our HR inbox answered, so the rest of the team can focus on the
decisions rather than the filing.
POSITION SUMMARY
The HR Clerk maintains employee records and personnel files, processes HR
paperwork from hire through separation, enters and verifies data in our HR
systems, and answers routine employee questions about forms, policies, and
documents. This is a records and administration role, not a decision-making role.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Create, update, and maintain personnel files for every employee, on paper and
in our HR system
•Enter new hire information, status changes, address changes, and terminations
accurately and on time
•Collect and verify hiring paperwork: offer letter acknowledgments, tax forms,
direct deposit forms, and Form I-9 with acceptable documents
•File and retrieve documents against our retention schedule and flag records
that are due for destruction
•Prepare routine HR correspondence, verification of employment letters, and
standard notices
•Track completion of required forms, acknowledgments, and trainings, and chase
what is missing
•Answer routine employee questions about forms and where to find things, and
route anything requiring judgment to [HR Manager / Owner]
•Support scheduling for interviews, orientation, and reviews
•Keep confidential information confidential, including medical and I-9 files
stored separately from the main personnel file
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent; [associate degree preferred]
•[Number] year(s) of clerical, administrative, or data entry experience
•Accurate typing and comfort with spreadsheets and an HR or payroll system
•Demonstrated discretion with confidential information
•Clear written communication for routine correspondence
CLASSIFICATION NOTE (read before posting)
This role is non-exempt: hourly, with overtime for hours past 40 in a workweek.
A clerical HR role does not meet the FLSA administrative exemption, because the
duties test requires the exercise of discretion and independent judgment on
matters of significance, and clerical, recording, and routine work is expressly
excluded from it. Under 29 CFR 541.203(e), personnel clerks who screen applicants
to obtain data on minimum qualifications generally do not meet the duties
requirements for the administrative exemption. Paying a salary does not change
this; the duties test still has to be met. Track hours from the first day. This
is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [benefits summary], [schedule]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 2: HR Records Clerk / Personnel Files
For a records custody role, with the three-file structure, the retention schedule, litigation holds, and employee file access requests written in as duties rather than assumptions.
HR Records Clerk / Personnel Files Job Description
HR RECORDS CLERK JOB DESCRIPTION (PERSONNEL FILES)
For a candidate with no HR experience, built around written procedures, training, and a growth path. If the role is broader than records from the start, the HR assistant templates are the better fit.
•Keep everything you see confidential, without exception
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•No HR experience required; attention to detail is the real requirement
•Comfortable with a computer, email, and basic spreadsheets
•Reliable, punctual, and willing to ask before guessing
•Able to keep confidential information confidential
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
•How employee records are structured and why the structure matters
•How hiring paperwork, onboarding, and payroll inputs connect
•The basics of employment recordkeeping and retention
•A path toward [HR assistant / HR coordinator] as you take on more
CLASSIFICATION NOTE
Non-exempt: hourly and overtime-eligible past 40 hours in a workweek. An
entry-level clerical role does not come close to any white-collar exemption, so
do not put it on a salary and call it exempt. If this person is a student or
under 18, check your state child labor rules on hours and scheduling before
setting the schedule. Unpaid internship structures do not apply to work that
mainly benefits the employer. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [benefits summary], [training provided]
To apply, email __ with your resume. No cover letter needed.
Template 4: HR and Payroll Clerk (Small Business)
For a small business where one person keeps the record and prepares the pay that follows from it. For a payroll-only role, use the payroll clerk templates instead.
HR and Payroll Clerk Job Description (Small Business)
HR AND PAYROLL CLERK JOB DESCRIPTION (SMALL BUSINESS)
[Company Name] runs [medical, dental, vision, 401(k)] for [number] employees and
hires [number] people a year. We are hiring a Benefits and Onboarding Clerk to
run the paperwork behind both: enrollments, changes, new hire packets, and the
first-week sequence that has to happen the same way every time.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Benefits and Onboarding Clerk processes benefit enrollments and changes,
prepares and tracks new hire documentation, and runs the administrative side of
onboarding from offer acceptance through the end of the first month.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Process benefit enrollments, changes, and terminations with our carriers and
in our system
•Track qualifying life events and open enrollment deadlines, and chase missing
elections
•Reconcile carrier invoices against our enrollment records and flag differences
•Prepare and send new hire packets, and confirm every required form comes back
•Complete Form I-9 within the required timeframe and file it separately from
the personnel file
•Run the onboarding checklist for each new hire: accounts, equipment,
paperwork, policy acknowledgments, and required trainings
•Schedule orientation and first-week meetings
•Maintain benefits and onboarding records under the retention schedule and keep
medical information in a separate confidential file
•Answer routine benefits questions from a written FAQ and route plan
interpretation questions to [HR Manager / broker]
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent; [associate degree preferred]
•[Number] year(s) of benefits administration, onboarding, or HR support work
•Deadline discipline: enrollment windows do not move
•Discretion with medical and personal information
•Comfort with an HRIS, benefits portals, and spreadsheets
COMPLIANCE NOTE
Two rules shape this job. First, medical and disability-related information is
kept in a separate confidential file with restricted access, not in the general
personnel file. Second, Form I-9 is completed on the schedule the law sets and
kept separately, retained for three years after the date of hire or one year
after employment ends, whichever is later, so it can be produced without exposing
the rest of the file. This is a processing role, not a plan interpretation role:
questions about eligibility, coverage decisions, or plan terms go to [HR Manager
/ your broker]. Confirm state continuation and notice requirements alongside
federal ones. This is general information, not legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [benefits summary]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
Template 6: Part-Time / Remote HR Clerk
For fewer than full-time hours or a home setup, with data handling rules and hour-tracking language built in. For a broader administrative role that is not HR specific, see the office clerk templates.
Part-Time / Remote HR Clerk Job Description
PART-TIME / REMOTE HR CLERK JOB DESCRIPTION
Company: __ ([City, State] / Remote)
Reports to: [HR Manager / Owner]
Employment type: Part-time, [number] hours per week [or remote full-time]
[Company Name] does not need a full-time HR clerk, but the records still need
someone. We are hiring a Part-Time [Remote] HR Clerk for [number] hours a week on
a set schedule, handling employee records, HR paperwork, and data entry from
[home / our office] with defined hours and defined tasks.
POSITION SUMMARY
The Part-Time HR Clerk maintains employee records and processes HR paperwork on
a fixed weekly schedule, working from written procedures with a clear escalation
path for anything outside them.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Maintain and update employee records in our HR system
•Process incoming HR paperwork: new hires, changes, separations
•Scan, index, and file documents into the correct record
•Audit records against a checklist and report gaps weekly
•Prepare routine correspondence and verification letters
•Monitor the HR inbox during your scheduled hours and route what needs judgment
•Log your hours accurately, including any time worked outside the schedule
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•High school diploma or equivalent
•[Number] year(s) of administrative or records experience
•Reliable availability on the agreed schedule: [days and hours]
•For remote work: a private workspace where confidential records cannot be seen
by others, and a secure internet connection
•Self-directed enough to work through a task list without supervision
REMOTE WORK REQUIREMENTS
•Confidential employee data is accessed only through [our approved systems],
never downloaded to a personal device
•No printing of personnel documents at home unless approved in writing
•Screen lock and device encryption required
•Report any suspected data exposure the same day
CLASSIFICATION AND COMPLIANCE NOTE
Non-exempt regardless of hours or location. Part-time does not mean exempt, and
remote does not mean untracked: every hour worked, including catching up on the
inbox after hours, is compensable and has to be recorded. Employers must maintain
accurate records of hours worked and wages paid for non-exempt employees, and a
remote arrangement does not relax that. Set the schedule in writing, require
hours to be logged, and state that work outside the schedule needs approval.
Where the employee works in a different state, confirm that state's wage, sick
leave, and pay statement rules apply to them. This is general information, not
legal advice.
EEO STATEMENT
[Company Name] is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable
accommodations for the essential functions of this role.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Compensation: $_ per hour, [schedule], [benefits if eligible]
To apply, email __ with your resume and your availability.
Why an HR Clerk Is Non-Exempt
An HR clerk is non-exempt: hourly, with overtime past 40 hours in a workweek. The administrative exemption requires a primary duty that includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance, and clerical, recording, and routine work sits outside that test.
The federal regulation on administrative exemption examples addresses this exact job. Personnel clerks who screen applicants to obtain data regarding their minimum qualifications and fitness for employment generally do not meet the duties requirements, because the standards being applied were set by someone else. The same section says human resources managers who formulate, interpret, or implement employment policies generally do meet them. Schools of thought differ on many classification questions, but not this one.
The administrative exemption does not reach a clerk
The administrative exemption requires a primary duty that includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance. Clerical, recording, and routine work sits outside that test by design. The regulations go further and name this exact job: under 29 CFR 541.203(e), personnel clerks who screen applicants to obtain data regarding their minimum qualifications and fitness for employment generally do not meet the duties requirements for the administrative exemption, because the standards they screen against were set by someone else. The same section says human resources managers who formulate, interpret, or implement employment policies generally do meet them. That is the whole line: setting the standard is exempt work, applying it mechanically is not. Classify the clerk as non-exempt and pay overtime. This is general information, not legal advice.
A salary does not create an exemption
Exemption requires clearing both a salary test and a duties test, and failing either one leaves the employee non-exempt. The federal salary threshold for the white-collar exemptions is $684 per week, or $35,568 a year, after the 2024 Department of Labor rule was vacated in the Eastern District of Texas in November 2024 and formally rescinded in May 2026. Paying an HR clerk more than that threshold does nothing on its own, because the duties test is the one this role fails. The practical mistake is common and expensive: an owner puts a clerk on a $45,000 salary, stops tracking hours, and discovers during a wage claim that two years of overtime were owed and never recorded. Put the role on an hourly rate, or on a salary with hours still tracked and overtime still paid. This is general information, not legal advice.
Retention periods stack, and the longest one wins
No single rule governs how long an employee record is kept. Under EEOC regulations, employers keep all personnel and employment records for one year, and where employment ended involuntarily, for one year from the date of termination. Payroll records are kept three years under the FLSA and the ADEA, along with collective bargaining agreements and sales and purchase records, while the records wage computations rest on, such as time cards and work schedules, are kept two years. The Equal Pay Act adds at least two years for records explaining wage differences between employees of opposite sexes. Form I-9 runs on its own clock: three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later. Many states impose longer periods. Write one schedule that reflects the longest applicable period for each document type, and follow it.
Three files, not one
A personnel file that holds everything is a liability waiting for a file request. Keep the main personnel file for job-related documents: offer letter, acknowledgments, reviews, discipline, pay changes. Keep a separate confidential medical file for anything health related, including accommodation requests, medical certifications, and health-related leave paperwork, with access limited to those who genuinely need it. Keep Form I-9 in a third file entirely, separate from both, so an inspection can be answered by producing the I-9 binder rather than opening every personnel file in the building. Add a fourth separation for investigation records where you run them. Making this structure the clerk's responsibility from day one is far easier than untangling a merged filing system two years in. Once a charge is filed, related records are preserved until the final disposition of the charge or any lawsuit based on it.
The practical failure is putting the clerk on a salary and stopping the clock. Both the salary test and the duties test have to be met under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and this role fails the duties test at any pay level.
Track hours from the first day and pay overtime when it happens. If the boundary feels close on an adjacent role, our breakdown of exempt versus non-exempt classification works through the tests properly.
The Records Duties That Carry Legal Weight
Most of an HR clerk job description is administrative, but a handful of duties carry real legal consequences and belong in writing. Retention schedules, file separation, and Form I-9 handling are the three that turn into findings when they go wrong.
The Department of Labor sets the payroll side. Under the FLSA recordkeeping requirements, covered employers keep payroll records, collective bargaining agreements, and sales and purchase records for three years, and keep the records on which wage computations are based, such as time cards, work schedules, and records of additions to or deductions from wages, for two years. No particular form is required, but the records have to be accurate.
The EEOC recordkeeping rules cover the personnel side. Employers keep all personnel and employment records for one year, and for one year from the date of termination where employment ended involuntarily. Once a charge is filed, related records are preserved until the final disposition of the charge or any lawsuit based on it.
Record type
Minimum retention
Source
Personnel and employment records
1 year, or 1 year from involuntary termination
EEOC regulations (Title VII, ADA, ADEA)
Payroll records
3 years
FLSA and ADEA
Time cards and wage computation records
2 years
FLSA recordkeeping requirements
Records explaining wage differences by sex
At least 2 years
Equal Pay Act
Benefit plans and seniority or merit systems
Full period in effect plus 1 year after termination
EEOC regulations
Form I-9
3 years after hire or 1 year after employment ends, whichever is later
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Records relevant to a filed charge
Until final disposition of the charge or lawsuit
EEOC regulations
Several states set longer periods and give employees a right to inspect their own personnel file within a fixed number of days. Build one written schedule that uses the longest applicable period for each document type, hand it to the clerk on day one, and treat destruction as a logged event rather than a spring cleaning decision.
Merged Files Are the Expensive Mistake
The single costliest filing habit at small companies is one folder per employee holding everything: the offer letter, the performance review, the disability accommodation request, the workers compensation claim, and the Form I-9. The moment a file request, an audit, or a charge arrives, you cannot produce one document without exposing the rest. Separate the main personnel file, the confidential medical file, and the I-9 file from the first hire. Retrofitting that separation across two hundred folders is a project nobody budgets for.
What to Pay an HR Clerk
There is no federal wage figure for HR clerk, because the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish an occupation by that title. The nearest classification is human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping, SOC 43-4161, which covers records maintenance, data entry, and HR paperwork alongside broader assistant work.
Nearest BLS Occupation: Human Resources Assistants (SOC 43-4161)
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping, had a national median wage of $50,610 a year, or $24.33 an hour. The percentile ladder runs $37,340 at the 10th, $44,030 at the 25th, $59,800 at the 75th, and $68,280 at the 90th (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates).
Because that occupation also captures broader assistant work, a narrow clerk role generally sits in the lower half of the band, nearer the 25th percentile of $44,030 than the median. Benchmark against the neighboring classifications rather than assuming the title maps cleanly onto one of them.
Nearest classification
National median (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
How it relates to an HR clerk
Human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping (43-4161)
$50,610 per year / $24.33 per hour
Closest match; a pure clerk role sits in the lower half of this band
Office clerks, general (43-9061)
$45,010 per year / $21.64 per hour
Better comparison for a narrow data entry and filing role
Payroll and timekeeping clerks (43-3051)
$58,260 per year / $28.01 per hour
Use for the combined HR and payroll clerk template
Human resources specialists (13-1071)
$75,940 per year / $36.51 per hour
The next tier up, where interpretation and judgment begin
Post an hourly rate rather than an annual figure. A non-exempt role advertised as a salary invites the assumption that overtime is included, which is exactly the misunderstanding you want to prevent, and where pay transparency laws apply an hourly good-faith range is what the statute expects anyway.
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Small businesses hire HR clerks for predictable reasons and make predictable mistakes doing it. The pattern is almost always the same: paperwork accumulates, someone decides a person will fix it, and the underlying process stays exactly as it was.
You are hiring a clerk to fix a problem a system should fix
The most common reason a small business decides it needs an HR clerk is that paperwork has piled up: forms nobody chased, files nobody indexed, acknowledgments nobody collected. Hiring a person to shovel that pile works, and it also locks in the pile as a permanent job. Before you post, separate the two questions. Ask what volume of genuinely manual work exists at your headcount, and ask how much of the current backlog exists because the process runs on email and a shared drive. At most companies under a hundred employees the honest answer is that a part-time clerk plus a system beats a full-time clerk plus a filing cabinet, and the part-time version is easier to hire and easier to keep.
You write a clerk posting and interview for a coordinator
This mismatch shows up constantly. The posting describes filing and data entry, then the interview asks how the candidate would improve the onboarding process, redesign the handbook, and advise a manager on a performance issue. Candidates notice, and the strong ones read it as a company that will pay clerk wages for coordinator work. Decide which job you are filling before you write a word. If the answer is that you want a clerk now who can grow into a coordinator, say exactly that in the posting, put a timeline on it, and interview for the clerk job while screening for the growth. Vague ambition in a job description reads as a bait and switch, and it costs you the candidates who had options.
The paperwork the clerk was hired to manage never became a process
A clerk inherits whatever system exists, and at most small businesses that system is a shared drive, a spreadsheet, and one person's memory. Six months later the same gaps reappear because nothing structural changed. FirstHR was built for the company that has no HR department to design the process for it. The onboarding wizard runs the same sequence for every new hire, e-signature collects acknowledgments without chasing, document management stores records against each employee profile with renewal dates attached, employee profiles and the HRIS keep one version of the data instead of three, and training modules handle required orientation. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR. FirstHR is an onboarding and HR platform, not a payroll provider, so payroll processing still runs through your provider.
The sequence that works is boring. Decide clerk or coordinator before writing anything, list the actual documents, publish the hourly rate, test for accuracy with a short practical exercise rather than screening on credentials, and check references for discretion rather than for enthusiasm. Then run a repeatable onboarding checklist so the person hired to fix your records does not start their own job with a records gap. The rest of the roles you may be filling alongside this one sit in the hiring templates library.
Key Takeaways
An HR clerk keeps the records tier of HR: personnel files, data entry, hiring paperwork, and retention, working from standards someone else set rather than interpreting policy.
The role is non-exempt under the FLSA, and paying a salary does not change that, because the duties test is the one a clerical role fails.
The federal regulations name this job specifically: personnel clerks who screen applicants against minimum qualifications generally do not meet the administrative exemption, while HR managers who formulate or interpret policy generally do.
There is no BLS occupation called HR clerk; the nearest is human resources assistants at a $50,610 median (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and a pure clerk role sits in the lower half of that band.
Retention periods stack from EEOC, FLSA, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, and I-9 rules, and the longest applicable period wins for each document type.
Keep three separate files from the first hire: the main personnel file, a confidential medical file, and Form I-9, because retrofitting that separation later is a project nobody budgets for.
Before you hire someone to shovel the paperwork, check how much of it exists because the process runs on email and a shared drive. FirstHR runs the same onboarding sequence for every hire, with e-signature for acknowledgments, document storage against each employee profile, and renewal dates tracked so nothing expires quietly. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an HR clerk do?
An HR clerk handles the records and paperwork tier of human resources. The core duties are maintaining personnel files for every employee, entering and verifying employee data in the HR system, collecting and checking hiring paperwork including tax forms and Form I-9, filing and retrieving documents against a retention schedule, preparing routine correspondence and employment verification letters, tracking missing forms and acknowledgments, and answering routine employee questions about where things are. The defining feature is that a clerk works from written procedures and standards someone else set, rather than interpreting policy or making decisions. That distinction is not cosmetic: it is what separates the clerk from an HR specialist, and it is what determines the overtime classification.
Is an HR clerk exempt or non-exempt from overtime?
Non-exempt. An HR clerk is an hourly employee entitled to overtime past 40 hours in a workweek. The administrative exemption requires a primary duty that includes the exercise of discretion and independent judgment with respect to matters of significance, and clerical, recording, and routine work is expressly excluded from that test. The regulations address this role directly: under 29 CFR 541.203(e), personnel clerks who screen applicants to obtain data regarding their minimum qualifications and fitness for employment generally do not meet the duties requirements for the administrative exemption, while human resources managers who formulate, interpret, or implement employment policies generally do. Paying a salary does not create an exemption, because both the salary test and the duties test have to be met and this role fails the duties test. Track hours from day one. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does an HR clerk make?
The federal government does not publish an HR clerk occupation, so there is no direct figure. The nearest classification is human resources assistants, except payroll and timekeeping, SOC 43-4161. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025), that occupation had a national median wage of $50,610 a year, or $24.33 an hour, with the lowest 10 percent at $37,340 and the highest 10 percent at $68,280. A pure clerk role generally sits in the lower half of that band, closer to the 25th percentile of $44,030, because the survey occupation also captures broader assistant work. For a narrow data entry and filing role, general office clerks at a median of $45,010 is the better comparison. Benchmark to your local market and post an hourly rate rather than an annual figure.
What is the difference between an HR clerk and an HR assistant?
Scope, mostly, and the difference is real even though the titles get used interchangeably. An HR clerk is defined by documents: files, data entry, forms, retention, and routine correspondence. An HR assistant does all of that and adds process support, such as scheduling interviews, helping run onboarding, and serving as the first point of contact for employee questions. Both are non-exempt hourly roles, and both work within standards someone else set, so the classification does not change between them. What changes is the pay and the candidate pool: an assistant posting attracts people who want exposure to the wider HR function, while a clerk posting attracts people who want a defined, predictable scope. Pick the title that matches the actual duties, because a clerk posting that describes assistant work loses candidates at the offer stage.
How long do I have to keep employee records?
Longer than most small businesses assume, and the periods stack rather than replace each other. Under EEOC regulations, employers keep all personnel and employment records for one year, and where employment ended involuntarily, for one year from the termination date. Payroll records are kept three years under the FLSA and the ADEA, while the records wage computations rest on, such as time cards and work schedules, are kept two years. The Equal Pay Act adds at least two years for records explaining wage differences between employees of opposite sexes. Form I-9 has a separate rule: three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later. Once a discrimination charge is filed, related records are preserved until the final disposition of the charge or any lawsuit based on it. Several states impose longer periods, so build one written schedule using the longest applicable period per document type.
Do I need an HR clerk or an HR coordinator?
Ask what the work actually is. If the volume is documents, data entry, filing, forms, and chasing missing paperwork, and the standards those tasks follow already exist, you need a clerk. If the work is owning a process end to end, running the hiring pipeline, designing the onboarding sequence, or managing open enrollment, you need a coordinator, and you should expect to pay accordingly. The failure mode is writing a clerk posting and interviewing for a coordinator, which candidates spot immediately and read as clerk wages for coordinator work. If you genuinely want a clerk who grows into a coordinator, say so in the posting with a timeline attached, then interview for the clerk job while screening for the growth potential. Vague ambition in a job description costs you the candidates who have other options.
Can a small business hire a part-time HR clerk?
Yes, and for most small businesses it is the better first move. Records work scales with headcount and hiring volume, and below roughly a hundred employees the genuinely manual portion often fits in 15 to 25 hours a week. A part-time clerk is also easier to hire and easier to retain than a full-time one who runs out of work by Wednesday. Two cautions. Part-time does not mean exempt: the role stays hourly and overtime-eligible regardless of scheduled hours. And remote does not mean untracked, so require hours to be logged, state that work outside the schedule needs approval, and set rules for handling confidential records at home. Before hiring at all, check how much of your backlog exists because the process runs on email and a shared drive rather than a system. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
What qualifications should I require for an HR clerk?
Keep the bar honest, because an inflated requirements list shrinks your applicant pool without improving the hire. A high school diploma or equivalent is the standard floor, with an associate degree as a preference rather than a requirement. Ask for one to two years of clerical, administrative, or data entry experience, and drop even that for a genuine entry-level posting. The requirements that actually predict performance are accuracy with detail, comfort with spreadsheets and an HR or payroll system, and demonstrated discretion with confidential information, since this person will see medical certifications, pay rates, and disciplinary records in the first month. An HR certification is not a reasonable requirement at this level and signals that you have mispriced the role. Test for accuracy with a short practical exercise instead of screening on credentials.
