← All careers

Business & Finance

Compensation and Benefits Managers

Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.

Median salary (BLS)

$149,230

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$89k – $257k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $112,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Compensation and Benefits Managers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Compensation and Benefits Managers Intern

    Internship

    $44,580

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Compensation and Benefits Managers

    Entry / Junior

    $89,160

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Compensation and Benefits Managers

    Established

    $149,230

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Compensation and Benefits Managers

    Senior

    $202,900

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Direct preparation and distribution of written and verbal information to inform employees of benefits, compensation, and personnel policies.
  • •Design, evaluate, and modify benefits policies to ensure that programs are current, competitive, and in compliance with legal requirements.
  • •Fulfill all reporting requirements of all relevant government rules and regulations, including the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
  • •Analyze compensation policies, government regulations, and prevailing wage rates to develop competitive compensation plan.
  • •Identify and implement benefits to increase the quality of life for employees by working with brokers and researching benefits issues.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Business & Finance

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.