Payroll Tax Operations and Services Associate

Overview

This role supports Payroll Tax Operations (PTO) as a payroll tax professional responsible for accurate and timely resolution of payroll tax issues across Notices, Corrections, Amendments, and Pay & File. The Senior Payroll Tax Processor is a core production contributor with strong technical competence and meaningful independence in resolving a high-volume case workload.

Responsibilities

• Execute full-cycle payroll tax case work for assigned accounts, including processing payroll runs accurately, auditing pre- and post-payroll output, managing tax filings and payments, and maintaining compliance across all active jurisdictions.
• Independently research and resolve complex State and Federal payroll tax notices, including balance-due notices, deposit discrepancies, SUI rate change notices, and account mismatch notices; own each case from intake through confirmed closure.
• Prepare written agency responses with complete supporting documentation, submit within agency-required deadlines, and confirm receipt.
• Prepare amended payroll tax returns (Form 941-X and state equivalents) independently on complex amendments while maintaining ownership.
• Support payroll correction workflows by identifying the source of a payroll error, quantifying tax impact across affected quarters, documenting the correction audit trail, and seeing resolution through to completion.
• Manage a personal WIP queue with discipline by prioritizing cases by SLA date, flagging aging cases before they breach SLA, and maintaining thorough case documentation from first touch to closure.
• Perform high-level trend analysis of customer data, system data, and agency correspondence to identify process or system deficiencies.
• Contribute to SOP and KB updates by flagging outdated content, suggesting revisions, and documenting solutions to previously unresolved issues.
• Collaborate across Corrections, Amendments, Pay & File, and Tax Notice teams; serve as a role model for TP1 staff and actively seek coaching and development from Staff Payroll Tax Processor and managers.

Qualifications

• 2–3+ years of hands-on payroll tax experience with a strong focus on notice resolution, amended return preparation, and payroll error correction across multiple states.
• Working knowledge of IRS and state agency notice types; able to read a notice, identify the type, understand the agency’s claim, and determine the appropriate resolution path.
• Demonstrated experience resolving State and Federal payroll tax notices independently, including balance-due notices, penalty assessments, SUI rate change notices, and deposit mismatch notices.
• Comprehensive knowledge of tax payment and filing regulations, including the distinction between employee and employer tax responsibilities across federal and state jurisdictions.
• Hands-on experience preparing and approving amended Federal (Form 941-X, W-2c) and State payroll tax returns across all states, including jurisdictions with complex local requirements such as PA, OH, and more.
• Deep knowledge of federal payroll tax law, including FICA, FUTA, FITW, employment tax deposit schedules, and associated penalty and interest structures.
• Multi-state payroll tax expertise, including reciprocal agreements, resident and nonresident taxation, SUI account management, and local tax compliance across multiple jurisdictions.
• Proficiency with at least one payroll platform and comfort navigating case management systems such as Salesforce.
• Excel/Google Sheets skills required, including VLOOKUP, pivot tables, and reconciliation auditing; able to trace a tax discrepancy through a spreadsheet independently.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to interact professionally with state and federal tax agencies and document case activity clearly and completely.
• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Business, or Finance preferred; equivalent experience accepted.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) required; CPP preferred for candidates with 4+ years of experience. Active pursuit of CPP is viewed favorably. CPP holders will be evaluated for accelerated development.
• Experience at a payroll service bureau, PEO, or multi-client payroll tax environment is a significant advantage.

Compensation & Benefits

• Expected base pay range by work location:
  • California (Bay Area): $27.50 - $37.50
  • Southern California: $27.50 - $37.50
  • Colorado: $21.50 - $29.50
  • District of Columbia: $21.50 - $29.50
  • Hawaii: $23.00 - $31.00
  • Illinois: $21.50 - $29.50
  • Maine: $19.50 - $26.50
  • Maryland: $21.50 - $29.50
  • Massachusetts: $23.00 - $31.00
  • Minnesota: $19.50 - $26.50
  • New Jersey: $23.00 - $31.00
  • New York: $27.50 - $37.50
  • Ohio: $19.50 - $26.50
  • Vermont: $21.50 - $29.50
  • Virginia: $21.50 - $29.50
  • Washington: $23.00 - $31.00
• This position may be eligible for a cash bonus, equity rewards, and benefits, in accordance with applicable plans and programs.
• Pay offered is based on factors such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and work location.
• Ongoing fair pay approach includes regular comparisons across categories of ethnicity and gender.

Location

• Bay Area (California)
• Southern California
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• New Jersey
• New York
• Ohio
• Vermont
• Virginia
• Washington