Payroll Tax Operations and Services Senior Associate

Overview

This role supports Payroll Tax Operations, resolving payroll tax issues across Notices, Corrections, Amendments, and Pay & File. As a Senior Payroll Tax Processor, you’ll be a core production contributor with strong technical competence and meaningful independence in a high-volume case workload.

Responsibilities

• Execute full-cycle payroll tax case work for assigned accounts, including:
  • Process payroll runs accurately
  • Audit pre- and post-payroll output
  • Manage tax filings and payments
  • Maintain 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
  • 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 retaining ownership
• Support payroll correction workflows by:
  • Identifying the source of payroll error
  • Quantifying tax impact across affected quarters
  • Documenting the correction audit trail
  • Seeing the resolution through to completion
• Manage a personal WIP queue with discipline by:
  • Prioritizing cases by SLA date
  • Flagging aging cases before they breach SLA
  • 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  • Flagging outdated content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
  • Documenting solutions to previously unresolved issues
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Corrections, Amendments, Pay & File, and Tax Notice teams; serve as a role model for TP1 staff and seek coaching and development from Staff Payroll Tax Processor and managers

Requirements

• 2–3+ years of hands-on payroll tax experience with a strong focus on:
  • Notice resolution
  • Amended return preparation
  • Payroll error correction across multiple states (not just general payroll administration)
• Working knowledge of IRS and state agency notice types, including the ability to:
  • Read a notice
  • Identify the type
  • Understand the agency’s claim
  • 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
  • Deposit mismatch notices
• Comprehensive knowledge of tax payment and filing regulations, including:
  • Understanding the distinction between employee and employer tax responsibilities across federal and state jurisdictions
• Hands-on experience preparing and approving amended Federal and State payroll tax returns across all states, including jurisdictions with complex local requirements such as PA and OH
  • Includes Form 941-X and W-2c
• Deep knowledge of federal payroll tax law, including:
  • FICA, FUTA, FITW
  • Employment tax deposit schedules
  • Associated penalty and interest structures
• Multi-state payroll tax expertise, including:
  • Reciprocal agreements
  • Resident and nonresident taxation
  • SUI account management
  • 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
  • Reconciliation auditing
  • Ability to trace a tax discrepancy through a spreadsheet independently
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability 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 (varies by work location):
  • California (Bay Area): $32.00 - $43.00
  • Southern California: $32.00 - $43.00
  • Colorado: $24.50 - $33.00
  • District of Columbia: $24.50 - $33.00
  • Hawaii: $25.50 - $35.00
  • Illinois: $24.50 - $33.00
  • Maine: $22.50 - $30.50
  • Maryland: $24.50 - $33.00
  • Massachusetts: $25.50 - $35.00
  • Minnesota: $25.50 - $35.00
  • New Jersey: $25.50 - $35.00
  • New York: $32.00 - $43.00
  • Ohio: $22.50 - $30.50
  • Vermont: $24.50 - $33.00
  • Virginia: $24.50 - $33.00
  • Washington: $25.50 - $35.00
• This position will be eligible for a cash bonus, equity rewards, and benefits in accordance with applicable plans and programs.
• Pay offered is based on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and work location.
• Regular comparisons are conducted across categories of ethnicity and gender to support ongoing fair pay.

Location

Roles in the following areas are listed with separate base pay ranges:

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