Overview
This role is part of Payroll Tax Operations (PTO) and focuses on accurate, timely resolution of payroll tax issues across Notices, Corrections, Amendments, and Pay & File. The Senior Payroll Tax Processor is a core production contributor, using strong technical skills and meaningful independence to manage a high-volume case workload.
The position emphasizes detail orientation and customer focus, with hands-on experience resolving tax notices, correcting payroll errors, and preparing amended returns. Ongoing growth in technical depth is expected, along with serving as a mentor and role model for teammates.
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 a 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:
- Prioritize cases by SLA date
- Flag aging cases before they breach SLA
- Maintain thorough case documentation from first touch to closure
- Perform high-level trend analysis using customer data, system data, and agency correspondence to identify process or system deficiencies
- Contribute to SOP and KB updates:
- Flag outdated content
- Suggest revisions
- Document 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 actively seek coaching and development from Staff Payroll Tax Processor and managers
Minimum Hours / Schedule
- Minimum: 20 hours per week
- Option to flex up to 40 hours per week based on business need
- Hourly, non-exempt role eligible for overtime pay
Qualifications
- 2–3+ years of hands-on payroll tax experience, with 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 ability to:
- Read a notice
- Identify the notice 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 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
- 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
- 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 professional interaction with state and federal tax agencies and clear, complete documentation of case activity
- 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 viewed favorably; CPP holders 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 (hourly), by 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 may 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
This role is available in:
- California (Bay Area)
- Southern California
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New York
- Ohio
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington