Overview
This role supports Payroll Tax Operations (PTO) as a payroll tax professional responsible for accurate, timely resolution of payroll tax issues across Notices, Corrections, Amendments, and Pay & File. The Senior Payroll Tax Processor is a core production contributor for a high-volume case workload, applying strong technical competence and meaningful independence.
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, such as:
- Balance-due notices
- Deposit discrepancies
- SUI rate change notices
- Account mismatch notices
- Own cases from intake through confirmed closure
- Prepare written agency responses with complete supporting documentation, submitting within agency-required deadlines and confirming receipt.
- Prepare amended payroll tax returns (Form 941-X and state equivalents) independently for complex amendments.
- Support payroll correction workflows, including:
- Identify the source of a payroll error
- Quantify tax impact across affected quarters
- Document the correction audit trail
- See resolutions 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 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- Contribute to SOP and KB updates by flagging outdated content, suggesting revisions, and documenting solutions to previously unresolved issues.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 cross-functionally with Corrections, Amendments, Pay & File, and Tax Notice teams.
- Serve as a role model for TP1 staff
- Seek coaching and development from Staff Payroll Tax Processor and managers
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 general payroll administration only)
- 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 independently resolving State and Federal payroll tax notices, 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 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 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 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 (hourly), based on work location:
- California (Bay Area): $36.00 - $49.00
- Southern California: $36.00 - $49.00
- Colorado: $27.00 - $36.50
- District of Columbia: $27.00 - $36.50
- Hawaii: $28.50 - $38.50
- Illinois: $27.00 - $36.50
- Maine: $25.00 - $33.50
- Maryland: $27.00 - $36.50
- Massachusetts: $28.50 - $38.50
- Minnesota: $25.00 - $33.50
- New Jersey: $28.50 - $38.50
- New York: $29.50 - $34.47
- Ohio: $25.00 - $33.50
- Vermont: $27.00 - $36.50
- Virginia: $27.00 - $36.50
- Washington: $28.50 - $38.50
- Eligible for 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.
Location
- Remote / virtual role with coverage across multiple states.
- This position is available in the listed pay range geographies.
Schedule
- Minimum 20 hours per week, with option to flex up to 40 hours per week based on business need.
- Hourly, non-exempt position; eligible for overtime pay.