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, operating with strong technical competence and meaningful independence across a high-volume case workload.
The position is detail-oriented and customer-focused, with hands-on responsibility for resolving tax notices, correcting payroll errors, and preparing amended returns. The role also serves as a mentor and role model for colleagues while continuing to build technical depth.
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 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- Flagging outdated content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
- Participate in cross-functional collaboration across 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 focused on notice resolution, amended return preparation, and payroll error correction across multiple states (not just general payroll administration)
- Working knowledge of IRS and state agency notice types, including:
- Reading a notice
- Identifying the notice type
- Understanding the agency’s claim
- Determining 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 (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 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
Preferred Qualifications
- CPP preferred for candidates with 4+ years of experience
- Experience at a payroll service bureau, PEO, or multi-client payroll tax environment
Compensation & Benefits
- This is an hourly, non-exempt position eligible for overtime pay.
- Expected base pay range (by 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
- 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 factors including job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and work location.
- Regular comparisons are conducted across categories of ethnicity and gender to support ongoing fair pay.
Location
- United States (roles are available across the listed pay locations)
Schedule
- Minimum 20 hours per week, with the option to flex up to 40 hours per week based on business need.
- Year-round virtual expert services with flexible hours and schedules.