Payroll Tax Accountant

About the role

The Payroll Tax Accountant plays a key role in ensuring accurate, compliant payroll tax operations for one of the nation’s leading public research universities. This position is responsible for administering multi-state payroll tax compliance, reconciling payroll tax data, researching and resolving complex tax issues, and ensuring the university remains compliant with federal, state, and local tax regulations.

Responsibilities

• Manage multi-state payroll tax filings, remittances, reconciliations, and reporting to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local tax regulations.
• Cook up quarterly and annual payroll tax reporting, including W-2 reconciliations and unemployment insurance filings.
• Monitor changing tax legislation and implement new payroll tax requirements.
• Research and resolve complex payroll tax discrepancies, withholding issues, and reporting exceptions.
• Partner with Payroll and HR teams to identify root causes, improve processes, and strengthen payroll tax accuracy.
• Oversee the payroll taxation of taxable fringe benefits and non-salary compensation, including relocation expenses, tuition waivers, awards, and other taxable payments.
• Ensure IRS reporting requirements are accurately applied across payroll cycles.
• Test payroll tax system updates and validate compliance with new tax rates and reporting requirements.
• Develop and maintain payroll tax procedures while serving as a trusted resource for internal stakeholders on payroll tax regulations and best practices.
• Provide backup support for payroll tax operations and contribute to the continued success of the Payroll team.

Qualifications

• Minimum Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree with 12 credit hours of accounting coursework; or Associate’s degree in Accounting; or Associate’s degree in Business or related discipline with 12 credit hours of accounting coursework; or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• Other Required Qualifications: None.
• Preferred Qualifications: Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Access, Word, and PowerPoint (or comparable software), to analyze data, prepare reports, and communicate complex information effectively. Demonstrated success working with an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system such as PeopleSoft, SAP, Oracle, or a similar platform to process and manage payroll or financial transactions. Working knowledge of IRS Form 941 reporting and payroll processing within a complex organizational environment. Direct responsibility for payroll tax reporting and compliance in an organization with at least 500 employees operating across multiple states. Ability to create and use database queries to retrieve, analyze, and validate payroll or financial data.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision
• Flexible Spending Account
• Retailer Programs
• Retirement Programs
• Disability Plans
• Life Insurance
• Accident Plan
• Paid Time Off and Other Leave Programs
• 12 Holidays Each Year
• Tuition and Academic Assistance

Pay

Commensurate with education and experience ($63,000 - $67,000)

Schedule

Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (This position is eligible for a flexible work arrangement to include hybrid remote work).