Payroll Tax Analyst

About the Role

This role drives process efficiencies and leads payroll tax compliance processes for all payroll tax matters. The Payroll Tax Analyst II serves as a subject matter expert for federal, state, and local regulations, including tax, audit, and reporting laws for the US and Canada. The position requires in-depth knowledge of complex tax processes within the payroll tax department and involves frequent interactions with cross-functional departments and senior management.

Responsibilities

• Lead tax processes for North America, including review and filing of federal, state, local, and provincial withholding and unemployment taxes in the US and Canada.
• Perform quarterly and year-end reconciliations of all payroll tax liabilities, balancing to the General Ledger Accounting.
• Analyze pay records to determine correct taxation setup for employees and employer, maintaining compliance with federal, state, local, and provincial regulations.
• Ensure timely and accurate updates for tax rates (e.g., state unemployment rates) in BSI and SAP payroll systems.
• Prepare and submit all Canada payroll tax returns, including Workers’ Compensation and Employer Health Tax returns.
• Serve as subject matter expert for impatriate/expatriate taxation, including hypo tax calculations, worldwide income reporting, and conversion rates for international assignees.
• Manage the third-party tax vendor in the United States and ensure payroll tax compliance through research and analysis.
• Oversee the completion and distribution of year-end wage and tax statements (Form W-2, W-2C, T4A, and T4), including calculations for worldwide income, gross-ups, third-party sick pay, relocation expenses, and other taxable income.
• Respond to all tax notices and governmental correspondence, including tax overpayments, refunds, penalty, and interest claims.
• Calculate and report taxable income for employees with company cars, ensuring inclusion on W-2 or T4 forms.
• Prepare and submit data to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Multiple Worksite Reporting.
• Manage bank transfers to cover payroll tax liabilities and prepare documents for Treasury and Accounting for tax wire transactions.
• Provide subject matter expertise for executive management payments, including long-term incentives, short-term incentives, restricted stock, stock appreciation rights, stock options, and severance.
• Maintain tax authority records, including new registrations, address changes, and closing tax accounts.
• Ensure tax compliance during mergers and acquisitions.
• Manage internal and external payroll tax audits and maintain required payroll tax records for the IRS and Canada Revenue Agency.
• Stay current on payroll tax law changes for the US and Canada through annual course study.
• Lead company projects representing payroll tax processes for the US and Canada, working independently with minimal oversight.
• Perform additional responsibilities, duties, and special projects as assigned by the Payroll Manager.

Requirements

• Thorough knowledge of payroll tax regulations, practices, and procedures in both the United States and Canada.
• General knowledge of accounting principles.
• Experience with multi-state payroll and Canada tax.
• Experience with BSI and SAP payroll systems.