Payroll Specialist

Job Description We are seeking a Payroll Consultant to support HR Operations and Payroll with payroll tax cleanup, state agency account maintenance, unemployment insurance administration, and acquisition-related payroll and tax closures. This role is ideal for someone with payroll operations or compliance experience who can research discrepancies, resolve issues, and manage multiple projects across payroll, HR, and Finance.
Responsibilities

• Payroll Tax Review and Cleanup
• Review historical payroll tax filings, notices, and agency correspondence to identify and resolve discrepancies.
• Assist with payroll tax account reconciliations and cleanup activities across federal, state, and local jurisdictions.
• Research tax variances, filing discrepancies, and registration issues.
• Partner with payroll and state agencies to resolve outstanding payroll tax matters.
• State Agency Administration
• Review, update, and maintain payroll-related accounts across state tax and unemployment agency websites.
• Validate account information, login credentials, mailing addresses, and authorized contacts.
• Monitor and organize state agency notices, correspondence, and account statuses.
• Ensure payroll registrations and agency records remain current and compliant.
• Acquisition and Entity Closure Support
• Assist with payroll and tax-related activities associated with acquisitions, mergers, and company integrations.
• Coordinate closure of legacy payroll tax accounts and unemployment insurance accounts with state agencies.
• Support required filings and documentation during entity wind-downs and transitions.
• Track closure activities and maintain documentation of completed actions.
• Unemployment Insurance Administration
• Coordinate the distribution of state-required unemployment insurance documents to terminated employees.
• Monitor termination workflows to identify when state-specific unemployment documentation is required.
• Maintain records of completed notifications and correspondence.
• Support responses to unemployment-related inquiries and requests.
• Project Support
• Assist with special payroll projects and process improvement initiatives.
• Partner with HR, Finance, Legal, and external vendors as needed.
• Track open items, manage follow-up activities, and ensure timely resolution of assigned projects.
  

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in payroll, payroll tax, payroll administration, or a related field.
• Working knowledge of payroll tax regulations and state unemployment insurance requirements.
• Experience with payroll systems, payroll vendors, and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong research, problem-solving, and discrepancy-resolution skills.
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and written and verbal communication.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities independently with minimal supervision.
• Experience with multi-state payroll, state agency accounts, tax reconciliations, or payroll tax corrections is preferred.
• Experience supporting acquisitions, mergers, or entity closures is preferred.
• Familiarity with UKG, Rippling, ADP, Workday, or similar payroll platforms is preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification or a similar payroll credential is a plus.