California Payroll Specialist - Multi-State & Compliance

Argen; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Argen in San Diego, CA is seeking a Payroll Specialist to manage bi-weekly payroll processing for California and other states. The role emphasizes accurate hours, earnings, deductions, and timely payroll journal entries, with a focus on compliance and audit-ready records.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years of full-cycle payroll experience, familiarity with ADP or Paylocity, and strong Excel skills. On-site, Monday–Friday, with opportunities to support automation and process improvements.

Qualifications

• A high school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) a plus.
• 3+ years of full-cycle payroll processing experience, including California payroll.
• Multi-state payroll experience required, including state and local tax withholding.
• Working knowledge of California wage-and-hour requirements, including meal and rest period premiums, overtime and double time, regular rate of pay, final pay timing, and paid sick leave.
• Working knowledge of federal wage and hour (FLSA) requirements and federal and state payroll tax regulations.
• Experience preparing quarterly payroll tax filings, processing year-end W-2s, and responding to agency notices.
• Experience processing garnishments and benefit deductions.
• Hands-on experience with a payroll platform such as ADP or Paylocity. Experience entering journal entries in an ERP or general ledger system is a plus.
• Experience with timekeeping systems and reconciling time data to payroll.
• Basic understanding of accounting principles, including journal entries and account reconciliations.
• Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills (e.g., lookups, pivot tables) and proficiency with Word and Outlook.
• Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to meet fixed payroll deadlines.
• Handles confidential employee and compensation information with discretion.
• Ability to follow established procedures and controls and to recognize when issues should be escalated.
• Communicates clearly and professionally with employees, supervisors, and management at all levels.
• Comfortable using technology and AI tools, with a willingness to support process automation and continuous improvement.
• Able to multitask and manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Works well in a team environment to support audits and tax preparation.

Responsibilities

• Processes bi-weekly payroll from timecard export through payroll transmission, following established procedures, checklists, and deadlines.
• Performs pre- and post-payroll reviews, comparing payroll results to prior periods and investigating significant variances before payroll is finalized.
• Reviews timecards for hourly employees and communicates exceptions to supervisors so that errors are corrected before payroll is processed.
• Ensures all manual changes to timecards are supported by the appropriate signed timekeeping form.
• Ensures meal period waivers are completed and on file, and that meal and rest period premiums are applied in accordance with California requirements and company policy.
• Calculates and applies the regular rate of pay for overtime and double time, including when bonuses, commissions, or premiums apply, using the company’s established methodology.
• Maintains paid sick leave and vacation/PTO accruals and balances in the payroll system, and ensures accruals, usage, and balances are reported on wage statements in accordance with California requirements and company policy.
• Reviews employee wage statements for accuracy and completeness in accordance with California wage statement requirements.
• Enters and verifies benefit and insurance premium deductions to confirm they are correctly deducted from paychecks.
• Reconciles 401(k) and other benefit deductions and supports the timely remittance of employee deferrals and employer contributions.
• Processes commissions, bonuses, and spot bonuses based on approved calculations and authorizations.
• Enters new hires, rate changes, status changes, and terminations in the payroll system and verifies each is supported by approved documentation.
• Coordinates with Human Resources on employee data changes, leaves of absence, and benefit changes that affect pay.
• Processes final pay for terminations and resignations within California final pay timing requirements, and prepares and distributes manual or paper checks when necessary.
• Processes multi-state payroll, including state and local tax withholding setup for employees working outside California.
• Processes W-4s and state withholding forms and maintains accurate tax withholding records.
• Processes and monitors garnishments, wage orders, and other deductions that affect employee pay.
• Serves as the first point of contact for employee payroll questions and responds to verification of employment requests.
• Responds to EDD and other agency wage inquiries, including unemployment claim wage information, in coordination with Human Resources.
• Researches and resolves routine payroll discrepancies and escalates complex or compliance-related issues to the Accounting Manager.
• Corresponds with banks regarding deposits, withdrawals, and discrepancies.
• Tracks outstanding and uncashed payroll checks and supports unclaimed property reporting.
• Inputs the bi-weekly payroll journal entry into the general ledger from the payroll register and ties the entry to the register.
• Supports month-end close by providing payroll registers and reports to the accounting team and assisting with reconciliations of payroll-related balance sheet accounts.
• Prepares, reviews, and reconciles quarterly and annual federal, state, and local payroll tax filings, and researches and resolves tax notices from agencies.
• Prepares year-end payroll reports and W-2s.
• Prepares payroll data for workers’ compensation premium audits, 401(k) plan audits and census reporting, and other compliance reports as requested.
• Keeps detailed, organized, and audit-ready payroll records, and provides documentation requested by auditors.
• Maintains the confidentiality of payroll and employee information, follows established internal controls and approval requirements for payroll changes, and retains payroll records in accordance with legal and company retention requirements.
• Supports the department’s efforts to automate and streamline payroll processes, including the use of AI tools to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Stays current on changes to federal, California, and other state payroll regulations relevant to the company.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Skills

Payroll processing

California payroll

Timekeeping

ERP systems

ADP/Paylocity

Excel

Education

Bachelor’s in Accounting/Business

FPC preferred

CPP certification a plus

Tools

ADP Paylocity

Timekeeping systems

Job description

Argen in San Diego, CA is seeking a Payroll Specialist to manage bi-weekly payroll processing for California and other states. The role emphasizes accurate hours, earnings, deductions, and timely payroll journal entries, with a focus on compliance and audit-ready records.

The ideal candidate has 3+ years of full-cycle payroll experience, familiarity with ADP or Paylocity, and strong Excel skills. On-site, Monday–Friday, with opportunities to support automation and process improvements.