Payroll Counselor

AAA; Costa Mesa (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

401(k) matching

Tuition assistance

Floating holidays

Job summary

Auto Club Enterprises in Costa Mesa, CA is seeking a Payroll Counselor to process payroll accurately and timely, support employees, managers and HR partners, and ensure compliance with payroll laws.

The role handles complex payroll transactions, audits, garnishments, off-cycle payments, and improvements. Requires 2+ years in payroll, Workday experience, advanced Excel, and CPP preferred.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of payroll experience in a multi-state environment.
• Strong knowledge of payroll compliance, taxation, garnishments, leave administration, and payroll operations.
• Hands‑on Experience with Workday Payroll, Time Tracking and Absence Management.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (formulas, pivot tables, data analysis, reporting).
• CPP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Process employee terminations and final pay calculations.
• Review payroll audit reports and monitor retroactive transactions.
• Manage payroll cases and employee correspondence.
• Process company transfer vacation payouts.
• Administer garnishments, ACH reversals, stop payments, and deceased wage payments.
• Process off-cycle payments, reimbursements, wage verifications, and W-2 inquiries.
• Support Time & Attendance, Leave Management, relocations, and pay slip requests.
• Maintain payment/tax elections and resolve payroll overpayments.
• End-date benefits records when necessary.
• Update payroll procedures and identify process improvements.
• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations.

Skills

Payroll compliance

Data analysis

Communication

Customer service

CPP certification

Tools

Workday Payroll

Workday Time Tracking

Absence Management

Job description

Payroll Counselor

The Payroll Counselor is a payroll expert responsible for processing payroll accurately and on time while providing excellent support to employees, managers, and HR partners. This role handles complex payroll transactions, resolves payroll issues and questions, ensures compliance with payroll laws and regulations, and helps improve payroll processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Process employee terminations and final pay calculations.

• Review payroll audit reports and monitor retroactive (retro) transactions.

• Manage BMC payroll cases and employee correspondence.

• Process company transfer vacation payouts.

• Administer garnishments, ACH reversals, stop payments, bank rejects, and deceased wage payments.

• Process off-cycle payments, reimbursements, wage verifications, and W-2 inquiries/corrections.

• Support Time & Attendance, Leave Management, moving/relocation transactions, and pay slip requests.

• Maintain payment elections, tax elections, and resolve payroll overpayments.

• Manually end-date benefits records when necessary.

• Update payroll procedures, participate in special projects, and identify process improvement opportunities.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local payroll regulations.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years of accounting or payroll experience in a multi-state environment.

• Strong knowledge of payroll compliance, taxation, garnishments, leave administration, and payroll operations.

• Hands‑on experience with Workday Payroll, Workday Time Tracking, and Absence Management.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including formulas, pivot tables, data analysis, and reporting.

• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Teams).

• Familiarity with AI‑powered tools to improve productivity, data analysis, reporting, documentation, and process efficiency.

• Strong analytical, problem‑solving, customer service, and communication skills.

• CPP certification preferred.

Key Competencies:

• Payroll Operations
• Workday Expertise
• Excel & Data Analysis
• Microsoft Office
• AI Tools & Automation
• Compliance
• Customer Service
• Process Improvement
• Attention to Detail
• Collaboration
• Continuous Improvement

#LI-SB-1

The starting pay range for this position is:

$25.03 - $33.34

Additionally, for full time positions, you will be eligible to participate in our incentive program based upon the achievement of organization, team and personal performance.

Remarkable benefits:

• Health coverage for medical, dental, vision
• 401(K) saving plans with company match AND Pension
• Tuition assistance
• Floating holidays and PTO for community volunteer programs
• Paid parental leave
• Wellness programs
• Employee discounts (membership, insurance,
• travel, entertainment, services and more!)

Auto Club Enterprises is the largest club within the national AAA federation. We have nearly 17,000 employees in 24 states helping more than 18 million members. The strength of our organization is our employees. Bringing together and supporting different cultures, backgrounds, personalities, and strengths creates a team capable of delivering legendary, lifetime service to our members. When we embrace our diversity – we win. All of Us! With our national brand recognition, long-standing reputation since 1900, and constantly growing membership, we are seeking career‑minded, service‑driven professionals to join our team.

“Through dedicated employees we proudly deliver legendary service and beneficial products that provide members peace of mind and value.”

AAA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our organization participates in E-Verify

The Automobile Club of Southern California will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance (FCIHO), the Unincorporated Los Angeles County (ULAC) regulation, and the California Fair Chance Act (CFCA).