Payroll Specialist

DarrowEverett LLP; Providence (RI); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

DarrowEverett LLP is seeking a Payroll Specialist to support our growing practice. The role involves processing payroll bi-weekly, managing deductions, and maintaining precise records while ensuring compliance with firm policies and applicable regulations.

A key focus is administering attorney origination compensation and understanding the firm’s billing/revenue cycle to determine when compensation is earned. Collaboration with HR and Accounting is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Associate degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related field.
• Proven payroll processing experience is required.
• Experience administering commission, variable, or incentive-based compensation structures is required.
• Legal industry origination experience is a plus but not required; relevant commission background from any industry is encouraged.
• Ability to manage multiple individualized compensation arrangements and adapt to evolving policies.
• Strong understanding of payroll regulations, tax requirements, and compliance standards.
• Familiarity with HRIS and payroll software systems (Paycom a plus).
• Knowledge of benefits administration and related deductions is encouraged.
• Comfort communicating compensation logic and policy requirements to technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Process end-to-end payroll on a bi-weekly schedule with accuracy and timeliness.
• Calculate wages, overtime, bonuses, and other compensation adjustments.
• Ensure proper handling of payroll deductions, taxes, benefits, garnishments, and withholdings.
• Maintain and update employee payroll records including new hires and terminations.
• Verify timekeeping data and resolve discrepancies before payroll processing.
• Assist with compliance reporting and audits and support year-end processes.

Skills

Payroll processing

Commission-based pay

HRIS experience

Regulatory compliance

Paycom experience

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Education

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business

Tools

Paycom

HRIS systems

Job description

DarrowEverett LLP is looking for a Payroll Specialist to support our growing Practice. The candidate must have excellent communication and administrative skills, be highly organized and detail-oriented, be able to multitask without sacrificing efficiency, be responsible, and be able to represent the firm, always, in ways that enhance its reputation.

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for accurately processing employee payroll while ensuring compliance with company policies and applicable regulations. Reporting to the Human Resources team, this role works closely with accounting to manage payroll data, including employee earnings, taxes, and deductions.

A key responsibility of this role is administering attorney origination compensation, the firm’s commission‑style structure for credit earned on collected revenue from both new and continuing client matters. Because payments are based on collections, the Payroll Specialist must understand the firm’s billing and revenue cycle—from time entry and invoicing through client payment and collection—to determine when compensation is earned and payable. Arrangements can vary by attorney and can include multiple factors such as billing rates, contingency fee thresholds, collection thresholds, and other agreement‑specific terms. These calculations require accuracy, strong reconciliation practices, and the ability to adapt as policies and compensation structures evolve.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing

• Process end-to-end payroll on a regular bi-weekly schedule ensuring accuracy and timeliness.
• Calculate wages, overtime, bonuses, and other compensation adjustments.
• Ensure proper handling of payroll deductions, including taxes, benefits, garnishments, and other withholdings.
• Maintain and update employee payroll records, including new hires, terminations, and status changes.
• Verify accuracy of timekeeping data and resolve discrepancies prior to payroll processing.
• Track and manage benefit deductions, including arrears and retroactive adjustments.

Origination & Variable Compensation

• Administer attorney origination compensation, accurately processing origination credits and payments earned on all collected dollars across both new client business and continuing client relationships, in accordance with each attorney's specific compensation structure.
• Develop and maintain a working understanding of the firm's billing and revenue cycle — including time entry, invoice generation, client payment, and collections — to accurately determine origination compensation triggers and ensure payments are processed at the correct intervals.
• Maintain working knowledge of the firm's origination policy and all individualized variations, ensuring each attorney's arrangement is applied correctly every pay cycle.
• Track and reconcile origination credits across multiple attorneys, matters, and fee arrangements, accounting for the multiple variables that may exist within a single attorney's agreement — including applicable billing rates, contingency fee thresholds, collection thresholds, and other specific agreement terms.
• Collaborate with developer partners to build out and maintain logic in the firm's origination database, translating new attorney compensation arrangements into accurate system rules as variations are introduced.
• Maintain clear documentation for each attorney's compensation arrangement to support audit readiness and continuity.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure payroll practices comply with company policies and applicable labor laws and tax regulations.
• Prepare and review payroll reports, including tax filings and internal reporting requirements.
• Support year-end processes such as W-2 preparation and reconciliation.
• Reconcile payroll reports with general ledger and accounting records.Investigate and resolve payroll discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Assist with internal and external audits by providing required documentation and reports.
• Work with department resources to ensure accurate integration of employee data, benefits, and compensation changes.
• Collaborate with Accounting on payroll-related financial reporting and reconciliations.
• Support continuous improvement of payroll processes and systems.
• Respond to employee inquiries regarding pay, tax withholdings, benefit deductions, and origination compensation.
• Provide clear and timely communication to resolve payroll-related issues.

Qualifications

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• Proven experience in payroll processing or a related role — required.
• Demonstrated experience administering commission, variable, or incentive-based compensation structures — required.
• Legal industry origination experience is a plus but not required; candidates from any industry with relevant commission comp background are encouraged to apply.
• Ability to manage multiple individualized compensation arrangements simultaneously and adapt to evolving policies.
• Strong understanding of payroll regulations, tax requirements, and compliance standards.
• Familiarity with HRIS and payroll software systems (experience with Paycom a plus.)
• Knowledge of benefits administration and related deductions strongly encouraged.
• Comfort working cross-functionally with technical or developer partners; ability to clearly communicate compensation logic and policy requirements in a way that translates to system implementation.