Payroll Tax Accountant II

Aston Carter; Washington; On-site; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Aston Carter is seeking a Tax Accountant II – Payroll Tax Specialist to manage payroll tax remittances and filings across jurisdictions in the United States. You will serve as a technical resource with large data projects, driving improvements and advising on tax matters.

You will collaborate with stakeholders to ensure compliance, handle year-end tasks in Excel, and contribute to policy updates and documentation with attention to detail.

Qualifications

• Payroll tax experience in remittance and filing across jurisdictions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience supporting internal or external stakeholders.
• Experience with multi-state tax reporting.
• Knowledge of tax compliance software.
• Advanced Excel skills for data analysis and reconciliations.
• Clear written and spoken communication.
• Experience with SAP/HRIS systems.

Responsibilities

• Ensure payroll tax remittances and filings are timely and compliant.
• Identify and implement process improvements in payroll tax.
• Troubleshoot payroll tax issues and advise on policy adjustments.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to improve payroll tax processes.
• Manage year-end payroll tasks and large data sets in Excel.
• Respond to inquiries and maintain organized shared inboxes.
• Update tax authorities' records as needed.

Skills

Payroll tax

Data analysis

Customer service

Multi-state tax

Labor law knowledge

Communication skills

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Education

Accounting degree

Accounting background preferred

Tools

SAP

SuccessFactors

ADP

VLOOKUP

Pivot tables

Excel

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title: Tax Accountant II – Payroll Tax Specialist

Job Description

The Tax Accountant II role focuses on delivering business value by ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant payroll tax remittances and filings. You will serve as a central and technical resource within the organization, working with large volumes of data, driving process improvements, and providing expert guidance on payroll tax matters. This position offers meaningful, cross-functional work, strong local partnerships, and an outstanding work–life balance.

Responsibilities

• Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant payroll tax remittances and filings across multiple jurisdictions.
• Make recommendations based on payroll tax expertise and current industry trends to improve processes and outcomes.
• Identify, troubleshoot, and implement viable solutions to issues within payroll tax processes.
• Recommend and apply policy adjustments to key payroll tax processes to enhance compliance and efficiency.
• Recognize key versus non-key controls within payroll tax operations and ensure tasks align with those controls, driving accountability.
• Drive the implementation of broader payroll tax process improvements in collaboration with stakeholders.
• Assess work collaboratively with team members to prioritize and align on the most important tax activities.
• Proactively track and identify trends using data and metrics to anticipate and address payroll tax issues.
• Provide consultation and develop proposals for updates to existing or new processes in response to business or legislative changes.
• Develop changes or enhancements to current documentation and policies to reflect updated payroll tax requirements.
• Influence stakeholders to ensure ongoing compliance with payroll tax laws and internal policies.
• With support, advise the organization on payroll tax matters and recommend best practices for payroll tax processes.
• With support, execute learning opportunities on payroll tax topics for non-payroll tax partners.
• Work on year-end payroll tasks, including managing and analyzing large volumes of data in Excel.
• Balance daily payments to ensure accuracy and completeness of payroll tax-related transactions.
• Process and reconcile stock-related payroll items accurately and in a timely manner.
• Respond to inquiries and cases related to payroll tax issues as needed, providing clear and accurate information.
• Manage shared inboxes to ensure timely and organized responses to internal and external payroll tax queries.
• Perform audit work by analyzing large amounts of data to identify discrepancies, trends, and opportunities for improvement.
• Update tax authorities’ records as needed to maintain accurate and current information.

Essential Skills

• Minimum of 2 years of payroll tax experience, including payment, reconciling, and filing responsibilities.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience using analytical and problem-solving skills in a professional setting.
• Minimum of 2 years of customer service experience, with a focus on supporting internal or external stakeholders.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience with multi-state and provincial tax reporting and filing.
• Minimum of 2 years of experience with federal, state, local, and provincial labor law as it relates to payroll tax.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Strong analytical and technical skills with a high level of attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Knowledge of tax compliance software and supporting database tools, including SAP, SuccessFactors, and ADP.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel (including pivot tables and VLOOKUP) and Word.
• Demonstrated ability to identify and collaborate on process efficiencies within payroll or tax functions.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Accounting degree or accounting background is preferred but not required.
• Experience working with SAP for payroll tax or financial processes.
• Experience using ADP payroll systems and related reporting tools.
• Experience with SuccessFactors or similar HRIS platforms.
• Advanced Excel skills, including working with large data sets, pivot tables, VLOOKUP, and complex reconciliations.
• Experience developing or updating process documentation and policies.
• Comfort providing guidance and informal training to non-payroll tax partners on tax-related topics.

Work Environment

You will work in a collaborative and kind team environment that includes support from two team lead