Payroll Tax Engineer

PuzzleHR; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

PuzzleHR's Payroll Tax Engineer plays a key role in delivering our premium tax compliance service. You will review employee tax data for accuracy, ensure proper jurisdiction setup, and monitor registrations across federal, state, and local levels.

In this role, you will partner with Payroll Engineers to validate tax data, perform compliance audits, and generate client-facing reports for year-end readiness and W-2 related tasks. Strong attention to detail and Excel skills are essential.

Qualifications

• 3 or more years of experience in payroll tax, compliance, or payroll system configuration preferred.
• Deep understanding of U.S. payroll tax structures at federal, state, and local levels.
• Familiarity with tax registration processes and agency communications.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, conditional formatting, etc.).
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple clients and competing deadlines.
• Experience with major payroll systems and year-end processes is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Audit employee tax configurations for accuracy and correct tax codes.
• Review new hires and address changes for proper tax treatment.
• Manage tax registrations for state/local withholding and related taxes.
• Monitor system configurations for ongoing compliance with tax rules.
• Provide client-facing diagnostic reports and year-end reconciliation support.

Skills

Payroll tax

Tax compliance

Payroll systems

Excel

Attention to detail

Communication

Multi-client management

Tools

Smartsheet

Ticketing systems

Process tracking tools

Bloomberg Tax

CCH

Job description

DescriptionJob Title: Payroll Tax EngineerDepartment: Managed PayrollReports to: HR Operations Supervisor - Managed PayrollLocation: RemoteJob SummaryThe Payroll Tax Engineer plays a key role in delivering PuzzleHR's premium tax compliance service. In this position, you are responsible for conducting detailed reviews of employee-level tax data, ensuring proper jurisdiction setup, managing tax registrations, and proactively identifying tax configuration issues. You will use your deep experience in payroll tax, strong analytical mindset, and an eye for detail that ensures accuracy across systems, filings, and year-end documents.

Job Duties

Tax Accuracy Audits

• Perform audits of employee tax configurations, including address-based jurisdiction assignments and tax rate validations.
• Review new hire records and address changes to ensure correct tax codes are applied.
• Evaluate earnings and deductions to ensure proper taxability and W-2 mapping.

Tax Registration Oversight

• Review client data to identify missing or inactive tax jurisdictions.
• Manage and process tax registrations for state/local withholding, unemployment, and specialty taxes.
• Track registration statuses and proactively prevent disruptions to vendor filings.

Compliance Monitoring & Suppo rt

• Monitor system configuration to validate ongoing compliance.
• Partner with Payroll Engineers to ensure client payrolls are processed using accurate tax data.
• Research tax codes, jurisdiction rules, and agency requirements as needed.

Reporting & Year-End Readiness

• Support year-end W-2 balancing and reconciliation.
• Assist with identifying and processing W-2c adjustments when needed.
• Generate client-facing diagnostic reports highlighting risk areas and recommended actions.

Required Skills

• 3 or more years of experience in payroll tax, compliance, or payroll system configuration preferred.
• Deep understanding of U.S. payroll tax structures at federal, state, and local levels.
• Familiarity with tax registration processes and agency communications.
• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, lookups, conditional formatting, etc.).
• Exceptional attention to detail and accuracy.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple clients and competing deadlines.

Education and Experience

• Experience with major payroll systems (Dayforce, ADP, Paylocity, etc.).
• Working knowledge of W-2 structures, W-2c corrections, and payroll year-end processes.
• Experience using Smartsheet, ticketing systems, or process tracking tools.
• Bloomberg Tax, CCH, or other research tool experience is a plus.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to move up to 15 pounds at times.
• Must be able to participate in video conferences/meetings.

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other protected status under applicable law. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.