Payroll Tax Specialist

ProPayHR; Evanston (IL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

ProPay HR in Evanston, IL is seeking a Payroll Tax Specialist to ensure payroll taxes are calculated and filed accurately for clients across multiple states. The role focuses on complex tax matters and timely resolution of issues.

You will review tax notices, maintain tax configurations, and support new client implementations, ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local requirements. Strong analysis and independence are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in payroll tax, tax compliance, or a closely related payroll function.
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll taxation, including multi-state requirements.
• Familiarity with Forms 941, 940, 944, W-2/W-3, and state withholding and unemployment tax filings.
• Experience researching payroll tax discrepancies and communicating with tax agencies.
• Understanding of taxable wages, tax liabilities, deductions, wage bases, and payroll adjustments.
• Experience with payroll/HRIS platforms such as Paycor or similar systems.
• Ability to independently research and resolve tax issues while managing multiple deadlines and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Review and resolve federal, state, and local payroll tax notices, including filing discrepancies, payments, penalties, and agency account issues.
• Maintain accurate company and employee tax configurations, including withholding jurisdictions, unemployment taxes, tax rates, and deposit schedules.
• Complete state and local withholding and unemployment tax registrations, coordinating directly with tax agencies.
• Manage payroll tax account transitions involving business acquisitions, successorships, and entity changes.
• Review new client implementations to verify tax setups, account registrations, and employee tax jurisdictions.
• Research payroll tax discrepancies involving taxable wages, pre-tax deductions, wage bases, and tax calculations.
• Evaluate the tax impact of payroll corrections, voids, manual checks, and prior-period adjustments, including potential amended filings.
• Reconcile discrepancies between payroll records, quarterly and annual tax filings, payments, and agency records.

Skills

Payroll tax

Multi-state tax

Tax notices

Agency communications

Tools

Paycor

HRIS

Job description

At ProPay HR, we believe payroll is about more than numbers and paychecks. There are real people and businesses counting on us to get it right. We take pride in working together as a team, building strong relationships with our clients, and delivering accurate, dependable payroll services.

Our Payroll Tax Specialist will play an important role in that commitment, helping ensure the details behind every paycheck are handled accurately and with care.

We're looking for someone who understands the complexities of multi-state payroll taxation and enjoys digging into the details to identify, research, and resolve tax-related issues. From tax notices and agency correspondence to tax registrations, payroll corrections, and new client implementations, this position requires someone who understands not just how payroll taxes work, but why accuracy matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Review and resolve federal, state, and local payroll tax notices, including filing discrepancies, payments, penalties, and agency account issues.
• Maintain accurate company and employee tax configurations, including withholding jurisdictions, unemployment taxes, tax rates, and deposit schedules.
• Complete state and local withholding and unemployment tax registrations, coordinating directly with tax agencies.
• Manage payroll tax account transitions involving business acquisitions, successorships, and entity changes.
• Review new client implementations to verify tax setups, account registrations, and employee tax jurisdictions.
• Research payroll tax discrepancies involving taxable wages, pre-tax deductions, wage bases, and tax calculations.
• Evaluate the tax impact of payroll corrections, voids, manual checks, and prior-period adjustments, including potential amended filings.
• Reconcile discrepancies between payroll records, quarterly and annual tax filings, payments, and agency records.

Qualifications

• Experience in payroll tax, tax compliance, or a closely related payroll function.
• Strong working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll taxation, including multi-state requirements.
• Familiarity with Forms 941, 940, 944, W-2/W-3, and state withholding and unemployment tax filings.
• Experience researching payroll tax discrepancies and communicating with tax agencies.
• Understanding of taxable wages, tax liabilities, deductions, wage bases, and payroll adjustments.
• Experience with payroll/HRIS platforms such as Paycor or similar systems.
• Ability to independently research and resolve tax issues while managing multiple deadlines and priorities.

Preferred Experience

• Payroll service provider, PEO, accounting firm, or multi-state employer experience.
• State and local tax registrations, successorships, and payroll implementation reviews.
• FPC or CPP certification or equivalent payroll tax experience.

At ProPay HR, we provide payroll, HCM, and HR solutions to businesses. We're looking for someone who enjoys solving complex payroll tax challenges, understands the importance of accuracy, and takes ownership of issues through resolution.