Senior Payroll Accountant

Instacart; United States; Remote; USD 95,000 - 127,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading online grocery delivery service is seeking a detail-oriented Senior Payroll Accountant to manage payroll data integrity, ensuring accurate financial reporting and compliance. This remote role requires strong payroll accounting principles and experience with systems like Workday and ADP. The salary ranges from $95,000 to $127,000 based on location and experience, with competitive benefits and an equity grant eligibility.

Benefits

Competitive compensation

Equity grants

Flexible remote work policy

Qualifications

• 3+ years of payroll accounting experience required.
• Familiarity with GAAP and SOX compliance necessary.
• Hands-on experience with payroll systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and post payroll journal entries.
• Reconcile payroll data across systems.
• Lead payroll-related audit activities.
• Troubleshoot complex payroll issues.
• Perform month end close tasks related to payroll accounting.

Skills

Payroll accounting principles

Advanced Excel skills

Collaboration skills

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Accounting

Tools

Workday

ADP

Oracle Fusion

Job description

Overview

About the role

We are seeking a detail-oriented, proactive Senior Payroll Accountant to join our Finance team. In this role, you’ll be responsible for managing the integrity of payroll data across multiple systems, ensuring accurate financial reporting, and supporting internal and external compliance needs. You'll play a key role in payroll-related general ledger accounting and serve as a strategic partner across HR, Finance, and Compliance functions.

About the Team

The Controller Accounting Team is the backbone of Instacart’s financial integrity. We are responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant financial reporting across the organization. With a strong foundation in U.S. GAAP and a deep understanding of operational processes, we partner closely with cross-functional teams to implement robust controls, streamline close cycles, and support business scalability. Our mission is to deliver clarity and confidence in the numbers that drive strategic decisions.

About the Job

• Prepare and post payroll journal entries, ensuring accurate uploads into the accounting system with attention to detail and compliance with GAAP.
• Reconcile payroll data across systems including Workday, ADP, Oracle, Workiva, and others, maintaining integrity and accuracy in all financial records.
• Lead payroll-related audit activities, including preparation of schedules and data for internal, external, and SOX audits related to benefits and compliance.
• Respond to ad hoc reporting requests, delivering timely and accurate payroll data for internal stakeholders and special projects.
• Troubleshoot complex payroll issues, resolving discrepancies at both the employee and company level in a timely manner.
• Maintain system integrations and mapping, ensuring accurate data flow between payroll systems and Oracle accounting.
• Perform month end close tasks related to payroll accounting including journal entries, variance analysis, fluctuation explanations and reconciliations.
• Partner with FP&A or HR teams to support payroll forecasting and budgeting through accurate historical data and trend analysis.
• Identify, recommend, and implement improvements to payroll accounting processes, system workflows, and reporting efficiency.
• Prepare and maintain accurate accruals for payroll-related expenses such as bonuses, commissions, vacation/PTO, and other employee benefits.
• Coordinate with international teams or third-party providers to ensure proper accounting and compliance for foreign payrolls, including FX impacts and local statutory reporting.

About You

Minimum qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Accounting
• 3+ years of payroll accounting experience, with exposure to international payroll considered a plus
• Strong understanding of payroll accounting principles, including how payroll expenses are booked and reconciled in the GL
• Familiarity with GAAP and SOX compliance requirements as they relate to payroll and financial reporting
• Hands-on experience with payroll systems, preferably including Workday, ADP, and Oracle Fusion
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, and data reconciliation techniques
• A collaborative mindset with excellent communication skills and a commitment to continuous improvement

Preferred Qualifications

• CPA designation preferred
• Working knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll tax regulations

Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is remote and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy here.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please rea d more about our benefits offerings here.

For US based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

CA, NY, CT, NJ $114,000 — $127,000 USD
WA $110,000 — $122,000 USD
OR, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, RI, VT, DC, PA, VA, CO, TX, IL, HI $105,000 — $117,000 USD
All other states $95,000 — $105,000 USD