Tax Accountant

Kemper; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 55,000 - 91,000; Full time

Job summary

Kemper in Chicago, IL is seeking a Tax Accountant to prepare, file, analyze and account for state and local tax filings including premium taxes, use taxes and property taxes. The role supports compliance and financial reporting while helping optimize the company’s tax position across jurisdictions.

The ideal candidate has 1–2 years in corporate tax or public accounting, familiarity with state and local taxes, and experience with Workday.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 1–2 years in corporate tax or public accounting.
• Familiarity with State and Local Taxes./ Premium Taxes.
• Experience with insurance company taxation.
• Experience with cloud-based ERP environments, preferably Workday.
• Strong working knowledge of Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Experience in managing deadlines and working independently in a fast-paced and matrixed environment
• Experience in analyzing and reviewing tax law and/or accounting guidance and making recommendations.
• Familiarity and/or strong interest in process-improvement and documentation track record.

Responsibilities

• Assist with multi-state insurance tax compliance initiatives and filing of state tax returns.
• Coordinate cross-functional data across finance, accounting, and operations to meet deadlines.
• Assess tax and financial statement implications of activities and events.
• Analyze tax and financial implications and provide optimization recommendations.
• Prepare journal entries and perform account reconciliations.
• Initiate and process state and local tax payments.
• Communicate with internal and external stakeholders regarding tax matters.
• Conduct tax research and utilize information services for insights.
• Participate in process-improvement initiatives and documentation efforts.
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.

Skills

State & Local Taxes

Premium Taxes

Insurance Taxation

Excel

Word

PowerPoint

Deadline management

Independent work

Technical writing

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Workday

Alteryx

Power BI

Job description

The Tax Accountant is responsible for preparing, filing, analyzing and accounting for various State and Local tax filings including but not limited to: premium taxes, municipal taxes, guaranty fund assessments, use taxes, property taxes and various insurance-related matters. This role helps ensure compliance with applicable tax rules and financial reporting standards and assists with implementing best practices to optimize the company’s tax position across many jurisdictions.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with multi-state insurance tax compliance initiatives, compliance preparation and filing of state tax returns while coordinating cross-functional data across finance, accounting, and operations to meet strict regulatory deadlines
• Assists with assessing tax and financial statement implications of activities and events, whether actual or proposed.
• Analyzes the tax and financial statement implications of actual and proposed business activities and provides recommendations to optimize tax outcomes.
• Prepares journal entries and performs account reconciliations.
• Initiates and processes state and local tax payments.
• Communicates with internal and external stakeholders regarding tax matters.
• Creatively and regularly utilizes information services and avenues to provide insights and answer questions to tax, software and other questions.
• Conducts tax research using available information services and technology.
• Participates in process improvement initiatives and assists in identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, strengthen controls, and enhance documentation
• Perform other duties and special projects as assigned

MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• 1-2 years of relevant experience in a corporate tax function or within a public accounting firm's tax practice.
• Familiarity with State and Local Taxes./ Premium Taxes
• Experience with insurance company taxation.
• Experience with cloud-based ERP environments, preferably Workday.
• Strong working knowledge of Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
• Experience in managing deadlines and working independently in a fast-paced and matrixed environment
• Experience in analyzing and reviewing tax law and/or accounting guidance and making recommendations.
• Familiarity and/or strong interest in process-improvement and documentation track record.
• Good verbal communication ability. Experience in technical writing.
• Ability to identify, analyze and logically frame issues.
• Ability to work successfully within a change-oriented environment.

PREFERRED JOB REQUIREMENTS

• Experience with Alteryx and/or Power BI.

The range for this position is $54,800 to $91,400. When determining candidate offers, we consider experience, skills, education, certifications, and geographic location among other factors.