Payroll Tax Specialist

We are looking for a Payroll Tax Specialist to support a non-profit organization in Menlo Park, California through a contract opportunity with the potential for a permanent role. This role is ideal for someone who brings strong payroll tax knowledge, sharp analytical skills, and experience managing compliance across multiple states and large employee populations. The person in this position will play a key role in maintaining accurate tax reporting, resolving agency matters, and helping ensure payroll practices remain aligned with current regulations.

Responsibilities:
• Oversee the reconciliation and review of quarterly and year-end payroll tax filings to maintain accurate and timely reporting.
• Monitor employee work locations across remote states and evaluate tax reciprocity and withholding obligations to support compliance.
• Assess state unemployment insurance accounts, determine applicable organizational status, and manage related payroll tax obligations.
• Investigate and respond to agency notices, tax questions, and other payroll tax issues requiring follow-up and resolution.
• Prepare and reconcile annual tax reporting, including coordination between Form 990 data and employee wage statements such as W-2 and W-2C documents.
• Track payroll activity for biweekly and semi-monthly cycles by comparing results to compliance reporting and identifying discrepancies.
• Stay current on federal, state, and local payroll tax rules and apply updates to payroll practices and reporting requirements.
• Produce and review payroll-related reports for external parties, including required quarterly and jurisdiction-specific filings such as headcount, compensation, and pay data reports.
• Audit overpayment recovery activity to confirm accuracy, proper documentation, and compliance with applicable guidelines.

Qualifications:

• 3-5 years of payroll tax experience, preferably in a complex multi-state environment.
• Hands-on experience supporting full-cycle payroll, including payroll tax processing and reconciliation.
• Knowledge of multi-state payroll tax requirements, remote worker compliance, and unemployment insurance administration.
• Experience working with payroll populations of more than 500 employees.
• Strong Excel skills with the ability to analyze data, reconcile reports, and identify variances.
• Familiarity with Workday Payroll and payroll compliance reporting tools; exposure to SmartCompliance is a plus.
• High attention to detail and the ability to manage deadlines in a regulated, accuracy-driven environment.

Compensation

$56.05-$64.90 Hourly

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