Payroll Specialist

We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to support accurate, compliant payroll operations for a workforce of roughly 900 employees in Oak Brook, Illinois. This Long-term Contract position is ideal for someone who brings strong Paychex expertise, thrives in a deadline-driven environment, and can partner effectively with Human Resources, Finance, and employees to deliver dependable payroll service. The role focuses on end-to-end payroll administration, record accuracy, reporting, and issue resolution across a multi-state employee population.

Responsibilities:

• Manage end-to-end payroll processing for an employee base of approximately 900 staff members, ensuring each cycle is completed accurately and on schedule.

• Audit time and pay data, including earnings, deductions, garnishments, incentive payments, and manual adjustments, before final submission.

• Update payroll records for hires, separations, compensation revisions, tax changes, and other employee status updates within the payroll system.

• Act as the primary resource for Paychex administration, maintaining employee information, direct deposit details, deductions, and tax settings.

• Produce payroll reports, reconcile payroll data, and investigate discrepancies to support accurate financial and employee records.

• Partner with Paychex support, Human Resources, and Finance to resolve system issues, payroll variances, and employee pay concerns.

• Help maintain compliance with federal, state, and local payroll requirements, including tax reporting and year-end payroll activities such as W-2 preparation.

• Respond to employee questions related to pay statements, withholding, deductions, and deposits while handling sensitive information with discretion.

• Contribute to payroll audits, documentation updates, and workflow improvements that strengthen efficiency, consistency, and control.

• Support payroll-related enhancements and process refinement efforts within a growing, multi-location organization.

The salary range for this position is $28 to $35. Benefits available to contract/temporary professionals, include medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance. Hired contract/temporary professionals are also eligible to enroll in our company 401(k) plan. Visit roberthalf.gobenefits.net for more information. Our specialized recruiting professionals apply their expertise and utilize our proprietary AI to find you great job matches faster.

Qualifications:

• At least 3 years of experience handling full-cycle payroll processing.
• Hands-on experience using Paychex is required.
• Experience processing payroll for a large employee population, ideally 500 or more employees.
• Knowledge of payroll tax practices, wage and hour rules, and multi-state compliance requirements.
• Strong Excel skills with the ability to work effectively with payroll reports and reconciliations.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational ability, and a consistent focus on accuracy.
• Clear communication skills and a customer-focused approach when addressing employee payroll questions.
• Payroll certification or a similar credential is a plus.

Compensation

$28.50-$35.00 Hourly

About Us

Robert Half is the world’s first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects highly qualified job seekers to opportunities at great companies. We offer contract, temporary and permanent placement solutions for finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, and administrative and customer support roles.

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Our specialized recruiting professionals apply their expertise and utilize our proprietary AI to find you great job matches faster.

All applicants applying for U.S. job openings must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Benefits are available to contract/temporary professionals, including medical, vision, dental, and life and disability insurance. Hired contract/temporary professionals are also eligible to enroll in our company 401(k) plan. Visit roberthalf.gobenefits.net for more information.

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