Payroll Tax Specialist

Payroll Tax Specialist

Who We Are

Justworks offers a welcoming and casual environment with great benefits, wellness program offerings, and company retreats. We aim to help businesses get off the ground by enabling them to focus on running their business, solving HR issues, and delivering data-driven solutions. If you want to work in a supportive, entrepreneurial environment and build something meaningful, we’d love to hear from you. Our values shape our product and our team.

Who You Are

You’re a detail-driven, process-oriented professional who takes pride in getting things right, especially in high-stakes, deadline-driven work. You thrive where accuracy matters and bring a methodical, solutions-focused mindset to your day-to-day responsibilities.

You’re comfortable working across systems, quick to spot inconsistencies, and diligent about maintaining compliance and documentation. You’re tech-savvy, quick to pick up new tools that drive precision and efficiency. You collaborate well with others, raise issues early, and are always looking for ways to improve how the work gets done.

As a Payroll Tax Specialist, you play a vital role in the day-to-day execution of Payroll Tax Operations. You’re responsible for managing accurate, compliant filings across all local, state, and federal jurisdictions, while ensuring the integrity of data powering those filings. Your work helps reduce risk, build trust, and deliver a seamless experience for customers.

Your Success Profile

What You Will Work On

• Payroll Tax Filing & Payments:

• Execute and maintain quarterly and annual payroll tax filings across all local, state, and federal jurisdictions.

• Ensure timely and accurate payments for all assigned states during quarter-end cycles.

• Accurately process reversals and terminations in a timely manner.

• Run daily payments and handle check processing to ensure timely remittance to tax agencies.

• Manage tax ID updates and rate changes, ensuring all records are current and correct.

• Payroll Tax Inquiry & Issue Resolution:

• Resolve payroll tax inquiries and issues submitted via internal tickets from cross-functional teams, such as the CSO, within agreed-upon Service Level Agreements (SLAs).

• Triage incoming issues to determine root cause and involve the appropriate cross-functional teams, such as Engineering, Product, or Compliance, for resolution.

• Monitor inquiries to identify trends and surface insights that can inform systemic improvements.

• Process Improvement & Documentation:

• Recommend and implement improvements to existing payroll tax processes and workflows.

• Maintain up-to-date documentation for assigned states in Confluence.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, such as Product, Engineering, Finance, and the CSO, to implement updates to payroll tax processes and procedures.

• Team Collaboration & Development:

• Proactively identify and escalate any risks or blockers to the Pod Lead, contributing to efficient problem-solving.

• Actively participate in pod meetings, health checks, and retrospectives to support team performance and continuous process improvement.

• Support onboarding and knowledge transfer for new team members; share feedback and progress with your manager.

• Perform other related duties as assigned, supporting the overall efficiency and compliance of Payroll Tax Operations.

How You Will Do Your Work

As a Payroll Tax Specialist, how results are achieved is paramount for your success and the organization. Your effectiveness will be grounded in the following competencies:

• Detail-oriented: You bring precision to every task, from daily filings to issue resolution, ensuring accuracy.
• Ethical practice: You handle sensitive tax and payroll data with integrity and discretion.
• Clear communication: You communicate clearly and professionally across internal tickets and cross-functional teams.
• Analytical: You break down complex problems into actionable steps and explore root causes.
• Good judgment: You make thoughtful decisions based on context, urgency, and impact.

Core values (COGIS)

• Camaraderie: You work with others toward a higher purpose, are an active listener, and treat people respectfully.
• Openness: You are curious, ask open questions, and welcome feedback.
• Grit: You commit and persevere with a positive attitude.
• Integrity: You act with honesty and a strong moral compass.
• Simplicity: Strive to keep things simple and effective.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience in payroll tax, accounting, or a related finance field.

• In-depth understanding of local, state, and federal payroll tax processes and compliance.

• Multi-state payroll experience (single large employer or multi-employer) is preferred.

• Demonstrated ability to resolve payroll tax inquiries and issues efficiently, meeting SLAs.

• Tech-savvy, including advanced Excel. Proficient in various software programs and systems, with strong data entry, validation, and troubleshooting skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication.

• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven, with a strong sense of ownership.

• APA Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) is a plus.

• Prior experience with PEOs is a plus.

• Demonstrate subject matter expertise in quarterly and year-end filing cycles for various taxes and state jurisdictions, including state and local; federal is a plus.

• Demonstrate knowledge of tax rules and regulations for taxes previously filed and experience managing multi-state tax accounts and familiarity with filing cycles.

• Organized and adaptable in a fast-paced environment.

• LI-SD1

• LI-Hybrid

• The base wage range for this position based in New York City is targeted at 35.58 to 43.27 per hour. Actual compensation is based on multiple factors unique to each candidate, including skill set, relevant experience, and work location. Salary ranges for positions based in other locations may differ based on the cost of labor in that location.

• Diversity At Justworks

• Justworks is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer open to all qualified applicants regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital or familial status, disability, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status. We provide reasonable accommodations to candidates with disabilities and to employees based on sincerely held religious beliefs, as well as for other covered reasons consistent with applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us. Your comfort and success matter to us, and we’re here to ensure an inclusive experience.

• Our DEIB Report