Associate I Payroll

The Fountain Group.  We are a national staffing firm and are currently seeking a ­­­­­­­­Payroll Tax Specialist for a prominent client of ours.  This position is in Lake County, IL 60064. Details for the position are as follows:

Payroll Tax Analyst / Payroll Tax Support

 Lake County, IL 60064 (100% Onsite)
 Pay Rate: $30–32/hour

Overview

We are seeking a detail-oriented Payroll Tax professional to support a high-volume payroll function focused specifically on backend payroll tax operations (post-payroll processing). This is not a payroll processing/front-end payroll role the team needs someone with hands-on experience in payroll tax filings, tax notices, agency communication, and vendor coordination.

This role supports a fast-paced enterprise payroll environment and will involve internal ticket management, working directly with external tax vendors, participating in testing initiatives, and resolving payroll tax-related issues across multiple jurisdictions.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage backend payroll tax activities following payroll processing
• Review and resolve federal, state, and FICA payroll tax issues
• Handle tax notices, agency correspondence, and issue resolution
• Work directly with state tax agencies, tax vendors, and third-party providers
• Manage Power of Attorney (POA) documentation and third-party authorizations
• Support multi-state payroll tax compliance
• Assist with payroll tax filing activities
• Participate in testing / project-based payroll initiatives
• Track and resolve internal payroll tax tickets
• Attend team meetings and collaborate with internal stakeholders and external vendors

Required Qualifications

Must-have experience:
2–3+ years of payroll tax experience
Strong backend payroll tax experience (NOT front-end payroll processing only)
Payroll tax filing experience
Multi-state payroll tax knowledge
Experience working with tax notices and state agencies
Experience working with tax vendors / third-party providers
Excel / Microsoft Office proficiency

Soft skills:

• Strong attention to detail
• Self-motivated / works independently
• Consistent and reliable
• Clear communication skills
• Comfortable in fast-paced environments

Education:

• High school diploma required

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