Payroll Specialist

Position Summary

The Payroll Specialist is responsible for processing accurate and timely payroll while ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local regulations. This role will maintain employee payroll records, review timekeeping data, resolve payroll discrepancies, and support employees with payroll-related questions.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, and comfortable managing sensitive information in a deadline-driven environment.

Key Responsibilities

Payroll Processing

• Process weekly, biweekly, or semimonthly payroll for salaried and hourly employees.
• Review employee timecards, earnings, deductions, bonuses, commissions, and other payroll inputs.
• Calculate regular pay, overtime, retroactive pay, paid time off, and final pay.
• Verify payroll reports before submission and ensure payments are processed accurately and on time.
• Maintain payroll calendars, deadlines, and processing schedules.

Employee Records & Support

• Maintain accurate employee payroll records, including new hires, terminations, compensation changes, tax elections, and direct-deposit information.
• Respond to employee questions regarding paychecks, deductions, taxes, and timekeeping.
• Research and resolve payroll discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Coordinate with Human Resources on employee changes, benefits deductions, and leave-related matters.
• Process off-cycle payments and payroll corrections as needed.

Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local wage-and-hour and payroll tax requirements.
• Process wage garnishments, levies, child-support orders, and other required deductions.
• Support quarterly and annual payroll tax filings and reconciliations.
• Assist with year-end payroll activities, including W-2 preparation and distribution.
• Maintain payroll documentation and records in accordance with company policies and regulatory requirements.

Reconciliations & Accounting Support

• Reconcile payroll registers, benefit deductions, tax liabilities, and general ledger accounts.
• Prepare payroll journal entries and supporting schedules.
• Partner with Accounting to investigate and resolve payroll-related variances.
• Support month-end and year-end close activities.
• Assist internal and external auditors with payroll documentation and requests.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Maintain employee data within payroll and timekeeping systems.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll accuracy, efficiency, and internal controls.
• Support payroll system implementations, upgrades, testing, and process changes.
• Develop and maintain payroll procedures and process documentation.
• Protect confidential employee and payroll information.

Qualifications

• Associate’s or bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, or a related field preferred.
• 3–5+ years of payroll processing experience.
• Experience processing payroll for both salaried and hourly employees.
• Knowledge of federal, state, and local payroll and wage-and-hour regulations.
• Experience with payroll platforms such as ADP, UKG, Workday, Paychex, Ceridian, or similar systems.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Experience with multistate payroll preferred.
• Certified Payroll Professional or Fundamental Payroll Certification preferred.

Key Skills & Competencies

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Ability to handle confidential information.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to meet strict payroll deadlines.
• Customer-service mindset when supporting employees.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

$70,000-$80,000 base