Tax Specialist - Payroll

Position Summary:

The Tax Specialist is responsible for taxation of US residents and non-residents paid as employees and students.  The Tax Specialist manages all aspects of payroll tax compliance, reporting, and filings across local, state, and federal jurisdictions. This role ensures accurate tax withholdings, oversees multi-state tax setups, reconciles payroll tax accounts, and resolves agency notices to maintain organizational compliance.

Reporting Structure:

This position reports to the Payroll Shared Services Lead.

Department:
Payroll

Location:  
Burlington, VT/Hybrid Remote with travel to member colleges occasionally, as needed

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Tax Filing:

• Responsible for U.S. state and federal taxation for Payroll


• Reconcile and submit federal, state, and local payroll tax filings and deposits on weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual schedules. Including but not limited to:
  
  
  
  • VT State Catamount Reporting and administration
  
  
  • WA L&I Reporting
  
  
  • Validate quarterly SUI rates for accuracy and reconcile with HRIS
  
  
  • Review quarter balancing report, resolve quarter exceptions
  
  
  • Oversee and execute year-end tax processing, including audit, generation, and distribution of Forms W-2 and W-2c
  
  
  • Act as primarily liaison to ADP for tax processing
  
  


• Review and address or respond to tax notices and rate updates


• Conduct W-4 Exempt Review


• Validate SOC codes quarterly 


• Send Quarter Sign-off to ADP


• Review balance adjustments done throughout each quarter


• Register business units in new jurisdictions

Payroll:

• Review biweekly payroll (both Federal and State)


• Submit payroll tax wire


• Process FICA flag loaders for Student


• Draft and submit balance adjustments - examples include: State-to-state adjustments, FICA refunds, overpayments, etc.


• Act as a backup for Payroll Specialist colleagues

Administration and Data Maintenance

• Follow IRS announcements and staying current in tax law


• Research payroll taxes on the state, county and city level


• Educate and train payroll and HR teams on applicable tax laws


• Ensuring that tax-related policies and pay practices are legally compliant and providing research, consultation, analysis and modeling on tax issues and tax policy implementation


• Ensure appropriate documentation is in place


• Advise on how to set up new payroll elements for tax purposes


• Monitor employees working in USA on a VISA


• Submit SSN validation files to the SSA


• Review Multistate Employees


• Review Employees with Mismatching WFH flags


• Prepare Quarterly Review Workbook and share with College HR teams.  SSN Validation, WFH Mismatch, Multi-State Employee Review, (CC only) WFH/ State Tax Validation


• Conduct quarterly system testing


• Ensuring data quality by reviewing error reports provided by internal systems and/or vendors and then troubleshooting and correcting problems

Other Duties as assigned

Knowledge & Abilities & Education

Knowledge of: 

• Microsoft Office: specifically Excel (including pivots and VLOOKUP), Google Suite, and Adobe Acrobat


• Payroll software


• Basic knowledge of general accounting principles


• Tax law


• Internal Revenue Service and federal and state regulations


• Data collection, data entry and reporting

Ability to:

• Organize and prioritize work, take initiative, resolve problems, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously


• Recognize several likely causes of events, analyze relationships among several parts of a problem or situation, and formulate a multi-step response if required


• Build strong, positive relationships with external and internal contacts


• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing


• Manage and analyze financial data accurately


• Interpret and apply company policies and procedures


• Maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive information with tact and discretion


• Work closely with others in a small cooperative office in an open office environment


• Independently achieve results and self-direct work responsibly


• Contribute to a leading edge, creative team that is highly focused on success for our College partners


• Meeting deadlines for daily, weekly, annual, and project workload goals

Education and Experience:

• A bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, finance or in another related field


• 3-5 years of payroll or tax experience


• CPP certification a plus

$60,000 - $68,000 annual salary & comprehensive benefits package

Physical Demands & Working Conditions

The essential functions of this classification is performed in a office environment (hybrid: remote home office and/or GMHEC office) and require the ability to: sit or stand for extended periods of time in front of a computer screen: use finger dexterity and hand strength to perform simple grasping and fine manipulation; use of a telephone and operation of a computer keyboard on a daily basis; speak and hear in person and on the phone; see sufficiently to perform assignments.