Payroll Tax Specialist

Who We Are

At Justworks, you’ll enjoy a welcoming and casual environment, great benefits, wellness program offerings, company retreats, and the ability to interact with and learn from leaders in the startup community. We work hard and care about our most prized asset - our people.

We’re helping businesses get off the ground by enabling them to focus on running their business. We solve HR issues. We’re data-driven and never stop iterating. If you’d like to work in a supportive, entrepreneurial environment, are interested in building something meaningful and having fun while doing it, we’d love to hear from you.

We're united by shared goals and shared motivations at Justworks. These are best summed up in our company values, which are reflected in our product and in our team.

Our Values

If this sounds like you, you’ll fit right in.

Who You Are

You’re a detail-driven, process-oriented professional who takes pride in getting things right, especially when it comes to high-stakes, deadline-driven work. You thrive in environments 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 and quick to pick up new tools that help drive precision and efficiency in your work. 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 the data that powers those filings. Your work helps reduce risk, build trust, and deliver a seamless experience for our 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 ultimately results in our success as an organization. In this role, your effectiveness will be grounded in the following competencies:

• Detail-oriented: You bring precision to every task, from daily filings to issue resolution, ensuring that even the smallest data points are accurate. You’re thorough, organized, and committed to delivering quality work the first time.

• Ethical practice: You handle sensitive tax and payroll data with integrity and discretion. You understand the importance of confidentiality, and you act with accountability in all aspects of your work.

• Clear communication: You communicate clearly and professionally, whether responding to internal tickets, escalating issues, or collaborating across teams. You listen actively, ask thoughtful questions, and ensure alignment through your written and verbal communication.

• Analytical: You break down complex problems into actionable steps. Whether triaging an inquiry or spotting trends in tax issues, you approach challenges with logic, curiosity, and a drive to get to the root cause.

• Good judgment: You make thoughtful decisions based on context, urgency, and impact. You know when to dig in independently, when to ask for input, and when to escalate. You approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset and take accountability for seeing them through to resolution.

In addition, all Justworkers focus on aligning their behaviors to our core values known as COGIS. It stands for:

• Camaraderie: Day to day you can be seen working together toward a higher purpose. You like to have fun. You’re an active listener, treat people respectfully, and have a strong desire to know and help others.

• Openness: Your default is to be open. You're willing to share information, understand other perspectives, and consider new possibilities. You’re curious, ask open questions, and are receptive to thoughts and feedback from others.

• Grit: You demonstrate grit by having the courage to commit and persevere. You’re committed, earnest, and dive in to get the job done well with a positive attitude.

• Integrity: Simply put, do what you say and say what you'll do. You’re honest and forthright, have a strong moral compass, and strive to match your words with your actions while leading by example.

• Simplicity: Be like Einstein: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler.”

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 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 our New York City Office is targeted at $35.58 to $43.27 per hour.

Actual compensation is based on multiple factors that are unique to each candidate, including and not limited to skill set, level of relevant experience, and specific work location. Salary ranges for positions based in other locations may differ based on the cost of labor in that location.

For more information about Justworks’ Total Reward Philosophy, including all of the perks and benefits we are proud to offer our team members, please visit Total Rewards @ Justworks.

Diversity At Justworks

Justworks is committed to maintaining a workplace where diversity of identity, culture, and life experience is the norm and is celebrated authentically and respected consistently. Diversity in our work, our people, and our product drives creativity and innovation, entrepreneurial leadership and integrity, competitiveness, and collaboration throughout our business and in the market. We depend on our differences to make our team stronger, our workplace more dynamic, and our product accessible to all of our customers.

We’re proud to be 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. Justworks is fully dedicated to providing necessary support to candidates with disabilities who may require reasonable accommodations. We also provide reasonable accommodations to employees based on their sincerely held religious beliefs, as well as for other covered reasons consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. If you're in need of a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at accommodations@justworks.com. Your comfort and success matter to us, and we're here to ensure an inclusive experience.

Our DEIB Report