Payroll Tax Specialist III

Payroll Tax Specialist III

Location:

Research Triangle Park, NC
Duration: 9 weeks

• Complete state and local tax account reviews and updates: establish new registrations, close obsolete accounts, and ensure correct account ownership and contact info.
• Reconcile outstanding state deposits and filings and resolve any delinquent items or notices.
• Provide end-to-end support for year-end W-2 process: validate employee tax data, coordinate W-2 production with payroll vendor/system, prepare W-2c corrections if needed, and produce a remediation plan for exceptions.
• Document all changes, step-by-step procedures, and handover materials for internal payroll/HR teams.
• Deliver a final project report summarizing work completed, open items, recommended process improvements, and estimated effort to maintain compliance going forward.

• Triage and resolve state tax notices and registration issues within agreed SLAs.
• Configure or update state registrations in payroll systems or with vendor support; verify withholding and SUI account mappings.
• Coordinate with Payroll, HR, Finance, and external payroll vendor(s) to align timeline and responsibilities for W-2 production.
• Run validation checks on employee wage and withholding data; prepare correction plan for any inaccuracies.
• Train or upskill internal payroll staff on new/updated processes and produce a concise runbook.
• Maintain secure, audit-ready documentation of filings, payments, and communications.

• All targeted state registrations updated/created and reconciled by the agreed project end date.
• Notices resolved or under active remediation with documented next steps.
• Complete, clear handoff documentation and knowledge transfer session delivered.

• 5+ years of payroll tax or payroll operations experience, with multistate exposure.
• Proven experience handling state tax registrations, SUI accounts, and W-2 year-end processes.
• Strong familiarity with Workday payroll and vendor coordination.
• Excellent documentation, stakeholder communication, and project-focused execution skills.

• Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) or equivalent.
• Prior experience as a contractor or in short-term project engagements.
• Experience resolving state tax notices and working with state agencies.