Payroll Assistant III

Essential Utilities, Inc. delivers safe, clean, reliable services that improve quality of life for individuals, families, and entire communities.

Operating as the Aqua (water and wastewater services) and the Peoples and Delta (natural gas) brands, Essential serves approximately 5.5 million people across 10 states. We are committed to sustainable growth, operational excellence, a superior customer experience, and premier employer status - including a competitive and comprehensive benefits package as well as a commitment to career growth opportunities.

We are advocates for the communities we serve and are dedicated stewards of natural lands, protecting more than 7,600 acres of forests and other habitats throughout our footprint.

Our company is one of the most significant publicly traded water, wastewater service and natural gas providers in the U.S.

We are searching for a payroll assistant to join our best-in-class team! The payroll assistant will be required to gather all information pertaining to work patterns and salary deductions and to ensure that this is captured accurately on our payroll software. To be successful as a payroll assistant, you should have an affinity for numbers and a passion for promoting business operations.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will identify and correct payroll-related errors before these affect the salary run. The Payroll Assistant III leads the preparation and distribution of weekly and bi-weekly payrolls for an assigned division. Under the general direction of the Payroll Manager, you will enter union, hourly, and salaried payroll timesheets, work orders, payroll adjustments, and corrections into the payroll system.

Your solution-led, can-do approach will empower you to add value from day one and affect changes that will impact the entire team!

Essential Duties:

• Maintains accurate records on all employee payroll transactions. Verifies pay rates and deductions to ensure compliance with company policy, union contracts, SOX controls, and employee designations.
• Analyzes, audits, validates, and prepares timesheet data for the payroll system in accordance with the payroll schedule. Runs standard reports to identify exception time situations. Verifies that all employees in the assigned group have submitted their time sheets and that all hours are coded and accounted for correctly.
• Responds to payroll inquiries and requests within established service-level agreements. Provides guidance and educates employees as needed to resolve pay or time discrepancies and ensure payroll is accurately processed.
• Updates and maintains documentation on all payroll policies and procedures and complies with departmental process guidelines and standards during each payroll cycle.
• Prepares and maintains detailed reconciliation documentation of payroll data to general ledger account balances. Reviews accounting ledger entries, identifies and resolves discrepancies and variances, and updates general ledger information as needed.
• Assists with monthly, quarterly, and annual payroll tax returns prepared and processed by the vendor. Processes voluntary employee deductions such as 401(k), employee stock purchases, and United Way. Assists in processing tax with holdings and payments to townships, municipalities, counties, etc.
• Requests check payments for union dues, stock, thrift plans, United Way, etc.
• Generates and distributes standard and ad hoc payroll reports as needed for internal finance and operational departments to track labor costs.
• Supports system elevations and process automation. Develops knowledge of payroll and timekeeping system fields, codes, and processes to problem-solve issues such as vendor interface failures, etc.
• Develops close working relationships with internal partners such as the Finance and Accounting teams, Benefits, IT, etc. to quickly resolve issues and handle special requests.
• Maintains current on applicable local, state, and federal wage and hour and payroll laws and regulations.
• Updates and maintains payroll files. Files paperwork, maintains weekly payroll reports and ensures documentation and records comply with audit control standards, practices, and procedures.
• Assists…