Senior Tax Specialist - HRO Resources

HRO Resources is an ASO company, providing Payroll, HR, and Benefits services to companies nationwide. We’re making the transition from small to mid-sized, and with rapid growth in recent years, we’re looking to continue adding driven, motivated, creative, compassionate, flexible, and highly skilled “A” players to our closely knit team. Joining HRO means you’re joining a team of veterans who truly care for each other and care deeply about the experience we create for our clients. 

Position Summary

As a Senior Tax Specialist, you will be responsible for managing the payroll tax processes for multiple clients across various states. You will collaborate with federal and state tax agencies to ensure that all filings and payments are submitted accurately and on time. A deep understanding of federal, state, and local tax regulations and filing requirements is essential for this role. As Senior Tax Specialist, you will be solely responsible to oversee the complete payroll tax process, identifying and resolving compliance issues and data discrepancies to ensure timely and accurate remittance of returns and payments.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Assist with the enrollment, preparation, and filing of state, local, federal, and unemployment tax returns.
• Address and resolve client inquiries promptly and professionally, providing detailed information on tax activity, prior quarter balancing issues, amended returns, and tax jurisdiction correspondences.
• Maintain and update work cases in Zendesk, ensuring accurate tracking of progress and communication with customers.
• Set a positive example for peers and foster an energized work environment that upholds the HRO service commitment.
• Reconcile quarterly and yearly tax amounts withheld, reported, and deposited, ensuring accuracy on a monthly, quarterly, and annual basis.
• Communicate with taxing authorities as needed to maintain and enhance relationships.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of federal, state, and local payroll taxes.
• Stay current with federal, state, and local tax compliance regulations and requirements.
• Actively participate as a team member, supporting colleagues and stepping in to assist with various tasks as required.
• Handle customer escalations effectively, providing resolution and support as needed.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying and implementing enhancements to systems, processes, documentation, training, and internal communications.
• Assist with audit preparation, year-end preparation, schedules, and the creation and distribution of W-2 forms.
• Help calculate client closeouts and prepare final tax packets.
• Perform all duties in accordance with company policies and procedures, fostering teamwork. 

Other Responsibilities

• Ensure the accurate and timely preparation and submission of all quarterly and annual payroll-related tax returns for full-service clients, including but not limited to Federal 941 and 940, state withholding, state unemployment, local withholding, sales tax filing, and the submission of wage information to the SSA.
• Assist clients with tax registrations.
• Respond to tax notices and resolve related issues.
• Reconcile General Ledger accounts related to the Tax and Quality Control teams.
• Aid in the setup of new clients by identifying and correcting potential setup errors, including reviewing and auditing client contract setups, and adding clients to the appropriate systems/spreadsheets.
• Audit and update client state unemployment rates to ensure accurate withholding in weekly accounting statements.
• Additional duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities)

• Experience: 2 years of prior accounting and tax experience preferred.
• MasterTax Expertise: 3+ years of hands-on experience with MasterTax, including Payment Workflow, Interim Quarter Workflow, Quarter-End Workflow, and Year-End Workflow.
• Employment Tax Knowledge: Demonstrated knowledge of employment tax processing, including tax deposits, return filing, tax notices, adjustments, and amendments.
• Team and Independent Work: Ability to work effectively both in a team environment and independently.
• Training Experience: Prior experience in training others, both in-person and virtually, using online tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams.
• File Formats: Familiarity with industry-standard file formats such as EFW2, ICESA, and NACHA preferred.
• Organizational Skills: Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks based on delivery dates and perform well under deadline pressures.
• Technical Aptitude: High technical aptitude with the ability to adapt to frequent system and tool updates.
• Fast-Paced Environment: Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced and high-volume work environment.
• Multi-Tasking: Capability to interface with multiple departments, multi-task, and work independently.
• Communication Skills: Strong interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Microsoft Office: Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Outlook and Excel.
• Schedule Adherence: Commitment to adhering to schedules and role assignments to ensure timely responses.
• Software Experience: MasterTax and Prism experience preferred

“Take Care of Each Other” is a core Guiding Principle for us, and we actively embody this through the comprehensive benefits we provide. We are committed to offering an outstanding personal and professional experience, supported by exceptional benefits designed to enhance both your well-being and that of your family. HRO offerings include the following: Medical, Dental, Vision, HRA, FSA, Life, LTD, STD, 401k, paid holidays, and unlimited PTO.

The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, drug-free workplace, and complies with ADA regulations as applicable.