The Role

Senior Payroll Tax Specialist

SoFi is searching for a Senior Payroll Tax Specialist to manage and optimize our payroll tax operations. This role is a key member of the Payroll Team, responsible for validating tax calculations, ensuring filing compliance and serving as the subject matter expert on payroll tax regulations and best practices. The Specialist will exercise independent judgment in interpreting complex federal, state, and local tax laws, advising Finance and HR on tax implications and driving process improvements to ensure absolute accuracy in our tax liabilities and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Validate all payroll tax calculations, filings, and payments to ensure full compliance with statutory regulations.
• Research and interpret complex payroll tax laws and updates, advising stakeholders on the implications of policy or program changes.
• Prepare comprehensive reports for Finance and leadership regarding tax liabilities, labor costs, and tax-related trends.
• Support and lead internal and external payroll tax audits, including detailed documentation and issue remediation.
• Develop and maintain robust payroll tax controls to support audit cycles and SOX compliance.
• Oversee the end-to-end US bi-weekly payroll processing as a backup to the Payroll Specialist as needed.
• Maintain expert knowledge of and ensure strict compliance with all local, state, and federal payroll tax and wage and hour laws, and recommend policy changes to mitigate risk.
• Manage complex, escalated employee inquiries concerning payroll, requiring interpretation of policy and regulation to resolve.
• Design, implement, and monitor key internal controls and prepare comprehensive documentation for all audit cycles.
• Create and maintain comprehensive, auditable payroll tax process documentation and training materials.
• Act as the primary owner for SOX and internal audit compliance within the payroll tax function.
• Lead and execute strategic special projects, such as system implementations or new jurisdiction expansion, as assigned by the Payroll Manager.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Tax, Accounting, and HR departments to reconcile payroll tax accounts and ensure alignment between payroll tax records and general ledger entries.
• Monitor and oversee year-end tax processing, including W-2/W-2C generation, balancing, and timely filing with federal and state agencies.
• Serve as a point of contact for third-party payroll tax providers, managing vendor relationships and monitoring service level agreements to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
• Execute and document complex tax adjustments, including gross-ups, fringe benefit taxations, and relocation-related tax treatments.

What You'll Need

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 3+ years of progressive experience in a multi-state payroll function.
• Deep knowledge of U.S. payroll laws, regulations, and tax administration requirements.
• Strong knowledge of general accounting and payroll tax accounting requirements.
• Excellent customer service skills with an ability to effectively handle and resolve employee inquiries and issues.
• Advanced data analytics experience, preferably with Excel or Alteryx.
• Must exhibit strong personal integrity and be capable of working with sensitive information and keeping sensitive information confidential.
• Demonstrated analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with a focus on results and accuracy of the payroll.
• Ability to function in a highly collaborative environment.
• Attention to detail and the ability to maintain a high level of accuracy under pressure.
• Organizational, Multi-Tasking and Prioritization skills.
• Exemplary Communication skills.
• Experience using a ticketing system such as ServiceNow or Jira.