Senior Payroll Tax Analyst

Overview:     

Responsible for all aspects of payroll taxes, including compliance with local, state, and Federal regulations and filing local, state, and Federal payroll tax returns with the vendor, focusing on accuracy, timeliness, and accounting of all job functions. May complete work of a non-routine nature; assists leadership in dealing with more complex payroll tax problem resolution, while balancing assigned workloads.         

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead changes in tax withholding requirements for all states and localities within multiple companies for all employees.
• Work closely with the Payroll team, internal and external auditors, external vendor, and state and Federal agencies, to support compliance audits, escalated tax issues, agency queries, etc.
• Responsible for biweekly and quarterly tax deposits, reconciliations, returns and amendments.
• Assist Finance with related account reconciliation and budget planning activities.
• Research complex laws and regulations regarding taxes and payroll withholding procedures and ensure compliance.
• Handle the registration process for state withholding tax identification numbers/accounts, state unemployment insurance tax identification numbers/accounts, and other local tax accounts.
• Update state unemployment rates, state agency changes, and add localities within the HR system and third-party agency.
• Run payroll tax-related ad-hoc reports for Finance, Tax, etc.
• Reconcile and review vendor invoices to payroll accounting, utilizing an external vendor, the HR system, and spreadsheet software.
• Complete audits and process adjustment entries (year-to-date taxes, taxable wages, earnings and deductions) on employee records.
• Communicate tax changes/additions with HR teams and employees as required and verify accuracy of setup in the HR system.
• Research, analyze, and resolve all payroll tax discrepancies, escalating to management as needed.
• Analyze and recommend new approaches, policies, and procedures to improve efficiency.
• Serve as subject matter expert (SME) to manage complex employee inquiries/questions on subjects pertaining to tax matters.
• Respond to questions and special requests from employees and regulatory agencies.
• Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
• Promote an environment that supports a culture of belonging and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
• Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
• Complete other related duties as assigned.

Scope of Responsibilities:

This position’s primary responsibility is payroll taxes for:

• Large multi-state and local jurisdictions throughout the United States with multiple companies and 23,000+ employees
• Working closely with payroll team, internal and external auditors, tax vendor, and state and federal agencies
• biweekly and quarterly tax deposits, reconciliations, returns and amendments.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities:

No Supervisory Responsibilities

Education and Experience Required:

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 4 years' large company payroll tax experience, or in lieu of degree, a combined minimum of 8 years' higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 4 years' large company payroll tax experience

Experience working under pressure

Detail-oriented

Strong proficiency with pertinent word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and industry-specific software

Prior experience working in a collaborative/team environment

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Strong time management skills

Strong organizational skills

Proven experience troubleshooting and providing timely and accurate solutions to issues

Education and Experience Preferred:

Minimum of 3 years' pertinent payroll software experience

Proven experience with 3rd party payroll tax system/service

Experience with large multi-state company payroll processing

Demonstrated understanding of the end-to-end payroll process

Proven analytical skills                                                                   

Proven problem-solving skills

Ability to interact with all levels of personnel

Strong mathematical skills

Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) certification

Physical Requirements:

M&T Bank is committed to fair, competitive, and market-informed pay for our employees. The pay range for this position is $24.76 - $41.27 Hourly (USD). The successful candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, and experience will inform their specific compensation.

LocationBuffalo, New York, United States of America