Payroll Accountant

Chinatown Community Development Center•San Francisco, CA

4d•$43 - $44

About The Position

The Payroll Accountant reports to the Director of Finance and manages payroll for a nonprofit organization with more than 300 employees. The role oversees accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing, including wages, leave accruals, benefits, taxes, deductions, reimbursements, and related reporting. It works closely with Human Resources on biweekly payroll, compliance support, staff inquiries, and shared processes. The position also performs payroll-related accounting and general ledger work, including journal entries, reconciliations, staff time allocations, period-end accruals, audit and tax documentation, government billing support, and financial analysis. The Payroll Accountant maintains organized records and payroll procedures, supports audit readiness and internal controls, and helps improve payroll workflows. The position is full-time, nonexempt, and regular. It is based in San Francisco’s Chinatown neighborhood, with work-from-home eligibility, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Requirements

Two to four years of college-level accounting coursework or two to four years of general accounting experience in payroll and general ledger.
Four years of experience using Paylocity Payroll or a similar system, such as ADP or Rippling.
Experience with accounting systems and Microsoft Office applications, including intermediate Excel skills, and experience working in a cloud database environment.
Knowledge of labor practices and regulations.
General understanding and application of generally accepted accounting principles.
General knowledge of payroll and labor-law compliance requirements.
Ability to manage and prioritize deadlines and workflows while staying highly organized.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Meticulous attention to detail.
Excellent verbal and written communication and strong interpersonal skills.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Solid technology and computer skills, including preparing and generating spreadsheets and navigating systems and databases.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s or associate degree in accounting or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Experience using MIP/Momentive software.
Experience working for a nonprofit, especially one specializing in real estate or affordable housing development.
Certified payroll certificate or courses in ADP or similar systems.
Bilingual or conversational fluency in Chinese, primarily Cantonese.

Responsibilities

Prepare, account for, and process payroll accurately and on time in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
Stay current on payroll regulations and coordinate with Human Resources on policy and regulatory updates.
Respond clearly and concisely to staff payroll inquiries.
Audit timesheets, resolve discrepancies with supervisors, and remind employees and supervisors about timesheet completion and approval.
Monitor employee expense submissions, check compliance with reimbursement policy, and verify cost-center coding.
Review salary, tax withholding, and deduction changes; verify benefits and deductions against invoices; and reconcile related financial data and payments.
Prepare calculations for personnel actions, including new hires, terminations, and garnishments, and ensure garnishment payments and withholdings are accurate and compliant.
Generate and transmit payroll journal entries, verify coding, and support payroll-related intercompany entries and reconciliations.
Process Section 125 account transactions, including FSA, transit, parking, and dependent care, and reconcile accounts to internal records.
Verify and prepare 403(b) contributions, review contribution limits and payroll-register data, resolve discrepancies, reconcile monthly deposits, and maintain audit-ready records.
Prepare and submit monthly workers’ compensation premium reports and coordinate payment remittance with Accounting.
Coordinate with HR on payroll communications and provide HR with payroll data as needed.
Train new hires on timesheets and expense reports when needed.
Maintain payroll procedures and files, strengthen internal controls, and collaborate with HR on joint HR-payroll workflow documentation.
Coordinate audit inquiries and payroll tax return filing and compliance.
Manage the annual workers’ compensation audit and support 403(b), financial, and other audits.
Submit technical support inquiries to the payroll system provider when payroll or system issues arise.
Prepare biweekly payroll and employee expense journal entries with appropriate coding, and calculate period-end accruals and reversals.
Reconcile staff time allocations to annual and quarterly compliance reports and maintain supporting records.
Produce labor statistics and reports for grants, budgets, headcount, entities, and programs.
Support monthly government billing by producing required funder documentation.
Assist with internal-control audit testing, audit workpapers, and documentation gathering and organization.
Support the Director of Finance and accounting staff with payroll analyses, budget-to-actual reviews, financial analyses, and benefit changes.
Embody organizational values, contribute to a safe and pleasant work environment, follow policies and safe work practices, and perform other duties as assigned.