Payroll Tax Analyst III

Waste Management, Inc. (WM)•Houston, TX

4h•Onsite

About The Position

The Payroll Tax Analyst III is a senior-level payroll tax professional responsible for ensuring accurate, compliant, and timely payroll tax reporting and remittance across multiple jurisdictions. This role supports a complex, high-volume payroll environment covering the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Operating within Finance Shared Services, this position plays a critical role in safeguarding compliance while partnering with Payroll Operations, HR, Accounting, and external agencies to balance regulatory requirements with business needs. The Analyst III serves as a subject matter expert in payroll taxation and is expected to independently manage complex tax matters, audits, and system-related tax configurations.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
5+ years of progressive payroll tax experience in a complex, multi-state environment.
Experience with Oracle HCM and ADP SmartCompliance.
Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree or equivalent experience in Accounting, Tax, Business Administration, or similar area of study
Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.

Responsibilities

Ensure accurate and timely filing of federal, state, local, and provincial payroll tax returns.
Oversee multi-state and multi-jurisdictional payroll tax compliance in a high-volume environment.
Monitor tax deposits and funding to ensure compliance with all statutory deadlines.
Review and validate tax configurations within Oracle HCM and ADP SmartCompliance to ensure accurate tax withholding and reporting.
Manage quarter-end and year-end payroll tax reconciliations, including Forms 941, 940, W-2, T4, and related filings
Independently research and resolve complex payroll tax notices from federal, state, and local authorities.
Lead interactions with tax agencies regarding assessments, penalties, and compliance matters.
Support internal and external audits by preparing documentation, reconciliations, and detailed tax analysis.
Identify root causes of tax discrepancies and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
Serve as a subject matter expert on payroll taxation, including wage limits, reciprocity rules, multi-state withholding, and unemployment tax complexities.
Interpret federal, state, and provincial payroll tax regulations and assess impact to payroll processes.
Provide guidance to Payroll Operations, HR, and Finance partners on payroll tax implications of business decisions.
Support compliance related to garnishments, levies, and other statutory withholding requirements.
Maintain strong internal controls over payroll tax processes to reduce financial and compliance risk.
Perform reconciliations between payroll systems, tax service providers, and the general ledger.
Proactively identify compliance gaps and recommend process improvements.
Support continuous improvement initiatives within payroll tax operations.
Collaborate with payroll systems and HR technology teams to ensure accurate tax setup and maintenance in Oracle HCM.
Partner with ADP SmartCompliance to ensure proper system configuration and issue resolution.
Participate in payroll system upgrades, tax updates, and process enhancements.
Document standard operating procedures and strengthen process governance.