Sr Tax Research Administrator (US Payroll Tax, State Tax, Local/ Federal Tax, US Tax Return)

Overview

The Senior Tax Research Administrator handles advanced research, reconciliation and resolution of complex federal, state and local payroll tax notices, acting as a subject matter expert in multi-state payroll tax compliance and as a mentor and escalation point for Level 1–3 analysts.

What you'll do

• Research, analyze and resolve complex federal, state and local payroll tax notices within defined service level agreements.
• Perform detailed reconciliations of QTD and YTD wages and tax amounts (withheld, reported and deposited) across quarterly and annual filings.
• Resolve SUI, SIT, PFML, Workers' Compensation and Local Tax issues with focus on compliance integrity.
• Research and resolve payroll tax notices for multi-state tax entities.
• Initiate or receive customer calls to explain tax notice root cause and review steps UKG will take (or has taken) to resolve, including handling escalated customer calls.
• Analyze rejected filings, agency discrepancies, rate variances, profiling errors and deposit misapplications.
• Work directly with state and local tax agencies to resolve discrepancies, penalties and interest assessments.
• Ensure 360-degree resolution of notices, with a focus on preventing recurrence.
• Demonstrate strong working knowledge of TPA and POA processes.
• Proactively mitigate penalties and interest through agency negotiation and corrective filings.
• Ensure complete case documentation and transparency in Salesforce.
• Communicate directly with state and local tax agencies to resolve discrepancies and negotiate compliant resolutions.
• Participate in agency and customer calls when required for complex or sensitive cases.
• Partner with internal teams to address upstream gaps contributing to notice generation.
• Provide subject matter guidance to internal stakeholders on payroll tax inquiries.
• Perform advanced payroll reconciliation and tax variance analysis.
• Utilize payroll tax filing systems and agency portals to identify and resolve compliance gaps.
• Leverage tools such as ADP Master Tax, Salesforce, Ultimate Tax Engine and UKG Pro to perform end-to-end research and resolution.
• Reprioritize workload proactively to minimize liability exposure for customers and the organization.
• Conduct internal and external quality reviews (minimum 10 cases per analyst) and provide structured feedback.
• Identify recurring themes contributing to notice generation.
• Ensure SOPs are reviewed, updated and version-controlled quarterly.
• Create and maintain training materials.
• Identify and lead the implementation of process improvements.
• Influence CSAT outcomes by ensuring proactive communication standards and resolution quality.
• Act as a subject matter resource for Level 1–3 analysts on complex reconciliations and notice handling.
• Contribute to knowledge-sharing sessions and cross-training initiatives.
• Support creation and maintenance of training materials and reference guides.
• Identify recurring notice themes and contribute to root cause analysis efforts.
• Recommend process improvements to enhance compliance accuracy and reduce repeat notices.
• Support audit and compliance review activities as required.
• Support leadership with productivity reporting, case trend analysis and performance insights.
• Align with team leads on productivity benchmarks and quality thresholds.
• Present process improvement ideas and lead implementation of approved enhancements.
• Serve as backup to Team Leader as needed.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in business, Accounting, Commerce or Finance from a recognized institution.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in payroll tax research, compliance or agency resolution.
• Strong expertise in Federal Payroll Tax.
• Strong expertise in State Unemployment Insurance (SUI).
• Strong expertise in State Income Tax (SIT).
• Strong expertise in PFML (paid family medical leave).
• Strong expertise in Workers' Compensation.
• Strong expertise in local tax regulations.
• Demonstrated experience performing advanced multi-state payroll tax reconciliations.
• Ability to negotiate positive resolutions with customers and payroll tax agencies.
• Proficient working with multiple systems and tools to perform job functions.
• Customer service skills (e.g., setting and meeting expectations, care and empathy, follow up).
• Good oral and written communication skills and above average administrative skills.
• Good time management skills in order to meet production and aging goals.
• Experience working with tax agency portals and payroll tax filing systems.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage complex case portfolios independently.

Nice to have

• CPP or FPC certification.
• Experience supporting audits and compliance reviews.
• Experience mentoring or guiding team members.
• Working knowledge of payroll tax quarterly and annual reconciliations.
• Previous customer service experience.

Details

• Location: Pune City, India.