We are looking for a Payroll Specialist to support a short-term Contract engagement in Santa Barbara, California. This role will focus on reviewing complex payroll issues, validating pay accuracy, and helping ensure year-end payroll records are correct ahead of W-2 processing. The ideal candidate brings strong experience with full-cycle, multi-state payroll and can move quickly through payroll analysis, reconciliations, and corrective calculations in a high-volume environment.
Responsibilities:
- Review payroll records to identify errors affecting overtime, deductions, garnishments, and manual check calculations across prior payroll periods.
- Audit employee pay activity and determine which payroll cycles require correction, including broader reviews for select first-year employees.
- Reconcile payroll balances and prepare accurate adjustment calculations so year-end totals reflect correct earnings and withholdings.
- Analyze payroll impacts for employees working under prevailing wage and public works requirements, ensuring pay is aligned with applicable rules.
- Investigate discrepancies across multi-state payroll processing and resolve issues affecting employee compensation.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to prioritize urgent corrections in advance of year-end reporting and upcoming W-2 deadlines.
- Support payroll validation within ADP Workforce Now and document findings, corrections, and outstanding items clearly.
- Help address complex accrual-related payroll questions, including scenarios involving custom sick leave policies where needed.
- Hands-on experience managing full-cycle payroll in a high-volume environment with more than 500 employees.
- Strong background processing and auditing multi-state payroll with a high degree of accuracy.
- Proficiency using ADP Workforce Now for payroll review, reconciliation, and issue resolution.
- Demonstrated ability to analyze payroll discrepancies involving overtime, deductions, garnishments, and manual payments.
- Knowledge of year-end payroll processes and the importance of accurate balances prior to W-2 issuance.
- Familiarity with payroll considerations related to prevailing wage or public works employee populations.
- Ability to work independently in a fast-paced contract assignment with a focus on immediate problem-solving and turnaround.