Payroll Administrator – U.S. Payroll

Wilkins & Associates | Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9:00 AM–1:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time (16 hours/week)

About the role
Wilkins & Associates is a U.S. tax, accounting, and CFO advisory firm serving small business owners in the United States. We run payroll for a growing list of clients and need an experienced payroll professional to own that work start to finish — processing payroll, filing and paying U.S. payroll taxes, and working tax notices from the IRS and South Carolina agencies until they're resolved.

This is a remote contractor position open to candidates outside the U.S. You must already have real, hands-on experience with U.S. payroll. This is not a training role — we're looking for someone who can step in and handle the work from day one.

What you'll do

Process weekly and bi-weekly payroll for multiple U.S. clients, on time every cycle
Set up new clients and employees, including federal and state withholding and unemployment accounts
Register and manage client accounts with SC DEW through the SUITS portal — new registrations, quarterly wage reports, rate notices, and corrections
Onboard clients moving to us from ADP, Paychex, or other providers and make sure prior wages and taxes carry over correctly
File and reconcile U.S. payroll tax returns — 941, 940, W-2/W-3, state withholding, and state unemployment
Handle payroll tax letters from the IRS, SCDOR, and SC DEW: log the notice, call the agency, gather what's needed, prepare the response, and follow it through to closure
Track penalty and interest exposure and prepare abatement requests where appropriate
Reconcile payroll liabilities to the books and flag anything that doesn't tie
Keep client notes, deadlines, and notice status current in Canopy and our task tracker
Communicate directly with U.S. clients by phone, email , and Teams about payroll questions and deadlines

Must have

3+ years of hands-on U.S. payroll experience, ideally supporting multiple clients at an accounting firm, BPO, or payroll service bureau
Proven experience processing weekly and bi-weekly U.S. payroll cycles
Direct experience with South Carolina DEW and the SUITS system — registrations, quarterly filings, and notice responses
Experience resolving U.S. payroll tax notices yourself — calling the IRS and state agencies, correcting filings, and closing the issue, not just forwarding the letter
Solid knowledge of U.S. federal and state payroll tax rules, deposit schedules, and year-end reporting
Fluent spoken and written English — you will be on the phone with American clients and U.S. government agencies and must be clearly understood
Guaranteed availability every Monday–Thursday, 9 AM–1 PM U.S. Eastern Time. Please check what this is in your local time before applying. This schedule is fixed because it's when clients and agencies can be reached.
Gusto experience strongly preferred; ADP or similar a plus
Comfortable in QuickBooks Online and Microsoft Teams
Organized enough to manage deadlines for a dozen-plus clients without missing any

Nice to have

Experience with SCDOR MyDORWAY for withholding accounts
Prior IRS resolution or tax-notice work beyond payroll
FPC or CPP certification

Work setup

Independent contractor, 10-16 hours/week, fully remote
Reliable high-speed internet, a quiet workspace, and a computer with a headset for calls are required
Time tracked through Hubstaff, with a short daily check-in at the end of each shift
Paid in USD, rate based on experience
Reports to the Accounting Manager