Payroll Specialist
Your Opportunity
Your opportunity
At Schwab, you’re empowered to make an impact on your career. Here, innovative thought meets creative problem solving, helping us “challenge the status quo” and transform the finance industry together.
Our HR team is committed to delivering an exceptional employee experience that fosters engagement, productivity, and strong company performance. Within Payroll Operations, our mission is to ensure accurate and timely compensation for all employees while maintaining compliance across 17 FEINs in all 50 states and U.S. territories. We support this through monthly GL reconciliation, regulatory filings, and alignment with our Employee Experience Guiding Principles—emphasizing self-service tools, automation, and continuous service level improvement.
As a Payroll Specialist, you will manage daily and bi-weekly payroll processes, ensuring accuracy and adherence to strict timelines. You’ll compute wages, validate gross-to-net calculations, and resolve payroll inquiries. You’ll also contribute to team projects and support continuous improvement efforts.
Key Responsibilities
- Administer payroll using Workday; validate pay/tax data changes (e.g., state transfers, company/tax updates).
- Communicate with employees, managers, and business partners to verify and clarify payroll information.
- Manage garnishments: initiate ADP files, process WRIT orders, and handle employee refunds.
- Analyze payroll reports, correct discrepancies, and ensure compliance.
- Process off-cycle payments (e.g., new hires, terminations, LOAs, severance, deceased wages) per policy and state law.
- Distribute paychecks using verified mailing addresses.
- Identify and resolve overpayments in collaboration with stakeholders.
- Escalate complex issues to payroll leadership.
- Review ACH reject reports; verify and correct impacted pay runs.
- Maintain compliance with SOX and internal RCSA standards.
- Address help requests and errors; determine corrective actions and process reversals or payment stops.
- Generate and analyze monthly payroll metrics.
- Resolve cases related to earnings, taxes, and deductions.
- Run daily settlement processes in Workday.
- Support special projects and perform other duties as assigned.
What you have
Required Qualifications
- 2–3 years of experience managing full-cycle, multi-state payroll processes.
- Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll.
- Proficiency in payroll systems and data querying tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a closely related field.
- Advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, and complex formulas.
- Strong knowledge of state and federal payroll laws and regulations.
- Proven ability to build and maintain effective internal and external partnerships.
- Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to high-quality work.
- Demonstrated ability to set ambitious goals and consistently achieve them.
- Experience driving process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate and resolve complex issues.
- Track record of success working both independently and collaboratively in team environments.
What’s in it for you
At Schwab, you’re empowered to shape your future. We champion your growth through meaningful work, continuous learning, and a culture of trust and collaboration—so you can build the skills to make a lasting impact. Our Hybrid Work and Flexibility approach balances our ongoing commitment to workplace flexibility, serving our clients, and our strong belief in the value of being together in person on a regular basis.
We offer a competitive benefits package that takes care of the whole you – both today and in the future:
- 401(k) with company match and Employee stock purchase plan
- Paid time for vacation, volunteering, and 28-day sabbatical after every 5 years of service for eligible positions
- Paid parental leave and family building benefits
- Tuition reimbursement
- Health, dental, and vision insurance
What you are good at
What you have
Required Qualifications
- 2–3 years of experience managing full-cycle, multi-state payroll processes.
- Hands-on experience with Workday Payroll.
- Proficiency in payroll systems and data querying tools.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, or a closely related field.
- Advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, and complex formulas.
- Strong knowledge of state and federal payroll laws and regulations.
- Proven ability to build and maintain effective internal and external partnerships.
- Exceptional attention to detail and commitment to high-quality work.
- Demonstrated ability to set ambitious goals and consistently achieve them.
- Experience driving process improvements to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and productivity.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to evaluate and resolve complex issues.
- Track record of success working both independently and collaboratively in team environments.
Why Schwab?
At Schwab, “Own Your Tomorrow” embodies everything we do! We are committed to helping our employees unleash their potential and achieve their dreams. Our employees get to play a central role in disrupting a multi-trillion-dollar industry, creating a better, more modern way to build and manage wealth. We’re a modern financial services firm that stands apart from the industry, where you can go as far as your ambition takes you.
Hear from employees: What’s it like to work at Schwab!
The benefits of working at Schwab : a package designed to empower your health, wealth, career and life. Schwab is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued.
As an equal employment opportunity employer, our policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to any status that is protected by law. (Please click here to see policy.)
Schwab is also an affirmative action employer, focused on advancing women, minorities, veterans, and individuals with disabilities in the workplace. We believe diversity and inclusion are part of our success as a company and our purpose of serving every client with passion and integrity.