Payroll Clerk jobs in Billings, MT

Salary Range: $26.6094 - $33.9605/hour. Salary reflects Step 1 and Step 6 of a 7-step pay scale. Salary at hiring will be dependent upon the applicant's education, experience, and training. 

Job Summary:

Under general supervision, performs a variety of technical duties in the preparation, analysis, and review of the City’s payroll, including data processing, analysis, and accounting in support of the Human Resources Department.

Scope of Responsibility:

Incumbent is familiar with department or functional operations and is able to work with minimal assistance.  Working under limited supervision, incumbent performs work that requires significant experience in database development and the interpretation of data and must make decisions considering overall objectives.   Incumbent performs intermediate troubleshooting and analysis, using generally prescribed procedures. Incumbent must frequently interact with other City employees to provide basic information, and has occasional interaction requiring detailed procedural explanations.  Incumbent must have the ability to exercise discretion regarding confidential matters.  Incumbent must be knowledgeable in various payroll software platforms/applications, MPERA, FLSA-Payroll /compensation laws, union contracts, fringe benefits, garnishments, and human resources policies.

Payroll

• Prepares and maintains complete files and payroll records for the City.
• Inputs and ensures accuracy of payroll including audit calculations.
• Ensures compliance with City policies, procedures, and regulations.
• Processes and computes a variety of payroll figures, including gross salary, taxes, retirement, benefits withholding, child support, wage garnishments, and other payroll figures.
• Prepares and balances payroll reports.
• Communicates with Finance Department regarding invoices, payroll tax, retirement payments, unemployment, workers compensation, and other payroll related matters.
• Calculates and verifies salary information for new hires, promotions, transfers, and other employee actions in compliance with City policies, procedures, contracts, and regulations.
• Maintains employee records and electronic time entry process in established software platform/application.
• Provides training and guidance to staff and city employees on payroll timekeeping software.
• Enters new hires, weekly status and payroll changes, and oversees time entry.
• Provides salary and benefit projections for budget purposes to departments, and may assist in completing requests for wage and salary surveys.
• Processes employee separation pertaining to final paycheck including accrual payouts and specific billing for insurance and deferred compensation.
• Manages calendar for significant payroll events, i.e. report due dates, contractual incentives/payouts, accruals, etc. 
• Collects, compiles, calculates, inputs, retrieves, and distributes a variety of financial and statistical information as requested.

Reports 

• Balances, prepares, and electronically distributes payroll taxes bi-weekly, as well as state and federal quarterly and annual reports.
• Prepares quarterly workers’ compensation reports, including the Department and Division distribution by general ledger accounts.
• Prepares all employee W-2s.
• Prepares various reports regarding the City’s retirement plan, electronically transfers funds, and balances the account.
• Assists in providing salary and benefit projections for budget purposes.
• Participates in calculating employee salary adjustments due to renegotiated contracts.
• Prepares a variety of financial and statistical reports for state and federal agencies.

Other Payroll and Human Resources Duties

• Establishes and maintains complete files and records related to assigned payroll functions.
• Performs a wide variety of general clerical and technical work for the Human Resources Department; maintains accurate and detailed records; verifies accuracy of information and researches discrepancies; verifies employment; enters data; types and proofreads a variety of documents including general correspondence, reports, and memoranda; and answers phones.
• Works with auditors from various State agencies and others providing information and guidance to assure successful audit reports.
• Answers questions regarding benefits, salaries, and other general information.
• Routinely uses computer software applications such as MS Excel, MS Access to extract, assemble, and maintain data and create reports.

Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications/Skills:

• Two (2) year degree in human resources, accounting, data analytics, or related program
• Two (2) or more years’ experience in payroll, accounting, human resources, or the equivalent

OR 

• Five (5) years’ experience in payroll, accounting, human resources, or the equivalent

AND

• Must have advanced knowledge/abilities with MS Excel, MS Access, and have the ability to learn human resources and payroll platforms and applications
• Must possess strong writing and interpersonal skills
• Must successfully pass a Federal and State criminal history background check

Work is a normal office environment.   Intermittent effort involving lifting of amounts between 5 and 25 pounds required.  Work requires high attention to detail and deadlines on a frequent basis, between 75% and 90% of the time. 

Some requirements in this job description may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health and safety of themselves or other employees.   All requirements are subject to modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities.

Requirements are representative of minimum levels of knowledge, skills, and experience required.   To perform this job successfully, the worker must possess the abilities and aptitudes to perform each duty proficiently.

This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise.  The City retains the discretion to add duties or change the duties of this position at any time.