PEO Payroll Account Manager
Department: Payroll / Client Services
Reports To: Payroll Manager / Director of Payroll Operations
Employment Type: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Exempt
Work Arrangement: [On-Site / Hybrid / Remote]
Position Summary
The PEO Payroll Account Manager serves as the primary point of contact for an assigned portfolio of PEO clients and is responsible for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant payroll processing while delivering an exceptional client experience.
This position combines payroll expertise, account management, problem-solving, and client relationship management. The Account Manager will develop a strong understanding of each client's payroll structure, employees, policies, reporting requirements, and service expectations.
The ideal candidate is highly organized, responsive, detail-oriented, comfortable working with multiple clients and payroll deadlines, and capable of identifying and resolving payroll issues before they become client problems.
Key Responsibilities Client Account Management
- Serve as the primary payroll and service contact for an assigned portfolio of PEO clients.
- Develop strong, long-term relationships with client owners, executives, HR professionals, controllers, and payroll contacts.
- Learn each client's business, payroll schedules, employee population, pay practices, deductions, benefits, reporting requirements, and unique service needs.
- Respond promptly and professionally to client questions and service requests.
- Conduct regular client check-ins and proactively identify opportunities to improve service.
- Coordinate internally with payroll, HR, benefits, workers' compensation, tax, accounting, and other departments to resolve client needs.
- Manage client expectations and communicate clearly regarding deadlines, responsibilities, and payroll requirements.
- Escalate significant client concerns while maintaining ownership of the issue through resolution.
Payroll Administration
- Manage payroll processing for assigned client accounts on weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, and/or monthly payroll schedules.
- Review payroll submissions for accuracy and completeness prior to processing.
- Verify employee hours, pay rates, overtime, bonuses, commissions, reimbursements, deductions, garnishments, PTO, and other payroll adjustments.
- Review payroll registers and exception reports to identify potential errors prior to payroll finalization.
- Coordinate payroll corrections, voids, reversals, off-cycle payrolls, and manual checks when necessary.
- Ensure payroll deadlines are consistently met.
- Assist clients with payroll reporting and reconciliation questions.
- Maintain accurate payroll records and documentation.
- Coordinate with payroll tax personnel regarding tax notices, jurisdiction changes, unemployment accounts, and payroll tax questions.
- Support year-end payroll activities including W-2 processing, employee information verification, and payroll reconciliation.
New Client Implementation & Onboarding
- Participate in the onboarding and implementation of new PEO clients.
- Review new client payroll setup for accuracy before the first payroll.
- Coordinate collection of employee demographic information, direct deposit information, tax elections, deductions, PTO balances, pay rates, and other required payroll data.
- Verify client payroll calendars, pay periods, pay dates, departments, locations, earning codes, deduction codes, and general ledger requirements.
- Work closely with implementation, HR, benefits, and payroll teams to ensure a smooth transition.
- Provide clients with training and guidance on payroll systems, employee self-service, timekeeping, and payroll submission procedures.
Compliance & Quality Control
- Help ensure payroll practices comply with applicable federal, state, and local payroll requirements.
- Identify unusual payroll activity, missing information, or potential compliance concerns and escalate when appropriate.
- Maintain confidentiality of employee, payroll, financial, and client information.
- Follow established payroll controls and approval procedures.
- Maintain proper documentation of client communications, payroll changes, approvals, and corrections.
- Assist with payroll audits and internal quality-control initiatives.
- Stay informed regarding payroll regulations and PEO industry best practices.
Client Retention & Growth
The Account Manager is not simply a payroll processor. This position is expected to take ownership of the overall client relationship.
- Monitor client satisfaction and identify potential retention risks.
- Proactively address recurring service issues.
- Identify additional services that may benefit the client.
- Introduce clients to additional company resources and solutions when appropriate, including:
- HR consulting and support
- HRIS and employee self-service solutions
- Time and attendance
- Benefits administration
- Workers' compensation
- Recruiting and talent acquisition
- Employer of Record (EOR) services
- Background screening and pre-employment services
- WOTC
- Compliance services
- Employee onboarding and offboarding
- Partner with leadership and business development teams on client expansion opportunities.
Client Issue Resolution
- Take ownership of payroll-related client issues from initial notification through final resolution.
- Research discrepancies and determine the underlying cause of payroll problems.
- Coordinate with appropriate internal departments when multiple service areas are involved.
- Clearly communicate the problem, solution, and expected resolution timeline to the client.
- Document significant issues and corrective actions.
- Identify recurring problems and recommend process improvements to prevent future occurrences.
Qualifications
Required:
- 3+ years of payroll processing, payroll account management, PEO, HR outsourcing, or related experience preferred.
- Strong understanding of payroll processing and payroll terminology.
- Experience managing multiple client accounts and competing deadlines.
- Strong Microsoft Excel and general computer skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills.
- Ability to handle confidential employee and financial information.
- Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
- Ability to remain professional and composed when resolving urgent payroll or client issues.
Preferred:
- Previous experience working for a PEO, payroll provider, HRO, ASO, or HR outsourcing organization.
- Experience with multi-state payroll.
- Experience with payroll/HRIS platforms and timekeeping systems.
- Knowledge of payroll taxes, garnishments, deductions, PTO, benefits deductions, and wage-and-hour requirements.
- Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC) or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP) designation.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance may be measured using the following KPIs:
- Payroll Accuracy: 99%+ accuracy target
- On-Time Payroll Processing: 100%
- Client Response Time: Same business day whenever possible
- Client Retention: Maintain established company retention goals
- Payroll Corrections: Minimize preventable corrections and off-cycle payrolls
- Client Satisfaction: Maintain strong client satisfaction and service scores
- Implementation Accuracy: Successful transition of newly assigned clients
- Issue Resolution: Timely resolution and documentation of client concerns
- Account Growth: Identification of appropriate additional services for existing clients
Core Competencies
Successful Account Managers should demonstrate:
- Client-first mentality
- Payroll accuracy and attention to detail
- Accountability and ownership
- Sense of urgency
- Strong communication
- Relationship management
- Problem-solving
- Conflict resolution
- Time management
- Ability to prioritize
- Professional judgment
- Confidentiality
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Ability to work effectively under payroll deadlines
What Success Looks Like
A successful PEO Payroll Account Manager develops relationships where clients view them as a trusted extension of their internal payroll and HR team, rather than simply someone who processes payroll.
The Account Manager understands the client's business, anticipates potential problems, communicates proactively, ensures payroll is processed accurately and on time, coordinates internal resources when issues arise, and continually looks for ways to make managing the client's workforce easier.
Pay: $61,907.40 - $74,555.15 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
