Payroll Assistant - $25.00-$28.00/hr DOE - Peoria, Illinois

About this Role:

ELM Utility Services, with a team of over 1,900 employees nationwide, is seeking a Payroll Assistant to work in our corporate headquarters located in Peoria, Illinois. ELM is experiencing significant growth, and this could be an excellent long-term career opportunity in HR/Payroll. This role will assist with the processing and maintenance of multi-state payroll. Understanding federal, state, and local wage and hour laws is helpful to this role. The Payroll Assistant supports the Payroll Director in executing payroll operations. This individual will prepare payroll information to be processed, assist employees with payroll questions or changes, and update payroll information as it changes including taxes, direct deposit information, and wage updates.

This position is a full-time, in-office position, and the office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Key Responsibilities:

• Enter payroll changes such as pay changes, tax changes, new direct deposit information, reimbursements, and deductions.

• Review wage garnishment information as it comes in and work closely with our PEO to update records as needed.

• Respond to employee payroll questions and provide any necessary information or forms.

• Work closely with onboarding specialists and the benefits department to ensure that payroll records reflect accurate new hire and benefit election information.

• Assist with preparation of final pay for employees who separate from employment.

• Verify and maintain accurate state and local tax setups for employees working in different jurisdictions.

• Perform regular audits of payroll data to ensure accuracy.

• Generate and prepare a variety of payroll-related reports.

• Communicate with employees and all levels of management regarding pay-related information, ensuring that requests are completed in a timely manner.
• Transfer hard copies of records to the electronic document management system (EDMS).

Required Qualifications:

• At least 1 year of previous administrative, HR or payroll experience.

• High proficiency in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPS, pivot tables) is essential.

• Must exercise discretion and maintain strict confidentiality due to the sensitive nature of the role.

• Attention to detail and accuracy is imperative.

• Ability to pass a pre-employment drug screen and background check.

• High school diploma or GED

Preferred Qualifications:

• Thorough understanding of wage and hour laws, payroll deductions, and payroll taxes.
• Fundamental Payroll Certification (FPC), or Certified Payroll Professional (CPP).