Payroll Technician

Payroll Technician Reporting to the Director of Payroll & Retirement Services, the incumbent is responsible for performing assigned payroll functionalities for a selected range of employee classes. The position requires retirement reporting experience for a large size institution in CalPERS (California Public Employees Retirement System) or other similar retirement system for Public employees. The position must have a thorough understanding of the bargaining agreements, governmental and district policies for the regulatory and procedural compliance for assigned employee classes with the ability to prepare, analyze and balance payroll reports including financial analytics. Under general supervision, performs routine to complex technical accounting work to prepare the District's two monthly payrolls and ensure that employees' work time is properly recorded and coded, and employees are paid accurately, on time, and in accordance with their employment status and applicable laws, personnel rules and policies, California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) laws and reporting rules, collections rules and policy, Board policy, and collective bargaining agreements; prepares, maintains, and distributes a variety of payroll records and reports; and performs related duties as assigned. Receives immediate general supervision from the Payroll Supervisor. Exercises no supervision of staff. This is the journey-level class in the paraprofessional Payroll Technician series. Incumbents perform the full range of duties as assigned, working independently on regular assignments, and exercising judgment in applying guidelines, processes, policies, and procedures when performing tasks and making decisions. Incumbents at this level receive only occasional instruction or assistance as new or unusual situations arise and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies of the work unit. This class series is distinguished from other finance and accounting support classifications such as Accounting Assistant and Accounting Technician in that the Payroll Technician series requires specialized subject matter expertise in payroll, retirement laws, collections procedures, and collective bargaining agreements. Examples of typical functions (illustrative only): Communicates with employees and supervisors by phone, e-mail, and mass messages to ensure timely completion, review, approval, and submission of online and paper time records. Ensures timesheets and time reports are submitted on time by monitoring and communication with staff and supervisors. Receives, reviews, verifies, reconciles, and processes timesheets to prepare the District's two monthly payrolls, using both scheduled and off-cycle processes; audits time records for completeness and accuracy; prepares and balances payroll reports and records; issues manual timesheets and timekeeping reports as needed. Assists departments and employees by providing payroll information, explaining procedures, and answering questions pertaining to payroll; ensures compliance of District timekeeping and pay practices with state and federal laws, personnel rules and policies, CalPERS laws and reporting rules, collections rules and policy, Board policy, and collective bargaining agreements as they apply to wage and hour, payroll, withholding and deductions, retirement benefits, and a wide variety of paid and unpaid leave usage. Processes, calculates, and maintains records of a variety of personnel and payroll actions, including validating new hire set-up and changes in pay or employment status, tax withholding, overtime and holiday hours, retroactive or adjusted pay, retirement and voluntary deductions, wage garnishments, leaves of absence, and final paychecks and pay-offs based on applicable laws, rules, or policies; validates accuracy of data. Prepares and reconciles vendor payments for employee deductions, prepares deduction registers, transmits backup data to vendors, and submits remittance requests to Accounts Payable. Reconciles payroll clearing accounts and performs corrections through payroll adjustments or journal vouchers when necessary to resolve discrepancies. Performs collection of overpayments in accordance with policies and rules. Prepares, extracts, and reconciles data for a variety of reports using the District's enterprise resource planning (ERP), enterprise reporting, and financial reporting and query systems, as well as standard word processing and spreadsheet software. Researches payroll records and data to determine eligibility of various types of compensation for calculation of CalPERS benefits, including buy-back requests; verifies employees' leave-of-absence status and eligibility for paid time off benefits (holiday, vacation, and sick leave). Maintains employee records for voluntary and non-voluntary deductions; prepares reports for and requests for payment to various garnishing agencies, federal and state tax authorities, labor unions, and retirement plan providers. Prepares reports of contributions to employee benefit plans and CalPERS and supplemental retirement plans; analyzes, verifies, and updates retirement contribution amounts based on employer and employee eligibility, in accordance with relevant laws and rules; prepares and reconciles employee retirement reports for CalPERS and supplemental plan providers; serves as key point of contact in the department for configuration and updates to mandatory retirement system reporting. Scans and archives payroll documents in accordance with department and Board policy. Assists the Payroll Supervisor with special projects as required. Performs other duties as assigned. Incumbents at the Payroll Technician I level may exercise some of the knowledge and abilities listed below in a learning capacity. Knowledge of: Payroll and timekeeping practices, procedures, and terminology. Payroll processes and employee voluntary deductions and retirement reporting processes as they relate to payroll. Principles and practices of accrual basis of accounting. The processing and recording of payroll and financial transactions related to employee deductions and mandatory retirement. Applicable federal, state, and local laws, personnel rules and policies, CalPERS laws and reporting rules, collections procedures, Board policies, and collective bargaining agreements that affect District payroll and timekeeping. Business arithmetic. Recordkeeping and retention principles, policies, and procedures. Modern office practices, methods, and computer equipment and applications related to work, including word processing and spreadsheet, office productivity, and specialized software applications. English usage, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation. Techniques for providing a high level of customer service by effectively dealing with the public, students, and District staff, including individuals of diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation. Ability to: Demonstrate understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse academic, socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation of community college students, faculty and staff. Interpret, apply, and explain relevant laws, rules, regulations, policies, and procedures regarding payroll processing, employee recordkeeping, and employee benefits related to payroll processing. Adhere to and ensure others' compliance with applicable federal and state laws, personnel rules and policies, CalPERS laws and reporting rules, collections procedures, Board policies, and collective bargaining agreements pertaining to payroll, timekeeping, and compensation. Analyze data and situations accurately, identify issues and problems, and recommend effective courses of action. Review payroll and other financial documents for completeness, accuracy, and compliance. Maintain confidentiality of payroll data. Respond to and effectively prioritize multiple phone calls and other requests for service. Prepare a variety of standard and ad hoc payroll reports. Make accurate arithmetic computations and generate related reports. Establish and maintain a variety of filing, recordkeeping, and tracking systems. Establish, maintain, and research payroll records and related accounting records and files. Understand and follow oral and written instructions. Organize own work, set priorities, and meet critical time deadlines. Operate modern office equipment including computer and peripherals, printer/copier/scanner, desktop calculator, and a variety of software applications. Enter and retrieve data from a computer with sufficient speed and accuracy to perform assigned work. Learn and apply emerging technologies, as necessary, to perform duties in an efficient, organized, and timely manner. Use English effectively to communicate in person, over the telephone, and in writing. Exercise tact, initiative, prudence, and independent judgment within established policy, procedural, and legal guidelines. Establish, maintain, and foster positive and effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work. Minimum qualifications: Understanding of, sensitivity to, and respect for the diverse academic, socio-economic, ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, disability, and sexual orientation of community college students, faculty and staff. Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be: Equivalent to completion of the twelfth (12th) grade, supplemented by 12 semester units (or 1

Created: 2026-03-10