The Payroll Specialist independently manages end-to-end payroll for over 1,000 employees across India. This role requires strong hands-on expertise in payroll processing, statutory compliance, payroll taxation, reconciliation, statutory filings, maintenance of mandatory registers, and payroll audits. The ideal candidate will own the complete payroll cycle, from validating employee inputs and attendance data to salary disbursement, statutory remittances, returns, reconciliation, and audit readiness, while ensuring accuracy, confidentiality, and compliance with applicable Indian labour and payroll regulations.
Responsibilities
Own and execute monthly payroll processing for 500+ employees with a strong focus on accuracy and timely closure
Validate payroll inputs including new joiners, exits, attendance, leave, LOP, salary revisions, promotions, incentives, bonuses, arrears, reimbursements, deductions, and other variable components
Calculate monthly earnings and deductions including Basic, HRA, allowances, incentives, overtime, arrears, LOP, and recoveries
Manage Full Final (FF) settlements, leave encashment, notice-period recovery/payments, gratuity, and other separation-related payments
Perform pre-payroll and post-payroll validations and variance analysis before payroll sign-off
Prepare bank advice/payment files and coordinate timely salary disbursement
Generate and distribute payslips and other payroll-related employee documents
Maintain payroll calendars, checklists, and maker-checker controls to ensure timely payroll closure
Ensure payroll complies with applicable Indian labour, employment, social-security, and taxation requirements
Manage compliance relating to Provident Fund (PF/EPF), ESI, Professional Tax (PT), Labour Welfare Fund (LWF), TDS, and other applicable payroll-related statutory requirements
Manage PF processes including UAN-related activities, ECR preparation, contribution reconciliation, and statutory remittances
Manage ESI contributions, employee coverage changes, challans, and reconciliations
Calculate and deduct Professional Tax based on applicable state requirements
Manage LWF deductions and contributions wherever applicable
Ensure statutory payments, challans, returns, and filings are completed within prescribed timelines
Track changes in statutory requirements, wage definitions, contribution limits, tax rules, and other payroll-related regulatory changes and implement them appropriately
Coordinate with Finance, HR, auditors, consultants, and statutory authorities wherever required
Manage employee income-tax computation and monthly TDS deductions
Validate employee tax declarations and investment proofs
Handle tax regime selections and applicable payroll tax calculations
Millions of jobs, with real people getting hired every day
200,000+
New jobs added daily
7,000,000+
Verified job listings
1,000,000+
Tailored applications submitted
Reconcile payroll TDS with Finance records and statutory filings
Support quarterly TDS return processes and reconciliation of payroll-related tax data
Manage Form 16 preparation, reconciliation, and issuance within statutory timelines
Handle employee tax queries and corrections relating to payroll taxation
Maintain all applicable payroll, wage, and statutory registers in the prescribed format, whether electronically or physically as required
Ensure maintenance of applicable records/registers relating to wages, deductions, fines, advances, overtime, attendance, leave, bonus, and other employment/payroll records
Ensure registers and supporting documentation are updated accurately and retained for the prescribed period
Maintain employee-wise statutory contribution and deduction records
Ensure payroll documentation is readily available for internal audits, statutory inspections, due diligence, and external audits
Maintain a compliance calendar covering all payroll-related filings, payments, returns, and register requirements
Perform monthly payroll reconciliation against the previous month's payroll and approved HR inputs
Reconcile gross salary, net salary, employee count, statutory deductions, employer contributions, TDS, and bank payout amounts
Reconcile payroll outputs with Finance/General Ledger and resolve differences before closure
Maintain clear audit trails for all payroll adjustments and manual interventions
Identify payroll discrepancies, investigate root causes, and implement corrective and preventive controls
Ensure appropriate segregation of duties, access controls, and confidentiality of payroll information
Act as the primary payroll point of contact for internal, statutory, and external audits
Provide payroll registers, challans, returns, reconciliations, and supporting documentation during audits and inspections
Track audit observations and ensure timely closure of payroll-related findings
Conduct periodic payroll compliance checks to identify potential gaps before statutory or internal audits
Coordinate with payroll vendors/consultants where applicable while retaining internal ownership of payroll accuracy and compliance
Ensure accurate payroll setup for new employees
Process salary revisions, promotions, transfers, and other compensation changes
Manage employee exits and timely Full Final settlements
Respond to employee queries relating to salary, deductions, PF, ESI, tax, Form 16, FF, and other payroll matters
Maintain employee payroll data with a high degree of confidentiality and accuracy
Requirements
5-8 years of hands-on experience in Indian payroll and statutory compliance, preferably managing payroll for 500+ employees
Strong practical knowledge of Indian payroll processing and statutory compliance
Hands-on experience with PF/EPF, ESI, PT, LWF, TDS, gratuity, bonus, and payroll taxation
Strong experience maintaining payroll and statutory registers and supporting compliance audits
Experience handling multi-state payroll and state-specific statutory requirements would be preferred
Strong understanding of salary structures, CTC, gross salary, taxable income, employer contributions, and net-pay calculations
Strong knowledge of payroll reconciliations and payroll-to-GL processes
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Pivot Tables, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, reconciliation, and large-data validation
Experience working with HRMS/payroll platforms
Strong attention to detail and ability to manage high-volume payroll within strict monthly deadlines
Ability to handle confidential employee and compensation information appropriately
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management skills
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human Resources, Commerce, Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline
Nice to have:
Experience is not primarily limited to coordinating with an outsourced payroll vendor
Personally managed payroll calculations, statutory deductions, reconciliations, compliance filings/registers, audits, and payroll closure for a large Indian employee population
Important Details
Key Success Measures: 100% on-time monthly payroll closure and salary disbursement; high payroll accuracy with minimal corrections or reversals; 100% on-time statutory remittances and applicable filings; accurate and up-to-date statutory registers and payroll documentation; zero material statutory non-compliance or penalties; timely and accurate Full Final settlements; successful payroll/statutory audits with timely closure of observations; strong reconciliation between HRMS, payroll, bank payouts, and Finance/GL records
