Payroll Analyst

The role

You will partner with the Payroll Manager to maintain accurate, compliant, and timely US and international payroll. You will work with People Operations, Accounting, Tax, and Equity to manage payroll processing, audits, and benefits administration.

What you will do

• Process US multi-state semi-monthly payroll and assist with international payroll cycles in Rippling.
• Run monthly global contractor payroll cycles including timecard tracking and manager approvals.
• Reconcile benefit deductions, 401(k) deferrals, and employer match against payroll journals.
• Support state-level employer tax account registration and maintenance.
• Assist with 401(k) and benefits administration including contribution monitoring and testing support.
• Support equity and stock-exercise payroll reporting by tracking Carta exercise data.
• Manage the Rippling-to-NetSuite reimbursement approval chain.
• Serve as a first point of contact for employee payroll inquiries.
• Maintain audit-ready documentation and support quarter-end and year-end close activities.
• Identify and implement process improvements to reduce manual work and strengthen controls.

Required qualifications

• 4+ years of hands-on payroll experience
• Experience establishing and managing US state agency accounts
• Strong working knowledge of California wage statement requirements, meal and rest break premiums, and final pay timing rules
• Hands-on experience with a modern payroll/HRIS platform (Rippling, Workday, ADP, Gusto, or similar)
• Comfort with detailed reconciliation work across benefits deductions, 401(k) match calculations, and payroll-to-GL tie-outs
• Strong Excel and Google Sheets skills
• Ability to work accurately with large datasets
• Working knowledge of US payroll tax compliance (SUI, SIT, federal and state withholding)
• Excellent attention to detail and follow-through
• Clear communicator
• Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment

Nice to have

• International or contractor payroll exposure
• Rippling experience preferred
• Familiarity with equity compensation payroll (RSU, NSO, and ISO taxation)

About the company

Perplexity is a growing Finance and Accounting team scaling through rapid hiring and global expansion.