Hybrid Senior Benefits Tax Accountant

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About the role

  • Senior Group Benefits Tax Accountant managing tax compliance for group benefits like life and disability. Overseeing reporting and regulatory adherence while collaborating with finance teams.

Responsibilities

  • As a Senior Group Benefits Tax Accountant, you’ll play a key role in Pacific Life’s growth and long-term success by leading tax compliance and financial support for our group benefits products, including disability, life, supplemental health, dental, and vision.
  • You'll be responsible for overseeing the tax treatment of disability claims, ensuring accurate tax reporting and remittance, and serving as the division’s subject matter expert on benefits taxation.
  • Perform and review complex pre- and post-disability earnings calculations.
  • Calculate partial earnings for claimants returning to part-time work.
  • Verify claim taxability at the employer/policy level and request annual documentation.
  • Ensure accurate benefit payments and net amounts based on tax status.
  • Conduct financial audits within the EIS system to validate benefit calculations, offsets, and payment integrity.
  • Identify and correct underpayments or overpayments.
  • Recalculate FICA withholdings when taxability changes occur.
  • Issue corrected W-2s (W-2Cs) for prior-year adjustments.
  • Oversee the financial recovery process and develop long-term strategies for fund recovery.
  • Validate daily, quarterly, and annual tax withholdings and remittances.
  • Ensure timely and accurate remittance to federal and state tax agencies.
  • Lead year-end tax reporting for claimants (W-2, 1099) and employers based on tax support agreements and elections.
  • Provide expert guidance on tax-related matters beyond standard claims processing.
  • Support call center staff with tax inquiries and develop annual FAQs for W-2, 1099-LTC, and 1099-INT forms.
  • Respond to tax questions from claimants, employers, and brokers.
  • Manage policy-level taxability corrections and Tier 1 policyholder tax reports.
  • Prepare and distribute FICA consent letters for prior-year overpayment refunds.
  • Partner with Finance to establish financial controls and robust reporting mechanisms.
  • Collaborate with Training to develop financial training programs to improve accuracy.
  • Identify and implement process improvements to enhance tax compliance and operational efficiency.

Requirements

  • Minimum 8+ years of relevant experience in finance, tax, or compliance roles within the insurance or group benefits industry.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field (or equivalent experience).
  • Deep knowledge of federal and state tax regulations related to disability benefits, sick pay, and group insurance products.
  • Experience managing multi-state tax compliance and understanding of state-specific disability and PFML programs.
  • Strong analytical and auditing skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial and tax data.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; familiarity with business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI) and claims systems (e.g., EIS) is a plus.
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a customer-service mindset.

Benefits

  • Your wellbeing is important to Pacific Life, and we’re committed to providing you with flexible benefits that you can tailor to meet your needs.
  • Prioritization of your health and well-being including Medical, Dental, Vision, and Wellbeing Reimbursement Account that can be used on yourself or your eligible dependents
  • Generous paid time off options including: Paid Time Off, Holiday Schedules, and Financial Planning Time Off
  • Paid Parental Leave as well as an Adoption Assistance Program
  • Competitive 401k savings plan with company match and an additional contribution regardless of participation

Job title

Senior Benefits Tax Accountant

Job type

Experience level

Senior

Salary

$137,610 - $168,190 per year

Degree requirement

Bachelor's Degree

Tech skills

Location requirements

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