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.

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

tax compliancefinancial supportearnings calculationstax reportingfinancial auditsFICA withholdingstaxability correctionsprocess improvementsfinancial controlsreporting mechanisms

Soft Skills

analytical skillsauditing skillscommunication skillscollaboration skillscustomer-service mindset