The posting, in Lyft's own words
archived Oct 28, 2026At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive. Lyft’s Accounting team is looking for an experienced Senior Payroll Accountant to join us in Seattle. You’ll own core payroll accounting and month-end close work across our US and North American entities, keeping everything accurate, on time, and well controlled. You’ll work closely with our Payroll, FP&A, and broader Accounting teams, and we’ll count on you to take ownership of your close tasks and help make our processes better over time. If you enjoy a clean reconciliation and a smooth close, we’d love to meet you.
Responsibilities:
Own payroll-related journal entries for our US (HQ) and North American international subsidiaries, from preparation through booking. Prepare payroll accruals, including monthly payroll, bonus, workers’ compensation, PTO, and commissions. Complete month-end and quarter-end close activities on schedule, in line with our internal close calendar. Reconcile and analyze payroll-related GL accounts in accordance with GAAP and Lyft’s accounting policies, and perform flux analysis to explain monthly and quarterly movements. Investigate and resolve reconciling items in partnership with FP&A and the Payroll team. Build a deep understanding of our pay classes, pay codes, and payroll processing activities so you can connect what happens in payroll to what lands in the GL. Keep payroll records organized and audit-ready, and help maintain and strengthen our internal controls. Identify opportunities to streamline or automate recurring close work, and help bring them to life. Support ad hoc projects as they come up.
Read the full posting ↓
Experience:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; CPA is a plus. 4+ years of general ledger accounting experience, including 2+ years in payroll accounting. Hands-on experience owning month-end close in a fast-paced, multi-entity environment. Strong command of GAAP. The ability to work independently, stay organized, and hit deadlines without sacrificing accuracy. Clear, friendly communication and a collaborative approach with cross-functional partners. A deep respect for confidentiality and data integrity. Advanced Excel skills (lookups, pivot tables, and clean, reviewable workpapers). Experience with finance and payroll systems such as Workday, Oracle, ADP Globalview, or similar.
Nice to have
Experience at a public company and familiarity with SOX controls. Experience supporting a payroll system implementation or process improvement project.
Benefits:
Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled Mental health benefits Family building benefits Child care and pet benefits 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible Subsidized commuter benefits Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid The expected base pay range for this position in the Seattle area is $80,960 - $101,200, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.