---
title: 'Payroll Analyst at Perplexity'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/payroll-analyst-perplexity-san-francisco-6npnh69ckbwq'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Payroll Analyst at Perplexity

- **Company:** [Perplexity](https://feeny.ai/companies/perplexity)
- **Location:** San Francisco, CA
- **Compensation:** $90k–$125k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-09-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Perplexity/5080dab5-7eb7-4cb2-9e2c-c61531fd3ad1

## Job description

Perplexity is looking for a detail-oriented Payroll Analyst to join our growing Finance and Accounting team. You will partner closely with the Payroll Manager to keep US and international payroll accurate, compliant, and timely as the company scales through rapid hiring, global expansion, and increasing complexity in equity and benefits administration.

This is a hands-on role with real ownership from day one, working closely with People Operations, Accounting, Tax, and Equity. The ideal candidate combines strong payroll and systems expertise with sharp attention to detail, a service-oriented approach, and the ability to bring structure to a fast-moving environment.

## Responsibilities

- US and international payroll processing: Own day-to-day processing support for US multi-state semi-monthly payroll and assist with international payroll cycles across approximately 16 countries, working primarily in Rippling.
- Global contractor payroll: Run the monthly global contractor payroll cycle, including timecard submission tracking, manager approval follow-up, and on-schedule contractor payments.
- Pre- and post-payroll audits: Reconcile benefit deductions, 401(k) deferrals, and employer match against payroll journals and deductions exports; flag and resolve discrepancies before paychecks post.
- State tax account administration: Support state-level employer tax account registration and maintenance (SUI and withholding) as the company grows into new states, including migration of legacy accounts inherited from prior PEO arrangements.
- Benefits and 401(k) support: Assist with 401(k) and benefits administration, including contribution monitoring, HCE and nondiscrimination testing support, and COBRA offboarding notices.
- Equity payroll reporting: Support equity and stock-exercise payroll reporting by tracking Carta exercise data, applying correct NSO/ISO tax treatment, and preparing payroll-side entries at quarter-end cutoffs.
- Reimbursements and systems integration: Manage the Rippling-to-NetSuite reimbursement approval chain, ensuring expense reimbursements route and post correctly across systems.
- Employee support: Serve as a first point of contact for employee payroll inquiries, resolving routine questions and escalating complex cases with context.
- Close and compliance support: Maintain clean, audit-ready documentation and support quarter-end and year-end close activities, including W-2s, ACA reporting, 401(k) true-ups, and year-end reconciliations.
- Process improvement: Identify and help implement process improvements that reduce manual work and strengthen controls as payroll volume and jurisdictional complexity increase.

## Requirements

- 4+ years of hands-on payroll experience, ideally including multi-state US payroll; international or contractor payroll exposure is a plus.
- Experience establishing and managing US state agency accounts, including troubleshooting agency mailings and invoices for payment, and related account maintenance.
- Strong working knowledge of California wage statement requirements, meal and rest break premiums, final pay timing rules, and other state-specific compliance considerations.
- Hands-on experience with a modern payroll/HRIS platform (Rippling, Workday, ADP, Gusto, or similar); Rippling experience preferred.
- Comfort with detailed reconciliation work across benefits deductions, 401(k) match calculations, and payroll-to-GL tie-outs, including strong Excel and Google Sheets skills and the ability to work accurately with large datasets.
- Working knowledge of US payroll tax compliance (SUI, SIT, federal and state withholding) and interest in learning cross-border payroll mechanics.
- Familiarity with equity compensation payroll (RSU, NSO, and ISO taxation) is a plus.
- Excellent attention to detail and follow-through — this role exists to catch errors before they reach employees, not just process transactions.
- Clear communicator who can explain payroll and benefits topics to employees and cross-functional stakeholders.
- Ability to multi-task and prioritize effectively in a fast-paced environment.

## About Perplexity

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Perplexity builds an AI-powered answer engine that delivers accurate, real-time answers to any question, serving curious minds and professionals who demand precision and speed.
- **Entity Type**: Private (total funding $1.7B across 16 rounds)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2022
- **Founders**: Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: AI-powered search and knowledge retrieval, Software Development
- **Target customers**: B2C (general users), B2B (enterprise API customers), and power users seeking reliable information
- **Mission**: “AI for people who expect more – more accuracy, more agency, more signal, less noise.”

## Products & Services
- **Perplexity AI (Free Tier)**: Real-time conversational search engine that synthesizes web results with citations, accessible via web and mobile app. *Type*: SaaS
- **Perplexity Pro**: Subscription offering enhanced features such as advanced AI models, multimodal search, and increased usage limits. *Type*: SaaS (subscription)
- **Perplexity API Platform**: Enables developers to integrate Perplexity’s search and reasoning capabilities into their own applications. *Type*: API
- **Perplexity Browser Extension**: Brings AI-powered search directly into the browser for quick answers without leaving the page. *Type*: Browser extension

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in provided sources (prior reports indicate ~$9B valuation as of 2024, but not confirmed in this data set)
- **Key Metric**: Total funding $1.7B (16 rounds); annual revenue ~$50M (LinkedIn estimate)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly listed in provided search results; widely known investors include IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, and others (not sourced here)
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 11.3% YoY to 1,152 employees; operates in 54 countries; LinkedIn followers grew 131.8% yearly to >1.6M; active hiring across 48+ open roles including AI Research, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams

## Competitive Advantages
- **Real-time, cited answers**: Unlike traditional chatbots, Perplexity grounds answers in live web results with transparent sources, building trust and accuracy.
- **Multimodal and agentic capabilities**: Continuously pushes frontier research (e.g., query-aware context compression, agents for knowledge work) that differentiates from generic LLM interfaces.
- **Vertical integration from research to product**: In-house AI research team tackles open problems unique to Perplexity’s scale, enabling fast iteration on novel methods.
- **Strong brand and user base**: Rapid consumer adoption with millions of monthly active users and high engagement.

## Strategic Focus
- **Pushing the frontier of search**: Evolving from retrieval services to code generation, agents, and full autonomy in knowledge work.
- **Expanding enterprise and API revenue**: Growing B2B footprint with API platform and enterprise solutions.
- **Global hiring and office expansion**: Offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Austin, Washington D.C., London, Berlin, and Belgrade, with “4 days in office” hybrid model.
- **Investing in AI research**: Dedicated research division (Perplexity Research) exploring reasoning, agents, and systems to redefine how people navigate the internet.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture & Environment**: “Thoughtful support” culture with emphasis on craftsmanship, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and partnership. Hybrid schedule (4 days in-office) based on location.
- **Perks**: Daily catered meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner in office), office snacks, ride home program, commuter benefits, home office reimbursement, fitness classes, gym memberships.
- **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive salary and equity packages; retirement plans with company match; flexible PTO; holiday shutdown between Christmas and New Year; 12 weeks paid bonding leave; comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
- **Relocation & Visa Support**: Relocation assistance and visa/green card sponsorship for eligible roles. Partners with immigration firm to support the process.
- **Engineering Excellence**: “Technical assessment for relevant roles”; values hands-on contribution, broad skill sets, and merit-based evaluation. Frequent Tech Talks and exposure to greenfield AI research problems.

## Sources
1. [perplexity.ai/hub/careers](https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/careers)
2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity)
3. [perplexity.ai](https://www.perplexity.ai/)
4. [linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai)
5. [research.perplexity.ai](https://research.perplexity.ai/)

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