Bookkeeping + Payroll

Bookkeeping and Payroll Services

Get bookkeeping and payroll services for small businesses, startups, contractors, real estate companies, healthcare businesses, and local service providers.

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Bookkeeping keeps your books accurate; payroll keeps your people paid and your taxes filed. Bundling them with one provider eliminates the manual journal entries, mismatched wage totals, and year-end reconciliation surprises that come from running them on two separate stacks.

What you get

What professional payroll services cover

A modern payroll provider runs payroll, files every tax, issues year-end forms, and stays current on compliance — so you don't have to.

Multi-state W-2 payroll

Run payroll across every state where employees work, with state registrations and SUI rates handled.

1099 contractor pay

Pay contractors on-demand, classify them correctly, and file 1099-NECs at year-end.

Tax filings & deposits

Federal 941/940, state withholding, SUI, and local tax deposits filed on time, every period.

Benefits & HR integration

Health, 401(k), HSA/FSA, paid leave, and PTO accruals integrated with each payroll run.

Monthly bookkeeping

Monthly bookkeeping for small businesses

Books closed every month — not once a year — so you always know your margins, runway, and tax position. The foundation under every other service on this page.

Every transaction categorized to a clean chart of accounts within 10 business days of month-end
Monthly close checklist: bank rec, credit card rec, loan accruals, payroll JE, depreciation, prepaid amortization
Cash-basis or accrual-basis books — your CPA's choice, applied consistently
Class / location / project tracking when you need P&L by segment
Owner draws, distributions, and contributions tracked separately from operating expenses

Bundle

Payroll + bookkeeping bundle

When your payroll provider also keeps your books, your wage and tax data flows straight to the general ledger — no manual journal entries, no end-of-year scramble.

Payroll entries auto-posted to QuickBooks Online, Xero, or Sage with proper wage/tax/benefit splits
Workers comp audit data pulled directly from payroll classes — no separate reconciliation
401(k) contribution and match accruals tracked monthly, not just at year-end
Cash flow forecasts driven by actual pay-period and tax-deposit dates
One vendor relationship, one bill, one team that knows your books and your payroll
Year-end W-2 / 1099 / 1095-C production reconciled to the GL before filing

Cleanup & catch-up

Accounting cleanup and catch-up

Behind on your books? A cleanup engagement rebuilds prior months or years, reconciles every account, and hands you a tax-ready file before the next deadline.

Diagnostic review of the current QuickBooks / Xero file — opening balances, undeposited funds, unreconciled items
Bank and credit card statements re-imported and reconciled, month by month, through current
Uncategorized expenses and 'Ask My Accountant' entries cleared with documentation
Sales tax and payroll liabilities reconciled to filed returns
Adjusting journal entries booked so prior-year retained earnings tie to the filed tax return
Written cleanup memo handed to your CPA before tax filing

Reconciliation

Bank and credit card reconciliation

Every bank, credit card, loan, and merchant account reconciled monthly to the statement. The fastest way to catch fraud, duplicate charges, and missed revenue.

Every operating account, savings account, and credit card reconciled to the statement balance
Stripe, Square, PayPal, and Shopify clearing accounts reconciled to gross sales and fees
Loan principal vs. interest split correctly on every payment
Outstanding checks and deposits in transit aged and investigated
Reconciliation reports archived monthly — audit-ready if the IRS or a lender asks

AP & AR

Accounts payable and receivable

Bills paid on time, invoices sent the day work is delivered, and aging reports reviewed weekly so cash stops slipping through the cracks.

Bill capture via Bill.com, Ramp, or QuickBooks Bill Pay with approval routing
Vendor W-9 collection at onboarding — 1099 list ready in January, not scrambled in February
Customer invoices issued from QuickBooks / Xero with payment links and auto-reminders
Weekly AR aging review with collection escalation at 30 / 60 / 90 days
Cash application matched to deposits, with short pays and credit memos handled cleanly

Financial reports

Monthly financial reports you can actually use

Standard P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow — plus the KPI views you actually run the business on, delivered with a written summary every month.

Profit & loss, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows — comparative to prior month and prior year
Gross margin by product line, service, or project when class tracking is in place
AR and AP aging summaries with collection / payment recommendations
Budget vs. actual variance reports when you've set a budget
Plain-English monthly summary highlighting what changed and what to act on

Tax-ready books

Tax-ready books handed to your CPA

Books closed and reviewed so your CPA can prepare Form 1120-S, 1120, 1065, or Schedule C without a single follow-up question.

Year-end trial balance reconciled to bank, payroll, and sales tax filings
Fixed asset schedule and current-year depreciation matched to the tax return
Owner compensation, distributions, and shareholder loans cleanly separated
Meals, travel, vehicle, and home office accounts coded to match tax treatment
1099-NEC list prepared and reconciled to the GL by January 15
Direct collaboration with your CPA — no document back-and-forth in March

Classification

Contractor vs. employee compliance

Misclassifying a worker as a 1099 contractor when they should be a W-2 employee is the single most expensive payroll mistake — back wages, back taxes, penalties, and state audits.

IRS three-prong test (behavioral, financial, relationship of the parties) documented
State ABC tests (California AB5, Massachusetts, New Jersey) applied where stricter than federal
Section 530 safe harbor relied on only with a defensible reasonable-basis position
Form SS-8 strategy considered before voluntary worker reclassification
VCSP (Voluntary Classification Settlement Program) used to limit back tax exposure on reclassifications
1099-NEC issued by January 31 for every contractor paid $600+ during the year

Startups

Startup bookkeeping

Pre-revenue or just past your first round — startup books are different. R&D capitalization, SAFEs, equity grants, and investor reporting all need to be set up right from day one.

Chart of accounts built to match SaaS / startup KPIs (MRR, ARR, gross margin, burn, runway)
Section 174 R&D expense capitalization tracked correctly
SAFEs, convertible notes, and priced rounds booked to equity vs. liability properly
83(b) elections, ISOs, RSUs, and option exercises reflected in the cap table and books
Investor-ready monthly reports: P&L, balance sheet, cash, runway, key metrics
Delaware franchise tax and state qualification compliance tracked

Small business payroll

Small business payroll support

From your first hire through 50+ employees, a dedicated payroll specialist runs every cycle, files every tax, and answers your team's pay questions directly.

Bi-weekly or semi-monthly payroll runs with direct deposit and pay stubs
S-corp owner reasonable compensation calculated and run through payroll
Garnishments, child support, and levies processed in compliance with state rules
Time tracking integrations (Gusto, QuickBooks Time, Homebase, When I Work)
PTO and sick leave accruals configured to match your policy and state mandates
Direct phone and email support for HR and employee pay questions

Industries served

Industries we serve

Bookkeeping and payroll specialists who already know your industry's chart of accounts, KPIs, and compliance quirks.

Startups and SaaS — MRR / ARR tracking, R&D capitalization, equity events
Real estate — entity-per-property books, depreciation schedules, 1031 tracking, STR reporting
Healthcare and medical practices — payer mix, RVU tracking, HSA/FSA payroll, HIPAA-aware workflows
Construction and trades — job costing, WIP schedules, certified payroll, workers comp by class
Professional services and agencies — utilization, project profitability, retainer accounting
Restaurants and hospitality — tip reporting, FICA tip credit, daily sales reconciliation
Ecommerce — Shopify / Amazon / Stripe clearing accounts, sales tax by state, inventory cost
Trucking and logistics — IFTA, per diem, owner-operator vs. company driver payroll

What it costs

Payroll services pricing

Typical US pricing for outsourced payroll. Most providers bill a monthly base plus a per-employee charge.

Service	Typical range	Notes
Base subscription (monthly)	$40 – $180	Most providers charge a flat monthly base for software + tax service
Per-employee per month	$6 – $25	Volume tiers; PEOs charge $30–$80+ but bundle benefits
Per-contractor per month	$5 – $15	Some providers charge only when the contractor is actually paid
Year-end W-2 / 1099	$0 – $8 per form	Bundled in most full-service plans; standalone fee for tax-only services
Multi-state add-on	$0 – $20 per state / mo	Some providers charge per additional state, others bundle
Payroll + bookkeeping bundle	$300 – $1,500 / mo	All-in for a 1–25 employee small business; scales with headcount and complexity
PEO co-employment	$150 – $200 / employee / mo	Includes Fortune-500-grade health, 401(k), workers comp

Compare your options

CPA payroll vs. payroll company vs. PEO

Three real paths for outsourcing payroll. The right one depends on headcount, benefits ambition, and how tightly payroll needs to integrate with your books and tax return.

CPA-led payroll

CPA payroll service

•Payroll runs in software owned by your accounting firm
•Tax filings tied directly to your year-end return
•Single point of contact for payroll, books, and tax
•Compliance advice built into the relationship, not billed by the hour
•Best when your CPA handles your books and return already

Best for

1–50 employee businesses that already work with a CPA firm

Outsourced payroll company

Full-service payroll company

•Provider runs payroll and files every federal, state, and local tax
•Self-service portals for employees and contractors
•Tax-penalty guarantee on the provider's filings
•Strong benefits administration add-ons (health, 401(k), HSA)
•Year-end W-2 and 1099 production included

Best for

1–200 employee businesses that want payroll fully off their plate

PEO co-employment

Professional Employer Organization

•Provider becomes co-employer of record on your W-2s
•Fortune-500-grade health insurance, 401(k), and workers comp at small-employer prices
•Multi-state compliance handled across every jurisdiction
•Higher cost — typically $150–$200 per employee per month
•Tradeoff: less control and harder to switch providers later

Best for

10–75 employee growth companies competing for talent on benefits

Software

Payroll software comparison

Most CPA and outsourced payroll providers run on one of these platforms. Knowing the platform helps you compare apples to apples.

Platform	Best for	Pricing (typical)	Notes
Gusto	1–50 employee small businesses, modern UX, embedded benefits	$40 base + $6–$12/ee/mo	Easy onboarding, contractor-only plan, strong multi-state support
ADP RUN / Workforce Now	SMB through mid-market, deep HR add-ons	Quote-based, ~$59 base + $4–$8/ee	Industry default at scale; complex pricing, requires negotiation
Paychex Flex	Small to mid-market, strong PEO option (Paychex PEO)	Quote-based, ~$39 base + $5/ee	Strong workers comp integration; PEO is competitive vs. TriNet/Insperity
QuickBooks Payroll	Existing QBO bookkeeping clients	$50 – $130 base + $6–$11/ee/mo	Tightest integration with QBO ledger; native to most CPA firms
Rippling	Tech-forward SMBs combining payroll, HR, and IT	$8+/ee/mo for payroll, modular add-ons	Strong global EOR and contractor coverage; can sprawl in pricing
OnPay	Restaurants, agriculture, nonprofits, 1–100 employees	$40 base + $6/ee/mo	Single flat plan; strong industry support including tipped wages and clergy

Vetting checklist

Questions to ask a payroll provider

1
What's included in your base price, and what triggers additional fees?
2
Do you guarantee tax filings? What happens if a deposit or filing is late or wrong?
3
How do you handle multi-state payroll and out-of-state remote employees?
4
How are contractor payments and 1099-NEC filings handled?
5
What benefits do you integrate with (health, 401(k), HSA, commuter, life)?
6
How quickly do you respond to a payroll-related tax notice from the IRS or a state?
7
Do you offer payroll + bookkeeping together, or are those two separate vendors?
8
What does the year-end W-2 / 1099 process look like and what's included?

Featured Professionals

Featured payroll providers

Verified professionals will appear here as profiles are claimed and reviewed.

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By city

Find this service by city

Houston, TX

Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.

Dallas, TX

Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.

Los Angeles, CA

LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.

New York City, NY

NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.

Miami, FL

Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.

Chicago, IL

Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.

Atlanta, GA

Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.

Boston, MA

Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.

Seattle, WA

Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.

Washington DC, DC

Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.

Baltimore, MD

Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.

Common questions

Payroll services FAQs

How much do professional payroll services cost?+

Most outsourced payroll providers charge a monthly base ($40–$180) plus a per-employee fee ($6–$25). PEOs charge $150–$200 per employee per month but bundle Fortune-500 benefits. A payroll + bookkeeping bundle for a 1–25 employee small business typically lands between $300–$1,500/month. See the pricing table above for the full breakdown.

What's the difference between a CPA payroll service and a payroll company?+

A CPA payroll service runs payroll inside your accounting firm — same team that does your books and return. A payroll company (Gusto, ADP, Paychex) is a dedicated payroll vendor. CPA-led wins on integration; full-service payroll companies win on self-service tooling and benefits admin. PEOs sit on top of either with co-employment.

Do I have to use the payroll provider my CPA uses?+

No. Most CPAs work with whichever provider you already have. That said, if your CPA runs payroll natively in QuickBooks Online or Gusto, switching to their stack often simplifies the year-end close and eliminates manual GL entries.

What happens if my payroll provider files taxes late?+

Reputable full-service providers (Gusto, ADP, Paychex, QuickBooks Payroll, OnPay) offer a tax-penalty guarantee — if the provider files late or wrong, they pay the penalties and interest. Always confirm this is in writing before signing.

Do I need to issue 1099s if I use a payroll provider for contractors?+

If you pay contractors through your payroll provider, the provider issues 1099-NEC at year-end. If you pay contractors outside payroll (Venmo, check, ACH), you're responsible — and most CPAs and bookkeepers will issue them for you.

Can payroll providers handle multi-state employees?+

Yes. Modern providers (Gusto, ADP, Rippling, QuickBooks Payroll) handle multi-state payroll natively — registering you in each state, applying the right SUI rate, and filing in each jurisdiction. Some charge an add-on per additional state; others bundle.

Should I move to a PEO?+

PEOs make sense for 10–75 employee growth companies that need Fortune-500 benefits to compete for talent. Below 10 employees the per-head cost rarely justifies the benefit. Above 75–100 you're usually better off going direct on benefits and using a standalone payroll provider.

Who reports new hires — me or the payroll provider?+

Full-service payroll providers file new-hire reports with the correct state directory within the statutory window. If you run payroll in-house or DIY, the responsibility is yours — and the state penalties for missed reports are surprisingly steep.