Payroll • Small business & multi-state
Professional Payroll Services
Compare CPA-led payroll providers, outsourced payroll companies, and PEOs. Run accurate paychecks, file payroll taxes on time, and stay compliant across every state where you have employees.
Get help with QuickBooks, bookkeeping, payroll, tax planning, controller support, and CFO advisory from professionals who understand your business needs.
Overview
What a payroll provider actually does
A payroll provider calculates wages, withholds federal and state taxes, files quarterly returns (941, state UI, local), and issues year-end W-2s and 1099s. Full-service providers also handle direct deposit, garnishments, benefits deductions, and new-hire reporting.
- Run weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly payroll
- Withhold and remit federal, state, and local payroll taxes
- File quarterly 941s and annual 940s
- Issue W-2s and 1099-NECs each January
- Handle garnishments and benefit deductions
- Register your business in new states as you hire
Typical pricing
What this service usually costs
Most small businesses pay $40–$200/month base plus $4–$15 per employee per pay run. PEOs charge a percentage of payroll (typically 2–12%) and bundle benefits + workers comp.
Estimate payroll taxesRight fit
Who should hire this professional
- Any business with W-2 employees
- S-corp owners taking reasonable compensation
- Companies hiring in multiple states
- Restaurants and hospitality businesses with tips
- Construction and trucking with prevailing wage or per diem
- Anyone who's missed a 941 deadline
Scope
Services included
Multi-state payroll
Register and file in every state where you have employees.
Payroll tax filing
941, 940, state UI, and local withholding filed on schedule.
Direct deposit
Same-day or next-day ACH to employee bank accounts.
Garnishments
Child support, IRS levies, and student loan deductions handled per court order.
Benefits integration
401(k), HSA, and health insurance deductions synced each pay run.
Year-end forms
W-2s and 1099-NECs prepared, distributed, and e-filed with the SSA/IRS.
Need help with bookkeeping, QuickBooks, tax, or CFO support?
Tell us what service you need and where your business is located.
Before you hire
Questions to ask any candidate
- 1Are tax filings included in the base price?
- 2How do you handle multi-state employees?
- 3What's the cutoff time for running payroll?
- 4Do you offer a tax penalty guarantee?
- 5How does your platform integrate with my bookkeeping software?
- 6What's the cost to add a new state?
Get ready
Documents to prepare
- Federal EIN and state tax ID numbers
- State unemployment account numbers
- Employee W-4s and I-9s
- Bank account for direct deposit funding
- Prior payroll register (if switching providers)
- Benefit plan deduction schedules
Compare
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Single provider for books and pay runs.
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Fully managed payroll for growing teams.
Explore this servicePayroll by state
State-specific filing and registration help.
Explore this serviceNeed help with bookkeeping, QuickBooks, tax, or CFO support?
Tell us what service you need and where your business is located.
FAQ
Common questions
How much do payroll services cost?
Most small businesses pay $40–$200/month base plus $4–$15 per employee per pay run. PEOs charge 2–12% of total payroll and bundle benefits.
What's a PEO and do I need one?
A Professional Employer Organization co-employs your staff and provides Fortune-500-grade benefits. Worth considering once you hit ~10 employees and want better health plans.
Can my CPA run payroll?
Yes — many CPA firms run payroll on platforms like Gusto, ADP, or QuickBooks Payroll and bundle it with bookkeeping and tax.
What happens if my provider misses a tax deadline?
Most national payroll providers offer a tax penalty guarantee — they cover any IRS or state penalty caused by their error. Ask for it in writing.
By city
Find professional payroll services by city
Payroll in Houston, TX
Houston CPAs serve energy, healthcare, and the city's vast small-business community.
Payroll in Dallas, TX
Dallas accounting firms anchor finance, real estate, and corporate headquarters across DFW.
Payroll in Los Angeles, CA
LA's accountants specialize in entertainment, real estate, and creative-industry tax planning.
Payroll in San Francisco, CA
San Francisco CPAs serve startups, venture-backed companies, and complex equity-comp clients.
Payroll in New York City, NY
NYC's accountants cover Wall Street, media, real estate, hospitality, and the small businesses of all five boroughs.
Payroll in Miami, FL
Miami's CPAs specialize in international tax, real estate, hospitality, and Latin American business.
Payroll in Chicago, IL
Chicago accountants serve professional services, manufacturing, logistics, and the Midwest's largest corporate base.
Payroll in Atlanta, GA
Atlanta's CPAs support film, fintech, logistics, and one of the country's most dynamic small-business scenes.
Payroll in Boston, MA
Boston-area accountants serve life sciences, higher education, financial services, and innovation-economy startups.
Payroll in Seattle, WA
Seattle CPAs serve tech, aerospace, and the Pacific Northwest's deep entrepreneurial bench.
Payroll in Washington DC, DC
Washington DC accountants serve federal contractors, nonprofits, associations, and the law firms that anchor the capital's economy.
Payroll in Baltimore, MD
Baltimore CPAs serve healthcare systems, port and logistics operators, biotech, and the city's deep nonprofit and higher-ed community.
Payroll in Richmond, VA
Richmond CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, banking and insurance, tobacco-to-tech manufacturers, and Virginia's state-capital legal and government economy.
Payroll in Birmingham, AL
Birmingham CPAs serve banking, healthcare, steel, and the Magic City's small-business economy.
Payroll in Anchorage, AK
Anchorage CPAs serve oil and gas, fisheries, federal contracting, and the state's tourism economy.
Payroll in Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix CPAs serve semiconductors, real estate, healthcare, and one of the country's fastest-growing small-business markets.
Payroll in Little Rock, AR
Little Rock CPAs serve healthcare, logistics, agriculture, and the state's government and legal economy.
Payroll in Denver, CO
Denver CPAs serve tech, aerospace, cannabis, and the Front Range's outdoor and energy economies.
Payroll in Hartford, CT
Hartford CPAs serve insurance, reinsurance, manufacturing, and the broader Connecticut River Valley economy.
Payroll in Wilmington, DE
Wilmington CPAs serve banking, corporate trust, pharma, and the Fortune 500 entity-formation economy.
Payroll in Honolulu, HI
Honolulu CPAs serve tourism, military contracting, real estate, and the islands' small-business community.
Payroll in Boise, ID
Boise CPAs serve tech, agriculture, manufacturing, and a fast-growing relocation-driven small-business economy.
Payroll in Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis CPAs serve manufacturing, life sciences, logistics, and motorsports.
Payroll in Des Moines, IA
Des Moines CPAs serve insurance, agribusiness, biofuels, and the state's growing tech economy.
Payroll in Wichita, KS
Wichita CPAs serve aviation, aerospace, energy, and agriculture.
Payroll in Louisville, KY
Louisville CPAs serve bourbon, equine, automotive manufacturing, healthcare, and logistics (UPS Worldport).
Payroll in New Orleans, LA
New Orleans CPAs serve maritime, tourism, oil and gas, and the city's film and hospitality economies.
Payroll in Portland, ME
Portland CPAs serve tourism, fisheries, forestry, and the state's growing remote-work and craft economies.
Payroll in Detroit, MI
Detroit CPAs serve automotive, mobility, healthcare, and the broader Southeast Michigan manufacturing base.
Payroll in Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis CPAs serve Fortune 500 headquarters, medical devices, agribusiness, and finance.
Payroll in Jackson, MS
Jackson CPAs serve manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, and the state's government and legal economy.
Payroll in St. Louis, MO
St. Louis CPAs serve agribusiness, defense, biosciences, financial services, and logistics.
Payroll in Billings, MT
Billings CPAs serve agriculture, energy, healthcare, and Montana's tourism economy.
Payroll in Omaha, NE
Omaha CPAs serve insurance, financial services, agribusiness, and the Berkshire Hathaway ecosystem.
Payroll in Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas CPAs serve gaming, hospitality, entertainment, real estate, and a fast-growing logistics base.
Payroll in Manchester, NH
Manchester CPAs serve advanced manufacturing, biotech, healthcare, and a thriving small-business community.
Payroll in Newark, NJ
Newark CPAs serve pharma, financial services, logistics, ports, and the NYC-metro small-business economy.
Payroll in Albuquerque, NM
Albuquerque CPAs serve federal labs and defense, oil and gas, film, and tourism.
Payroll in Fargo, ND
Fargo CPAs serve agriculture, energy, manufacturing, and the Red River Valley's tech and healthcare economy.
Payroll in Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City CPAs serve oil and gas, aerospace, agriculture, and the state's growing healthcare and bioscience industries.
Payroll in Portland, OR
Portland CPAs serve tech, athletic apparel, forestry, and the Pacific Northwest's craft beverage and outdoor industries.
Payroll in Providence, RI
Providence CPAs serve financial services, healthcare, defense manufacturing, and tourism.
Payroll in Charleston, SC
Charleston CPAs serve ports, aerospace, automotive, hospitality, and a growing tech economy.
Payroll in Sioux Falls, SD
Sioux Falls CPAs serve financial services, credit card processing, trust administration, and healthcare.
Payroll in Brookings, SD
Brookings CPAs and QuickBooks ProAdvisors serve South Dakota State University-area businesses, agribusiness, and the city's growing tech and biotech employers.
Payroll in Nashville, TN
Nashville CPAs serve healthcare, music and entertainment, hospitality, and the state's franchise and excise tax compliance.
Payroll in Salt Lake City, UT
Salt Lake City CPAs serve the Silicon Slopes tech corridor, outdoor recreation, mining, and financial services.
Payroll in Burlington, VT
Burlington CPAs serve craft food and beverage, tourism, healthcare, and outdoor brands.
Payroll in Charleston, WV
Charleston CPAs serve coal and natural gas, chemicals, healthcare, and state government.
Payroll in Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee CPAs serve manufacturing, insurance, healthcare, and the Lake Michigan industrial corridor.
Payroll in Cheyenne, WY
Cheyenne CPAs serve energy, ranching, trust administration, and a growing data-center and tech economy.
Payroll in Charlotte, NC
Charlotte CPAs serve the second-largest U.S. banking center, plus energy, healthcare, motorsports, and one of the fastest-growing relocation markets in the country.
By state
Find professional payroll services by state
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Advisor-grade guides
Downloadable ebooks & templates
CPA-ready playbooks and templates you can use today — instant downloads, no signup required.

The Small Business Tax & Profit Playbook
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The Freelancer Tax Guide
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The Year-End Tax Planning Guide
The CPA's December playbook — practical strategies to reduce your tax bill before the year closes.

The Premium Bookkeeping Template Pack
Automated dashboards, multi-account reconciliations, and CPA-ready reporting workbooks for serious owners and bookkeepers.

Tax & Bookkeeping Resource Library
Our complete advisor-grade collection — every premium asset an owner needs to run clean books, lower taxes, and recover messy ledgers, in one bundle.