Accounts Payable Services & AP Automation Providers in Augusta, GA

Donna Edenfield, CPA is a certified public accounting practice in Martinez, Georgia, part of the Augusta metro area. The firm serves small and mid-sized businesses and individuals. It takes over routine finance work such as paying vendors, recording transactions and running payroll.

Buyers looking for accounts payable help will find vendor bill payment offered as part of a wider outsourced bookkeeping relationship, with a licensed CPA supervising what the staff produce. The firm does not sell a standalone AP automation platform.

Payables and bookkeeping support

Payables work is folded into the firm's monthly accounting engagements. Staff can pay vendor bills and also prepare customer invoices, so money going out and money coming in are recorded in the same QuickBooks file. A typical monthly engagement covers entering bank, card and cash activity, reconciling the accounts on the balance sheet, booking adjusting entries, assembling the general ledger and producing financial statements. Clients can hand over one task or the whole set.

• Vendor bill payment
• Customer invoicing
• Monthly bookkeeping and reconciliations
• Payroll runs, including direct deposit
• Payroll tax filings
• QuickBooks company file setup and training
• Hosted QuickBooks access
• Business and individual tax preparation

How clients work with the firm

Clients can deliver records however suits them. Some bring in paper receipts and envelopes of statements. Others upload files through the firm's online client portal from a desktop or a smartphone. Files can also be scanned and attached directly to the matching QuickBooks entries, which keeps support for each bill next to the transaction.

The portal protects documents with 256-bit AES SSL encryption and keeps copies in several backup locations, which is safer than sending them as email attachments. The firm can act as a full off-site accounting department, so a business does not have to keep hiring and training its own bookkeeping staff.

Businesses that want to keep doing their own books, or that already have an in-house bookkeeper, can use the firm's hosted QuickBooks service instead. It provides the complete desktop edition, available at any hour from anywhere. The subscription also includes licensed copies of Microsoft Word and Excel.

The hosted data sits on encrypted servers in the United States, in data centers certified under SOC and SSAE16 standards. A QuickBooks trainer on staff helps clients learn the software and set up their files properly.

Background and credentials

Donna Edenfield studied at Augusta College and has worked in accounting for her whole career. Before starting her own practice she was a controller in private industry, and she has been a licensed CPA for over twenty-five years. She runs the firm with her husband, Chris, and the two have served individual and business clients for many years.

Both grew up in Augusta and have long ties to the community. Each also holds a Doctorate of Ministry. The staff take continuing education to keep up with changing tax rules and use current tax preparation software.

The firm is best suited to owner-managed businesses that want bill payment, payroll and bookkeeping handled together by a local, CPA-supervised team. Companies that need high-volume invoice capture or approval workflow software will need to look elsewhere.

Markwalter & Whatley CPAs is an independent CPA practice based in Martinez, Georgia, a suburb on the western edge of Augusta. It works with individuals, owner-operated companies and managers in a range of industries. The firm presents itself as an outsourced finance partner, so owners can focus on operations while the firm keeps the books.

Buyers comparing accounts payable providers should see it as a traditional CPA-led option. It handles payables as part of a wider bookkeeping, reporting and tax relationship, not as a standalone software platform.

Accounts payable and bookkeeping support

The firm's business services include bill paying. This means vendor payments are handled by the same team that keeps the general ledger and prepares financial statements. Its consultation request form asks prospects about headcount and how many incoming and outgoing invoices they process, which suggests engagements are scoped around transaction volume. Related services that usually sit around a payables function include:

• Bill paying services for business clients
• Bookkeeping and general accounting assistance
• General ledger review
• Financial reports on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis
• Payroll processing and sales tax filings
• Setting up and implementing new accounting software
• Design of accounting systems and annual budgets

The same professionals see the invoices, the ledger entries and the tax filings. A company that hands over its bills therefore gets a reviewer who can tie payment activity to its financial statements, budgets and forecasts. The firm does not advertise its own AP automation product. Organizations that want a dedicated invoice-capture or approval-workflow platform should ask which tools the firm uses or supports. Its software implementation work may help clients move to a new accounting package.

Broader advisory and tax capabilities

Beyond day-to-day accounting, the practice prepares reviewed and compiled financial statements, financial assessment reports and forecasts. It also advises on business start-ups, choice of entity, accounting methods and employee benefits. On the tax side, it prepares business income, payroll and sales tax returns.

For individuals, it offers personal tax planning, estate and gift planning, trust administration, financial planning and returns for U.S. citizens living overseas. The firm also mentions assurance and valuation work, and it helps clients make sense of federal, state and local regulatory requirements.

Background and approach

The firm reports more than 48 years of serving individuals and businesses. It describes itself as an independent, registered public accounting practice with hundreds of clients across many sectors. Elizabeth Markwalter and Jennifer Whatley are listed as its principal contacts.

The firm says it takes care of filing deadlines for clients, puts the client at the center of each engagement and stays responsive, aiming to spot needs before they turn into emergencies. Clients can exchange information through an online client portal, and new relationships usually start with a free consultation.

For Augusta-area companies that want bill payment handled together with bookkeeping, payroll and tax compliance by a local CPA team, the firm offers a single, relationship-based option.

Overview

Rhoden C.P.A. Firm is a certified public accounting practice in downtown Augusta, Georgia, that works with both individuals and business owners. It doesn't sell a separate accounts payable automation platform. Instead, payables work is handled as part of its bookkeeping, small business accounting and QuickBooks support. It suits buyers who want a local CPA team to keep vendor bills, ledgers and cash planning in order, along with tax and advisory work.

Accounting and Payables-Related Services

The firm's business services are built around taking routine record keeping off an owner's plate. Its bookkeeping and small business accounting services keep a company's books so leaders can focus on running the business. Its payroll service handles another regular outgoing payment process. Related services that support payables work include:

• Bookkeeping and small business accounting
• Payroll processing
• Cash flow management and cash flow projections
• Reviews of internal controls, with recommendations for improvement
• Part-time CFO services
• QuickBooks setup, training, tune-ups and answers to user questions

For companies worried about having enough cash to pay their obligations, the firm prepares cash flow projections meant to spot a shortfall before it becomes a crisis. Its internal controls work checks how efficiently and effectively a company's procedures run, which can apply to bill approval and payment steps.

The firm presents QuickBooks as a good fit for small and mid-sized companies. It helps clients install the software, learn to use it, get questions answered and clean up existing company files.

Advisory, Assurance and Tax

Beyond everyday accounting, Rhoden offers audits, reviews and compilations at three levels of assurance for stakeholders such as lenders, shareholders and investors. It also provides forensic accounting, litigation support, business valuation, help preparing for bank loans, strategic planning, succession planning, new business formation, and guidance for non-profits on IRS classification rules.

Its tax work covers individual and business returns, tax planning, estate and trust work, and cryptocurrency accounting. A tax relief practice handles IRS audits, unfiled returns, back taxes, payroll tax problems, liens, levies, wage garnishments, seizures, payment plans, offers in compromise and innocent spouse relief.

Industries and Clients

The firm lists specialized experience with construction companies, dental practices, healthcare providers, hospitality businesses, law firms, manufacturers and real estate clients. For individuals, it offers personal financial planning, retirement and estate planning, elder care support and wealth management.

How the Firm Works

Rhoden says its work rests on professionalism, prompt responses and quality, and it describes its service as affordable and experienced. Clients can exchange documents through a secure online client portal and the SecureSend file transfer tool. The website also offers newsletters, financial guides, tax calendars, record retention guidance and calculators.

The firm works from a single office on Greene Street in Augusta. Companies whose main need is high-volume invoice scanning or dedicated AP software should confirm the scope of work directly. Smaller businesses looking for an ongoing CPA-led bookkeeping relationship that includes oversight of payables are a natural fit.

The Cleveland Group is a certified public accounting practice in Augusta, Georgia, that has worked with small and mid-sized companies across the Augusta region for more than five decades. It does not sell a standalone AP automation platform. Buyers comparing accounts payable providers should see it as a CPA-led outsourced accounting option, where vendor bills and payables are handled as part of a wider bookkeeping and financial reporting service rather than through a dedicated payables product.

Accounting and bookkeeping support

The firm notes that many owners cannot justify a full-time in-house accountant. To fill that gap, it assigns dedicated bookkeepers and accountants to keep client records current month by month. The support it describes ranges from routine bookkeeping up to a fully outsourced CFO role, so a business can start with basic recordkeeping and add higher-level financial oversight as it grows. Its published bookkeeping and accounting services include:

• Monthly bookkeeping and maintenance of the general ledger
• Bank reconciliations
• Payroll reporting
• Sales tax reporting
• Preparation of monthly financial statements
• Outsourced CFO-level financial guidance

For companies that run their books in QuickBooks, the firm provides training and support on both Mac and PC versions and helps owners pick the QuickBooks edition that best suits their operations. That can be useful for businesses that want their payables recorded in a familiar system while a CPA team reviews the results.

Wider advisory, audit and tax work

Beyond day-to-day accounting, the practice offers business consulting and planning for entrepreneurs, including guidance on tax risks, best practices and accounting software. It performs audits and other assurance engagements for companies whose lenders or other outside parties need independently reviewed financial statements. It also offers tax planning and return preparation for businesses and individuals, and business valuations. Because of this range, a client's bookkeeping, financial statements, tax filings and advisory work can all be handled by the same team.

Team, approach and community

The firm assigns work to a team of several CPAs and accountants rather than to a single practitioner, aiming to give each client enough staff time and attention. Its leadership group includes partners Malinda Johnston, CPA; Adam Williams; Angela Brock, CME, PAFM; Jo-anne S. Frey, CPA, CVA; and David Shaver, CPA.

They are supported by an office manager, client services managers, and senior and staff accountants. The firm names integrity, attention to detail, compliance with professional and regulatory standards, and practical solutions as its core values, and it uses the motto Our Purpose is Service.

Client testimonials on its website come from long-term relationships of up to 18 years with businesses such as a marketing agency, an automotive service center, a scale company and a pediatric dental practice.

The firm also gives volunteer time and financial support to local and national causes, including eldercare, land conservation, education, mentorship, business advocacy, faith-based programs and animal welfare. For Augusta-area companies that want payables and bookkeeping handled inside a full-service CPA relationship rather than through software alone, The Cleveland Group offers a locally based option.