Accounts Payable Services & AP Automation Providers in Albuquerque, NM

Hinkle + Landers, PC is a New Mexico certified public accounting firm founded in 1972. It has an office near downtown Albuquerque and a second location in Santa Fe. The firm is best known for audit, assurance and tax work, but it also runs day-to-day financial operations for clients through outsourced bookkeeping, payroll and QuickBooks support.

For buyers seeking help with accounts payable, that outsourced accounting offering is the most relevant part of its practice. Payables are handled within a broader bookkeeping relationship rather than sold as a standalone AP automation product.

Outsourced accounting and AP-related support

The firm treats bookkeeping as more than keeping ledgers in balance. Its staff aim to spot trouble areas in a client's books, support business goals and help plan growth. It can take over bookkeeping and payroll entirely for organizations that prefer not to keep those functions in-house. Many small businesses run their bills through QuickBooks, so the firm's QuickBooks work may also help companies tidy up their payment process. Relevant offerings include:

• Outsourced bookkeeping for ongoing transactions
• Payroll processing and payroll accounting
• QuickBooks setup, training, quick answers and periodic tune-ups
• Design of internal controls covering staff, accounting and recordkeeping
• Business consulting and start-up guidance, including entity selection

Controls, audit and fraud prevention

Disbursement controls matter for any payables function, and this is where the firm's audit background stands out. It provides external audits and compliance work, internal audits and control reviews, agreed-upon procedures, financial reviews and forensic accounting. Its forensic team can examine how a company operates to locate revenue leaks, show where fraud could occur and help protect assets.

The team also supports litigation matters. Tax planning, preparation and IRS problem resolution for corporations, partnerships, LLCs, nonprofits and individuals round out the practice.

Industries and clients

The firm reports more than 500 clients across a wide mix of sectors. Each year it audits more than 45 government agencies at the state and local level. It works with nonprofits, including organizations active in the LIHTC program and the partnership structures that invest in affordable housing projects. Other industries it lists include:

• Casino gaming and racino operators
• Construction and real estate
• Healthcare and medical practices
• Dental offices
• Law firms
• Child care centers

It also offers accounting services tailored to tribes and pueblos and has served the Navajo Nation.

Background and credentials

Every member of the staff is based in New Mexico. Senior professionals are licensed CPAs who must log 40 continuing education hours each year. Its CPAs belong to the AICPA and the New Mexico Society of CPAs. Partners and senior staff sit on the state society's peer review committee and belong to professional groups for government accountants and fraud examiners. The firm is led by Farley Vener, CPA, CFE, CGMA, its president and managing shareholder.

In 2018 the firm was named to the State Auditor's honor roll of CPA firms. It reports on-time filings, no significant workpaper deficiencies and clean peer reviews since its founding. It also performs peer reviews for other firms nationwide. Prospective clients typically start with a consultation to determine which services fit their needs.

Southwest Accounting Pros, LLC is a family-owned and locally owned accounting practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was founded in 2016 and focuses on small and mid-sized closely held businesses. Its clients are mainly in Albuquerque and Santa Fe and across New Mexico, though it also works with companies in Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and Kansas.

Anyone evaluating accounts payable help should know that the firm treats payables as one piece of an outsourced monthly bookkeeping package, not as a stand-alone automation product.

Payables within monthly bookkeeping

Within its recurring engagements, the firm supports clients with entering vendor invoices, tying out the totals in the payables ledger and arranging payment of bills. Because this sits beside other routine finance tasks, one provider can take on much of a company's back-office workload. A typical engagement may include:

• Entering deposits, checks and credit card receipts
• Reconciling bank accounts and important liability balances, including payroll taxes, insurance and notes payable
• Vendor invoice entry, payables reconciliation and bill-payment support
• Customer invoicing, tracking of receivables, late-payment notices and upkeep of customer records
• Automatic import of bank and card activity into the accounting system
• Monthly financial statements set against prior periods and budgets
• Preparing and submitting the state gross receipts tax report

Working arrangements

The firm is a QuickBooks ProAdvisor practice with experience in the Desktop, Online and Contractor versions of the software. Services are tailored to each client, whether the client's own staff can handle data entry or needs full support. Monthly fees are quoted up front, and the firm states that the amount will not change for a year unless the client's circumstances shift dramatically. Initial consultations carry no charge, and virtual video meetings are available from a phone, tablet or computer.

Payroll, tax and advisory work

The firm also manages payroll, including electronic payments to employees and electronic payroll tax deposits. It files the federal 941 and 940 reports, W-2 and W-3 forms, and state unemployment and withholding reports, and it helps clients answer payroll tax notices and IRS penalty or assessment letters. On the tax side, it provides ongoing planning, with an annual planning meeting each fall to capture year-end opportunities, and prepares returns for partnerships, S corporations, regular corporations, individuals and trusts.

Advisory services include pension plan design and administration, support through business sales and acquisitions, strategic planning, and transfers of ownership to family members or key employees. Monthly bookkeeping clients also receive a yearly comparison of their results with industry averages, which shows how a lender or other outside party might view the business.

Industries and experience

The firm has dedicated pages and expertise for contractors, real estate investors and developers, oil and gas companies, and professional services firms. Its client list also includes retailers, service organizations, government contractors, doctors, lawyers, dentists, engineers, churches and nonprofits. Its staff includes both CPAs and CMAs, and the firm cites more than 40 years of combined experience, with advisors averaging over 25 years in finance and accounting.

This firm suits a small or mid-sized business, especially in New Mexico, that wants one team to handle payables along with its books, payroll and taxes. It is less suitable for a company seeking dedicated AP automation software.