Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Denver, CO

Scott Tax and Accounting LLC, whose website goes by Scott's Accounting, is a small accounting and bookkeeping practice in Lakewood, Colorado. It works mainly with business owners who want one outside team to handle their routine finances, including payroll, record-keeping and tax returns. The firm states plainly that it is not a CPA firm.

It presents itself as a group of accountants who can take on most of the day-to-day accounting and tax work a business needs, often for less than a full CPA engagement would cost.

Payroll and Bookkeeping Services

The firm offers payroll management as part of a wider set of back-office accounting services. That suits companies that would rather have payroll handled by the same people who keep their books than by a separate payroll-only vendor. The firm lists these services:

• Payroll management
• Invoicing and bill payment
• Accounts receivable management and collections
• Asset tracking
• Journal entries
• Transaction categorization and account reconciliations
• Month-end closing
• Historical cleanup of past records
• Conversions between accounting systems
• Financial statements prepared for review by a CPA

How the Firm Works with Clients and CPAs

Scott Tax and Accounting is set up to work with a client's CPA rather than replace one. It can keep the books, prepare financial statements and send that work to the client's existing CPA for review, compilation or assurance. Businesses without a CPA can get help finding one that fits their needs.

For a company that needs some CPA services but not full-time CPA rates, this means routine work such as payroll and reconciliations can go to the firm, while attest-level work stays with a licensed CPA.

The firm also keeps clients up to date on rules that affect payroll and taxes. It has published articles on IRS filing deadlines, IRS guidance for the tax season and changes to Colorado's minimum wage, including the higher rates for tipped employees. Employers there have to track these wage changes every time they run payroll. The firm also offers an email newsletter with news and practical tips.

Background and Credentials

The practice is led by Charley Scott, who works with business owners on both accounting and tax problems. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

Before working on his own, he spent about five years as a staff tax accountant at CPA firms. In that role he prepared returns for LLCs, partnerships, S corporations, nonprofits, estates and individuals, ranging from simple to complex.

He takes part in the IRS Annual Filing Season Program. Through it he can sign the returns he prepares and has limited rights to represent those clients before the IRS. For buyers comparing payroll providers, this firm is a hands-on local option that combines payroll with bookkeeping and tax preparation and works with an outside CPA when one is needed.