Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Skokie, IL

Overview

Larry J. Wolfe, Ltd. is a licensed CPA firm based in Skokie, Illinois. It has served individuals and businesses since 1982. The firm is best known for resolving disputes with tax authorities. It also handles day-to-day financial work for companies, including payroll, bookkeeping, tax preparation and financial statements. It works with clients in Illinois and across all 50 states. The firm describes its approach as personal, one-on-one attention focused on solving problems.

Payroll Services

The firm's payroll work is aimed at small and mid-sized companies that need dependable payroll support across the full year. Its accountants work with each business to design a payroll arrangement that fits how that company operates, rather than applying a single template. Payroll offerings include:

• Payroll processing on a timely schedule
• Payroll tax handling
• Recurring payroll reports delivered on a set schedule
• Custom payroll plans built around each employer's needs
• Help putting internal controls in place so the payroll system runs accurately and reliably

The firm says it has working relationships with two large payroll providers, Paychex and ADP, and a dedicated contact at each. Employers get a CPA team that can coordinate with a national processor on their behalf. The aim is to keep deadlines on track and the overall workflow streamlined.

Tax Controversy and Related Services

The firm differs from a typical payroll vendor in its depth in tax resolution. This matters most when payroll taxes go unpaid. The team represents individuals and business entities before the IRS and state agencies in collection, examination and appeal matters. Its services include:

• Installment and payment agreements
• Levy and lien releases
• Lien discharges and subordinations
• Penalty abatement
• Offers in compromise
• Innocent spouse relief
• Defense against trust fund recovery penalties

Trust fund recovery penalties are the personal liability that can fall on responsible persons when withheld employment taxes are not paid over. Beyond tax disputes, the firm prepares financial statements and compilation reports, keeps books and prepares returns.

Team and Credentials

Founder Larry J. Wolfe, CPA, concentrates on tax controversy. He has written manuals and taught seminars on IRS representation. He speaks regularly at the annual IRS practitioner symposium co-sponsored by the Illinois CPA Society and has presented webinars for the AICPA.

He is vice chair of the AICPA committee on tax practice and procedure and a past chairman of the corresponding Illinois CPA Society committee. He was a founding member of IRS liaison committees for collection and examination in the Chicago area.

The Illinois CPA Society gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2024 and distinguished service awards in 2010, 2022 and 2023.

Stan Green, CPA, leads the tax controversy department. He joined the firm in 2008 after more than 35 years with the IRS, including 28 years in management roles such as revenue officer manager and revenue officer training manager. His knowledge of IRS procedures and the Internal Revenue Manual shapes how the firm represents clients facing collection actions.

Why Buyers Consider Them

The firm may suit Skokie-area companies that want CPA oversight of payroll coordinated with a major processor. It also offers in-house expertise if a payroll tax problem ever reaches the collection stage.

Lorant Welles Accounting is a licensed accounting practice in Skokie, Illinois. It combines payroll administration with tax, bookkeeping and advisory work. The firm works mainly with company owners, corporate executives and self-employed professionals. It is an option for smaller employers who would rather not handle wage processing and payroll tax compliance in-house. Prospective clients can request a no-cost first meeting to discuss their needs before committing.

Payroll options

The firm does not sell a single package. Its payroll work is built around three separate arrangements, so an employer can choose how much of the process to hand over:

• Full-service processing: the firm runs each pay cycle. It produces laser-printed checks on blank, secure stock that meets Federal Reserve micro-encoding standards, and direct deposit is included at no extra charge.
• After-the-fact payroll: for businesses that write their own checks by hand, staff enter those records into the firm's system. The firm then takes over the resulting tax reporting and deposits.
• Online processing: employers enter hours and earnings through a secure web interface and print checks on their own printers. Direct deposit is again available free.

All three options include:

• Federal and state tax reporting and EFTPS tax deposits
• Monthly, quarterly and year-end reports
• W-2, W-3 and 1099 preparation
• Tracking of vacation, sick and personal day accruals
• Filing of mandatory new hire reports
• Upkeep of orderly payroll records

Compliance and specialty reporting

The firm also prepares a range of reports that government agencies require. For an added fee it can produce union reports, certified payroll and workers' compensation reports, which can matter to contractors and unionized employers. It also helps with workers' compensation audits, unemployment claims, and Social Security and child support audits.

Other tasks include 1096 processing and registration paperwork at the federal and state levels. Pricing is quoted individually once the firm learns about the business and the services it wants.

Related accounting and tax services

Because payroll sits inside a broader accounting practice, clients can get other support from the same team. On the business side, the firm offers:

• Small business accounting
• QuickBooks setup, training and tune-ups
• Part-time CFO engagements
• Audits, reviews and compilations
• Cash flow management and business valuation
• Help with new business formation and non-profit organizations

On the tax side, it handles preparation and planning. It also represents clients facing IRS issues, including payroll tax problems, liens, levies, wage garnishments, offers in compromise and installment arrangements. This helps an employer that has fallen behind on payroll tax deposits and needs both cleanup and an ongoing processing solution.

What distinguishes the firm

For buyers comparing providers, the main difference is that accounting professionals handle the payroll, rather than a standalone processing bureau. Wage data, bookkeeping and tax filings can therefore be coordinated in one place. The choice of full-service, after-the-fact or online processing gives flexibility to employers of different sizes and comfort levels. The part-time CFO offering adds budgeting, cash management and internal control support for growing companies. Clients can also share documents through a secure file exchange and client portal.

Mary A. Lynch & Associates, Inc. is an accounting firm based in Skokie, Illinois, and holds a license in that state. The firm works with business owners, executives and independent professionals. It also serves individuals who want help with taxes and personal finances. For companies comparing payroll providers, the firm stands out because payroll is part of a full accounting relationship. It is handled alongside bookkeeping, tax filing and financial advice rather than offered as a standalone processing product.

Payroll and Compliance Support

The firm tailors its payroll service to the needs of each business. The goal is to take the time-consuming work of paying employees off the owner's plate. Its business services also address whether a company is keeping up with payroll obligations at both the federal and state level, along with sales and use tax and estimated tax payments.

Because the same team manages the books and prepares business returns, payroll records can feed directly into financial statements and year-end filings. When an employer has already fallen behind, the firm's tax relief practice includes help resolving payroll tax problems with the IRS. That practice also covers liens, levies, wage garnishments, payment plans and offers in compromise.

Broader Business Services

Beyond payroll, the firm offers a wide set of services for growing and established companies:

• Small business accounting and ongoing bookkeeping
• Part-time CFO services that provide a financial manager without a full-time hire
• Cash flow projections and management
• Preparation for bank financing and loan requests
• Strategic business advisory and financial planning
• Succession planning for family-owned businesses
• New business formation guidance
• Accounting for non-profit organizations and reviews of internal controls
• Business and individual tax preparation and planning

The firm also supports QuickBooks users. It can explain why the software suits small and mid-sized companies, set it up, train staff, answer day-to-day questions and run tune-ups on existing files. For employers who process payroll in QuickBooks, this can help keep data accurate and the software properly configured.

Industries and Approach

The firm lists experience with several sectors: construction, dentists, healthcare, law firms, manufacturers and real estate. Each of these tends to have its own staffing patterns and reporting demands. The firm describes its work as resting on three principles: professionalism, responsiveness and quality. It emphasizes personal attention for each client.

Prospective clients can request a free consultation to discuss what they need. Existing clients have access to a secure online portal, and the firm publishes a monthly email newsletter with tax and business updates.

For individuals, the practice offers personal financial planning, retirement and estate planning, elder care services and wealth management. This may appeal to business owners who want one advisor handling both company payroll and their own tax and financial matters. Overall, the firm is best suited to small and mid-sized employers seeking a local accounting partner that combines payroll with bookkeeping, tax compliance and advisory work under one roof.