Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Covington, LA

Pinell & Martinez, CPAs is a certified public accounting firm on the Louisiana Northshore. It has two offices, one in Covington and one in Ponchatoula. Its clients include company owners, senior managers, self-employed professionals and nonprofit groups.

The firm also works with clients in Mandeville, Madisonville, Folsom, Hammond, Springfield, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, sharing files remotely and traveling to client sites when needed. For employers comparing payroll providers, it offers payroll as one part of a wider practice that also covers accounting, tax and audit work.

Payroll Services

The firm handles the whole payroll cycle, from recording hours and producing paychecks to paying and filing the related taxes. Its pitch to employers is that they can hand off payroll and its legal details so their own staff can spend time on other work. Payroll bureaus often apply one standard package to every client.

By contrast, the firm says it can build a payroll arrangement around each employer's needs. It charges one all-inclusive fee, so clients know their payroll costs ahead of time. The service includes:

• Time entry and paycheck processing
• Payment and filing of federal, state and local payroll taxes
• Preparation of payroll tax returns and related forms
• A range of payroll reports for the employer
• Tracking changes in payroll tax rules on the client's behalf

The same firm also does tax work, bookkeeping and QuickBooks support. This lets employers keep wage records, tax filings and general accounting with one team instead of spreading them across several vendors.

Wider Practice and Industries

Beyond payroll, the firm plans taxes for businesses and individuals and represents clients before the IRS and other tax agencies. It also prepares sales and use tax returns and offers state and local tax services. Other services include estate and trust work, audits, reviews and compilations, small business advisory services, and fraud prevention help such as setting up internal policies. The firm lists these industries as areas of focus:

• Nonprofit organizations and governmental entities
• Construction
• Financial sector
• Healthcare
• Manufacturing and distribution
• Professional firms
• Real estate, retail and services

Background and Credentials

Chris Pinell and Randy Martinez started the practice. The site's copyright notice dates back to 2011. The founders built it around three values: integrity, family and client service. Pinell holds the CPA, CITP and CFE credentials, an MBA from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and an accounting degree from Nicholls State University.

Martinez earned his accounting and MBA degrees at Southeastern Louisiana University. He focuses on multi-state and business tax planning and also audits employee benefit plans, including 401(k) plans. The firm is licensed to practice public accounting in Louisiana.

The Louisiana Legislative Auditor has approved it to audit governmental entities, and it received a pass rating on its most recent peer review. Its professional staff complete an average of 40 hours of continuing education each year. The firm belongs to the AICPA, the Society of Louisiana CPAs and its Northshore chapter, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

The firm says the partners themselves stay closely involved in each client's work and that it keeps in contact all year, not just at tax time. Clients can reach the team by phone, email or in person, whichever suits them best.