Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Farmington, MI

Overview

Corporate Accounting Services, Inc. is a licensed CPA firm based in Farmington Hills, Michigan. It combines bookkeeping, tax work and outsourced payroll for owner-managed companies. Bruce Berndt founded the firm in 1994. He is a Michigan-licensed CPA who started practicing in 1986. The firm concentrates on small and mid-size companies across Farmington Hills and the wider Metro-Detroit region. It also works with executives and independent professionals who want one advisor for their compliance matters.

Payroll Through a Dedicated Subsidiary

Many accounting practices handle payroll as a side task. This firm instead works through an affiliated company, Proven Payroll Solutions, which operates solely as an outsourced payroll manager. Its staff and resources stay focused on processing pay and meeting withholding obligations. The firm says clients often cite quick response times and close involvement as reasons they stay. Engagements can range from limited support to complete handling of the function, and buyers can choose between two models:

• Live payroll: Proven Payroll Solutions records employee hours as they are entered, which gives it ongoing access for withholding deposits and tax filings. The service is delivered remotely, so clients do not need to be local. It can also run on Paychex or ADP for companies already using those platforms. Setup takes more work, but the owner spends less time on payroll afterward.
• After-the-fact payroll: the client submits its own hour records. The team then calculates withholding, makes the required payments and prepares payroll tax returns. This option asks more of the client but costs less to establish.

Employers who are already in trouble can turn to the firm's tax resolution practice. It covers payroll tax problems, IRS liens, levies, wage garnishments, payment plans and offers in compromise.

Broader Accounting and Advisory Work

Payroll sits alongside a full menu of business services, including:

• Small business bookkeeping and guidance on sales and use tax
• Corporate and individual tax planning and preparation
• Attest engagements, including certified audits and financial statement reviews
• Part-time CFO support, cash flow management and help with bank financing
• Business valuation, succession planning and new entity formation
• Accounting software selection, conversion, training and remote oversight

Bruce Berndt is a certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. The firm also works with Sage (formerly Peachtree), manual records, and both cloud and desktop systems. The team tries to adapt to each client's existing processes rather than forcing new tools on them. It reviews a chart of accounts carefully before proposing changes.

How the Firm Engages Clients

New relationships start with a no-cost consultation held at the client's own office. There, Berndt reviews the client's goals and then delivers a written quote describing the proposed scope. The firm charges a predictable flat monthly fee rather than billing by the hour as many CPA practices do. It can serve clients on either an annual or a monthly schedule. Its stated principles are responsiveness, quality and professionalism.

Angelo Guarano handles communication with government agencies about notices that clients receive, and he is also a licensed Michigan builder. Justin Berndt cleared the CPA examination in 2010. The firm belongs to the Michigan Association of CPAs. It keeps weekday business hours and offers a secure client portal for exchanging documents.

Overview

Louis G. Elkus, CPA is a certified public accounting practice based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, and is licensed to practice in the state. The firm works with company owners, corporate executives, self-employed professionals and individual taxpayers. It treats payroll as one part of a wider set of accounting, tax and advisory work. For employers comparing payroll providers, this means the same CPAs who run payroll can also look after the books, tax filings and longer-range planning.

Payroll Services

The firm lists payroll services among its core offerings and includes payroll processing within its broader accounting package. Its stated aim is to take the time-consuming work of paying staff off an owner's desk so that attention can return to operations. It shapes its approach around each employer's needs rather than offering a single fixed package. Many small employers run payroll inside QuickBooks, so the practice also supports clients who prefer to keep payroll in-house:

• Payroll processing for business clients
• Payroll help as part of its QuickBooks support service
• Expert review of payroll and accounting entries for companies whose own staff handle daily transactions
• Configuration of employee records during QuickBooks setup
• Advice on corrections, adjustments or reclassifications found during a review

Accounting, Tax and Advisory Work

Beyond payroll, the firm maintains general ledgers, prepares financial statements and keeps books on a monthly, quarterly or yearly cycle. It also helps clients set up and maintain accounting systems. Tax work covers planning and preparation for businesses and individuals, including corporate returns. The firm also represents clients before the IRS when tax problems arise.

Assurance offerings include reviews, which give outside parties limited assurance through inquiry and analytical procedures. Compilations are also available and are typically intended for internal use. Advisory engagements cover:

• Choosing and restructuring business entities
• Projections and forecasts
• Budgeting and cash flow analysis
• Advice on debt and financing
• Structuring and negotiating transactions
• Business succession
• Personal financial statements and family financial planning

QuickBooks Expertise

A notable part of the practice is hands-on QuickBooks help. Staff can install the software on a single computer or across a network, in single-user or multi-user configurations. They walk new users through initial configuration, covering preferences, customer and vendor lists, employee records, banking and reporting. They also rework existing setups that are not producing useful information.

Training is delivered one-on-one or to a group at the client's own premises. Ongoing support goes beyond the software itself into accounting and payroll questions.

Team and Approach

The firm's published team consists of three CPAs: Louis G. Elkus, Gloria Sholla and Pamela K. Robins. The firm says its work is guided by professionalism, quality and responsiveness. It emphasizes discretion, efficiency, moderate fees and close personal attention to each client. Prospective clients can request an initial consultation at no charge.

Existing clients can use an online portal and a secure file-transfer tool. They also receive a monthly newsletter and have access to a tax resource center with due dates, rates, forms and a record retention guide.

Overview

Sallan Nemes Lyman & Strakovits, a Farmington Hills, Michigan accounting practice staffed by certified public accountants, offers payroll as one piece of a wide range of financial work. Employers weighing their payroll options will find an accountant-led alternative here.

Paying employees is handled by the same professionals who prepare taxes, maintain books and give financial advice, instead of being outsourced to a specialist that does nothing else. The practice describes its work as personalized and serves both individuals and companies of many kinds.

Payroll and Related Support

The firm directs its payroll service at owners who feel that managing employee pay consumes their time. Its stated aim is to supply solutions fitted to each company so the owner can return to running the business. Payroll is presented as part of a larger compliance picture.

The firm points out that owners must stay on top of federal and state payroll rules, sales and use tax, and estimated tax payments, all of which it can help manage. Because the same team also handles bookkeeping and business returns, payroll information does not need to be passed around among unrelated vendors.

Another point of interest for employers is the firm's tax relief practice, which names payroll tax problems among the issues it addresses. A business that has run into trouble with the IRS can look to the same office for support. The wider tax relief menu extends to audit representation, unfiled returns, back taxes, liens, levies, wage garnishment, seizures, payment plans, offers in compromise, bankruptcy matters and innocent spouse relief. Related offerings include:

• Payroll solutions tailored to a company's needs
• Help with payroll tax problems
• Small business accounting and bookkeeping
• Business tax preparation and tax planning
• QuickBooks setup, training, answers to questions and tune-ups
• Part-time CFO services and cash flow projections

Industries and Wider Expertise

The practice highlights specialized knowledge in these fields:

• Construction
• Dentistry
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Law firms
• Manufacturing
• Real estate

Non-profit organizations are also served, with attention to the revenue and expense classifications the IRS uses when judging tax-exempt standing. Other business services include:

• Audits, reviews and compilations, offering three levels of assurance
• Forensic accounting for actual or anticipated disputes
• Litigation support
• Business valuation
• Succession planning for family businesses
• Evaluation of internal control systems
• Loan preparation for bank financing
• Strategic planning and new business formation

Individuals can obtain personal financial planning, retirement and estate planning, elder care help, wealth management, estate and trust tax services, and cryptocurrency accounting.

Working with the Firm

According to the practice, its service rests on professionalism, responsiveness and quality. Testimonials on the site describe close personal and professional attention for each client. Anyone interested can ask for a free consultation to discuss needs. Clients can use a secure client portal and the SecureSend page for delivering files safely to a team member.

The website also carries a monthly emailed newsletter, tax due dates, tax rates, a record retention guide, state tax forms and financial calculators. For employers who prefer payroll to sit alongside their accounting, taxes and software support, the firm presents a combined approach.