Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Sterling Heights, MI

Accurate Pay Systems, Inc., often shortened to APS, is a Southeast Michigan firm that handles payroll and human capital management (HCM) for small and mid-sized employers. Buyers comparing payroll providers will find it positioned as a local alternative to large national processors. It combines payroll processing with HR support and time tracking, so owners spend less time on administration and more on running and growing the business.

Core Payroll and HCM Services

Payroll is the center of the APS offering. The company sets up each payroll arrangement around how the client actually operates instead of using one fixed package. It also files payroll taxes and produces reports matched to each employer's needs. Beyond processing paychecks, APS offers a year-end service that covers final payroll runs, tax filings and W-2 and 1099 reporting, helping clients meet January deadlines and stay compliant.

• Customized payroll processing
• Payroll tax filing and tailored reporting
• Year-end payroll, W-2 and 1099 support
• HR services offered in three tiers
• Employee onboarding and benefits administration
• Performance management and compliance help
• Integrated, automated timekeeping

APS sells HR services in three levels of support, so employers can pick how much help they need. Coverage includes bringing on new hires, managing benefits, handling performance management and keeping up with employment regulations. Its timekeeping tools connect to payroll and automate hour tracking, which cuts down on manual entry and makes wage calculations more accurate.

Working With Clients

Personal attention is a key part of how APS works. In client testimonials, owners describe being able to reach a real person who answers payroll questions quickly. Several reviewers say they left national payroll companies after ongoing errors and long support calls.

Clients often mention staff members by name, and one says the same contact has run their payroll for about eight years. The firm also says it reaches out to clients before payroll deadlines rather than waiting to hear from them.

The client base includes small businesses, as well as accountants and insurance agents who send their own clients to APS. One reviewer says APS works with workers' compensation carriers on pay-as-you-go arrangements, which matters to employers who want premiums tied to actual payroll. To make onboarding easier, the company posts common forms for employers and workers, including direct deposit authorization, federal and Michigan W-4s, Form I-9, W-9 and a new employee form.

Resources and Expertise

APS publishes educational content for employers, including tips on Michigan minimum wage changes, federal mileage reimbursement rates and performance improvement plan templates. A recurring question-of-the-week feature covers topics like stay interviews. Its year-end HR checklist reviews employee data, taxable fringe benefits, PTO rollover rules, handbook updates and system cleanup. For Warren-area employers that want payroll, HR and timekeeping from one local partner focused on responsive service, APS is worth considering.

Overview

BBTA Tax Advisors, also known as Better Business Tax & Accounting, is a tax and accounting practice that Courtney Rothkop founded roughly a quarter century ago. Its Metro Detroit office in Sterling Heights sits just north of Warren and serves Southeast Michigan. A second office in Ann Arbor works with local, national and international clients. The firm's clientele includes owners of smaller companies, independent professionals, households and trustees, and its reach now extends well beyond Michigan.

Payroll Within a Broader Accounting Relationship

BBTA is not a standalone payroll processor. Payroll is offered as part of two of its core practice areas, so employers get wage processing from the same team that keeps their books and prepares their returns. This setup suits owners who want one accountable firm rather than several separate vendors. The website does not describe pay frequencies, software platforms or reporting formats in detail, so prospective clients should confirm those specifics directly. Its published offerings include:

• Payroll for small businesses, alongside bookkeeping and QuickBooks Online support
• Payroll for estates and trusts, paired with trust bookkeeping and court accounting
• Tax preparation and planning for businesses and nonprofits
• Formation of new companies
• Individual and family returns, Roth conversion planning, FBAR filing and special needs planning
• Representation before the IRS

Support for New and Growing Employers

For founders, BBTA helps evaluate whether an LLC, S corporation or C corporation fits best. It then handles registration and sets up the accounting system. It also introduces clients to outside specialists such as insurance brokers, bankers and attorneys. This can be useful for a company that is approaching its first hires and needs payroll in place from the start. Established businesses can turn to the firm for ongoing compliance, growth planning and help sorting out disputes with the IRS.

Team and Credentials

The firm emphasizes the Enrolled Agent designation. EAs hold a federal license and may represent taxpayers before the IRS in every state. Rothkop and senior tax accountant Kimberly Normandin are both EAs and NTPI Fellows, and senior tax accountant Kang Lyu is also an EA. Three staff accountants, an office manager and administrators at each location round out the team.

BBTA reports more than 2,000 individual tax clients across 30 states and 14 countries. It also handles business clients whose combined annual revenue exceeds $100 million.

What Distinguishes the Firm

Rothkop launched BBTA when women-owned accounting practices were uncommon. She built it around educating owners rather than lecturing them, and around a workplace that helps employees balance work and family. BusinessRate has recognized BBTA as the top-rated tax preparation firm in Sterling Heights based on its Google review performance.

Clients can use a secure client portal and online resources, including a withholding calculator, refund tracking and an IRS tax calendar. For Warren-area employers who want payroll bundled with year-round tax and accounting guidance, BBTA offers that combination close to home.

Benda, Grace, Stulz & Company P.C. is a CPA practice based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It provides accounting, tax and advisory work to business owners, executives, independent professionals and individual households. For companies comparing payroll providers, the firm stands out because payroll is one part of a wider set of accounting and tax services. Buyers who want the same advisors to handle their payroll, bookkeeping and tax filings may find that useful, compared with a standalone payroll bureau.

Payroll and Related Services

Payroll appears as a dedicated offering within the firm's business services. Its tax practice also takes on payroll tax problems, which matters to employers who have fallen behind on withholding deposits or filings. The firm handles a range of IRS matters that often come up alongside payroll compliance issues, including liens, levies, wage garnishment, payment plans and audit representation.

Because the firm also offers QuickBooks setup and training, clients who run payroll in that software can get help configuring and using it correctly.

• Payroll processing as part of small business accounting
• Resolution of payroll tax problems and back taxes owed
• IRS audit representation, payment plans and offers in compromise
• QuickBooks setup, training, tune-ups and purchasing assistance
• Part-time CFO services and cash flow management
• Tax preparation and year-round tax planning for businesses

Broader Business and Individual Services

Beyond payroll, the firm covers a wide range of business needs. These include audits, reviews and compilations, forensic accounting, business valuation, bank financing support, internal controls and litigation support. It also helps with strategic and succession planning, new business formation, and work for non-profit organizations. On the personal side, it offers financial planning, retirement and estate planning, and elder care services. Owners can therefore bring both their company and family financial matters to one office.

How the Firm Works With Clients

New clients can start with a free initial consultation, so employers can discuss their payroll situation before committing. The firm presents itself as approachable and reasonably priced, with an experienced staff. Clients can exchange documents through an online client portal and a secure file-sending tool, which reduces the need to handle sensitive payroll records on paper.

The website also offers a monthly newsletter, tax due date calendars, tax rate tables, a record retention guide and financial calculators. These resources can help employers keep track of filing deadlines between meetings.

Team and Location

The practice operates from a single office on Van Dyke in Sterling Heights and has served clients in the surrounding area for a number of years. Its listed team includes John Grace, Bryan Stulz, Cheryl Demanski, Chuck DeAngelis, John Milke, Tyler Chalmers and Robert Schoen.

The firm says it is licensed in Michigan and describes its work as guided by three core principles of client service. For local employers, the main difference from national payroll platforms is having CPAs nearby who handle routine payroll and can also step in on tax disputes, compliance questions and wider financial planning.

Slifko & Associates, Inc. is an accounting and tax firm based in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It has worked with owner-run businesses since 1980. Payroll is one of several services it offers alongside bookkeeping and tax work. This makes it a good fit for small companies that want one firm to handle payroll, their books and their tax returns, rather than using separate vendors for each.

Who the firm serves

The firm focuses on owner-operated service and retail businesses. Its clients range from individuals and sole proprietors to partnerships and incorporated companies. Most of its work is in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne Counties, but it also has clients in other states. That suits Detroit-area employers who want an accountant they can visit in person.

Payroll and accounting services

For small businesses, payroll comes as part of a wider set of accounting services. The firm says its staff have experience in every area of financial reporting and can help owners with day-to-day financial problems. Services listed on its site include:

• Payroll processing support for small employers
• Ongoing bookkeeping and general accounting
• Filing overdue returns from past years
• Preparing for IRS audits and representing clients before the IRS
• Business tax preparation, including quarterly and annual filings
• Reviewing, designing and training staff on accounting systems
• Management consulting for different business structures
• Personal tax preparation, planning and review

How the firm works with clients

Slifko & Associates works year-round, not just during tax season. That matters for payroll, which needs attention every pay period and every quarter. The firm says it aims to head off tax problems early rather than fix them afterward. It describes its relationship with clients as close and personal. Clients can log in to an online portal to exchange documents, and a web form is available for new questions. The office is open Monday through Friday.

Background and what sets it apart

The firm has more than four decades of history, and its main selling point is personal service from experienced staff. Client reviews on its site highlight the team's responsiveness and professionalism, and how closely they follow changes in the tax code.

Some clients say they rely on the firm for both business and personal returns, and in some cases estate matters too. The firm also helps new owners set up a business. For buyers comparing payroll providers, Slifko & Associates is best seen as a local, full-service accounting practice that includes payroll, rather than a payroll-only software company.

It suits small employers that want payroll handled by the same people who keep their books and prepare their taxes.