Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Flowood, MS

Watkins & Company CPAs was an accounting practice that served the Jackson and Brandon area of Mississippi, working from a home base in Flowood and a second office in Madison. The firm has since combined with Carr, Riggs & Ingram, known as CRI, and the old Watkins web address now leads to the larger firm's site. Employers in Pearl and nearby parts of Rankin County who once relied on Watkins can now reach the same professionals through CRI's Flowood office.

Services and specialty offerings

CRI presents its work in three broad areas: advisory, audit and attest, and tax. Alongside these sit a number of add-on solutions. For payroll customers, the most relevant piece is Paywerx, one of the firm's named service brands, which sits next to an accounting and business outsourcing offering. The pairing suits owners who prefer to hand off routine financial administration to one provider instead of juggling several.

• Accounting and business outsourcing, including payroll through Paywerx
• Business tax, individual tax, and trust, estate and gift planning
• Audit, review, compilation and employee benefit plan work
• CRI CFO Hub for finance leadership support
• CRI TPA Services for retirement plan administration
• IT risk, cybersecurity and data privacy assessments
• Valuations, transaction advisory and fraud and forensic services

Sector knowledge

The firm groups its people by industry, which can help employers whose payroll or reporting rules differ from the norm. Its list includes agribusiness, construction, manufacturing and distribution, hospitality, hospitals and health systems, physician groups, post-acute care, financial institutions, insurance, captive insurance, oil and gas, cannabis, commercial real estate, community associations, nonprofits, religious organizations, private foundations, private higher education, government contracting, and the public sector. Its CapinCrouse brand focuses on nonprofit and ministry organizations.

Footprint and scale

CRI calls itself a nationally ranked top 25 accounting and advisory firm, shaped by more than a quarter-century of growth. Its locations stretch across many states, from Alabama and Texas to New Mexico and New York, and include a presence in Chihuahua and Juárez in Mexico. Within Mississippi, its listed offices are in Flowood, Hattiesburg, Jackson and Laurel.

Its tax menu extends to cost segregation, research and development credits, international tax, transfer pricing, qualified opportunity zones, and state and local tax.

Fit for local employers

For a business near Pearl, the notable point is that payroll comes from a full-service accounting firm, not a stand-alone payroll vendor. That setup appeals to organizations wanting bookkeeping, tax, benefit plan, and advisory help coordinated by one team with a nearby office.

A very small employer seeking only basic paycheck processing may wish to compare it with simpler payroll-only providers. Growing companies that anticipate needing audit, retirement plan administration, or sector-specific guidance may find the wider CRI platform more useful over time.

Metro Tax & Accounting (MT&A) is a family-owned tax and accounting practice based in Flowood, Mississippi. It serves individuals and small companies across the greater Jackson metro area, which includes nearby Pearl. Employers comparing payroll providers will find a local firm that combines payroll administration with tax, bookkeeping and advisory work under one roof.

Payroll Services

The firm treats payroll as part of a broader, compliance-focused offering. New payroll clients start with an onboarding stage. Staff first assess how the business pays its people and what internal accountability it needs. They then set up a streamlined flow of wage payments and filings to outside government agencies. MT&A provides full-service payroll. Owners who would rather use a separate payroll vendor can still get help managing those outsourced functions. Its payroll work emphasizes:

• Full-service payroll processing
• Compliance with federal and state payroll rules
• Reporting and remittances to tax agencies
• Guidance on classifying workers as employees or independent contractors
• Support coordinating with third-party payroll providers

The firm points out that misclassifying workers or falling behind on payroll obligations can lead to steep penalties and interest at both the federal and state level. Its approach is built around keeping employers on the right side of those requirements.

Related Accounting and Tax Support

Beyond payroll, MT&A prepares business returns with attention to planning and compliance. It notes that a small company's return is often closely tied to the owner's personal filing. Individual clients receive year-round preparation and planning rather than a seasonal-only service. Returns are filed electronically and checked through an internal review process.

Bookkeeping and financial accounting can be delivered on whatever cadence suits the client, from weekly to quarterly. Staff can post transactions, prepare financial statements, benchmark results against industry peers, and review internal controls to reduce the risk of embezzlement or asset loss. The firm also advises entrepreneurs on choosing an entity type and tax treatment. In addition, it consults on both desktop QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online, covering chart of accounts setup, user permissions and reports, either on site or remotely.

Background

The practice traces its roots to a tax preparation business founded by Scott Hill's parents, Leon and Lynn Hill. It began in a cinder block building off Highway 80 near Metro Center Mall. The business was originally centered on individual returns and gradually added services for small businesses. Scott purchased the firm in 1999 and now leads it as president. The office relocated to Flowood in 2008.

Scott earned a bachelor's degree from Mississippi State University in 1992. He then spent five years with the federal Comptroller of the Currency office in Austin, Texas, and later worked as an investment analyst at First Commercial Bank in Little Rock, Arkansas. He brings more than two decades of tax, accounting and small business experience, along with a background in finance and investments.

For payroll buyers, MT&A's main distinction is personal, local attention paired with an integrated set of services, so that payroll, bookkeeping and taxes can be coordinated by one team. The firm describes itself as a small business serving other small businesses. It continues to accept new clients, and many of them arrive through referrals from long-standing customers.

The Burgess Group, PA is a CPA practice licensed in Mississippi. It is based in Flowood, in the Jackson metro area near Madison. The firm was founded in 2001 and does tax, bookkeeping and accounting work for both individuals and companies. Its clients are mostly in Mississippi, but it also serves clients in other states.

For employers comparing payroll options, it offers a CPA-led alternative to large national processors, with payroll administration, tax work and advisory support handled by the same team.

Payroll Services

When an employer outsources payroll to the firm, it assigns a specific payroll specialist who stays involved from one pay cycle to the next. The client therefore does not need its own payroll staff or payroll software. The team also tracks changes in federal, state and local payroll rules so clients stay compliant. Its payroll work includes:

• Paying employees by direct deposit and electronic funds transfer
• Printing paychecks
• Filing payroll tax returns electronically and remitting deposits
• Payroll reports broken out per employee or per department
• Preparing year-end W-2 and W-3 forms, plus 1099s
• Readable payroll tax summaries each month, quarter and year
• Remitting third-party deductions, such as insurance withholdings

Who They Serve

The firm's payroll service is aimed at small and mid-sized companies. This ranges from startups with a handful of workers to established employers whose staff size makes compliance time-consuming. Its other business services include small business accounting, bookkeeping for clients in many industries, and guidance on sales and use tax.

This lets payroll be coordinated with a client's books and tax filings. The firm also helps QuickBooks users with setup and consulting. On the tax side, it prepares individual, business, and estate and trust returns, and it handles tax relief cases and unfiled returns.

Team and Credentials

Beth Burgess, CPA, CGMA, is president and leads small business and tax services. She has more than four decades in public accounting, is a University of Southern Mississippi graduate, and belongs to both the MSCPA and the AICPA. Three client services associates handle payroll matters alongside bookkeeping and accounts payable:

• Beth Carraway, with the firm since 2007
• Angie Gordon, who first joined in 2001, returned in 2022 and also covers sales tax
• Mary Romano, with the firm since 2020, who also serves as office manager

The tax staff includes Senior Tax Manager Becca Craig, CPA, who holds licenses in Mississippi and Tennessee, and Senior Tax Accountant Karen Ruffin, along with several other tax accountants.

The firm stresses personal attention, open communication and forward-looking planning, with the aim of helping clients understand their tax obligations and financial options. Clients can exchange documents through a secure file-sharing tool and log in to an online client portal. Buyers should note that the firm's website currently says it is at capacity and not accepting new clients, so availability should be confirmed before adding it to a shortlist.