Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Gulfport, MS

Alexander, Van Loon, Sloan, Levens & Favre, PLLC, widely shortened to AVL, is a CPA and business consulting firm serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It operates under a Mississippi firm license and describes its work as full-service. Its clients include business owners, executives, independent professionals and private individuals. For employers weighing payroll options, AVL stands out because payroll is one piece of a wider accounting and tax practice rather than a separate product.

Payroll and Related Services

Payroll is listed among the firm's business services, next to small business accounting, cash flow management and part-time CFO support. The firm also handles payroll tax problems within its tax practice, which can matter to an employer that has missed deposits or filings and must deal with the IRS.

Because AVL runs a QuickBooks service line as well, a company that keeps its records in that software can ask for help with setup, training, a tune-up or a quick answer to a specific question.

• Payroll services for employers
• Assistance with payroll tax problems
• Small business accounting and cash flow management
• Part-time CFO services
• QuickBooks setup, training, tune-ups and quick answers
• Tax preparation and planning
• Audits, reviews and compilations
• IRS representation for liens, levies, wage garnishment and payment plans

Who the Firm Serves

The practice works with for-profit companies, governmental bodies and non-profit organizations, along with individuals looking for personal financial, retirement or estate planning. Other offerings include forensic accounting, litigation support, business valuation, internal controls, strategic planning, succession planning and new business formation. Such a range allows the firm to assist a business from its launch through a later change of ownership.

Leadership and Team

Lucinda (Cindy) Sloan, CPA, began her career at AVL in 1983, joined the partnership in 1989 and has served as managing partner since 2019. Debbie Benigno Vignes, CPA, a partner since 2017, directs the Client Accounting Services Division, where she manages staff and small business engagements, the area closest to payroll clients.

Megan Mills, CPA, became a partner in 2022 and has directed the tax department since 2020, focusing on individual, partnership, corporate and non-profit taxation. Kim Marmalich, CPA, Cr.FA, a partner since 2017, provides audit, forensic accounting, litigation support and advisory services. Jerry Favre, CPA, CITP, also holds partner status and a technology-related credential.

Offices and Working Style

AVL maintains offices in Gulfport, Bay St. Louis and Wiggins, and the Gulfport office is the closest to Gautier. Business hours run on weekdays during standard daytime hours. Clients can share documents electronically through a client portal and a secure file-sending service, and the firm offers new prospects a free initial consultation.

A separate affiliate, AVL WealthCare, LLC, is available for wealth-related needs. Employers looking for a local CPA firm that can combine payroll with tax and IRS resolution knowledge under one roof may find AVL a practical fit.

Culumber, Harvey & Associates, P.A. is an accounting practice based in Gulfport, Mississippi. It is organized as a professional association. The firm works with individuals and companies across the Gulfport area. Payroll is one part of a broader menu that also includes bookkeeping, tax work, assurance engagements and advisory support.

For buyers comparing payroll providers, the firm follows the accounting-firm model. Payroll is handled by the same team that maintains the books and prepares the returns, rather than by a standalone processing vendor.

Payroll and related support

The firm presents payroll as a business service shaped around each employer's requirements, so that owners can stay focused on operating their companies. Its business services material highlights how hard it is to keep up with payroll obligations at both the federal and state level, along with sales and use tax.

It positions the firm as a partner for that compliance. For employers who have already fallen behind, its tax relief practice lists payroll tax problems among the issues it addresses. That practice also covers IRS liens, levies, payment plans, back taxes and unfiled returns.

Many small employers run payroll inside accounting software, so the firm's QuickBooks services can complement a payroll engagement. These include setup assistance and answers to user questions.

Payroll clients can also draw on the firm's other business offerings, including:

• Small business accounting and bookkeeping
• Audits, reviews and compilations at three levels of assurance
• Cash flow projections and management
• Business tax preparation and tax planning
• Internal control assessments with recommendations
• New business formation and succession planning for family businesses
• Strategic planning and business advisory work
• Forensic accounting and litigation support
• Non-profit accounting focused on preserving tax-exempt status

Industries served

The firm lists experience with construction companies, dental practices, healthcare providers, hospitality businesses, law firms, manufacturers, real estate professionals, restaurants and retailers. It also serves private individuals. Its personal services include tax preparation, retirement planning, estate planning, and estate and trust tax work.

Background and approach

The firm describes itself as having advised local individuals and businesses for many years. Its work ranges from routine tax management to audits, financial statements and financial planning. It emphasizes hiring experienced tax professionals and using a team approach so that each client receives careful attention.

Its stated mission is to keep clients financially sound today while planning proactively for future goals. That mission relies on open communication, research and careful analysis. Quality, professionalism and responsiveness are named as the three principles guiding its client service.

Prospective clients are offered a free initial consultation to identify which services fit their situation. Existing clients can use an online client portal and a secure file transfer page for sending documents to staff. The firm publishes a monthly email newsletter. Its website also offers tax calendars, rate tables, a record retention guide and financial calculators.

Culumber, Harvey & Associates suits Gulf Coast employers who want payroll, bookkeeping and tax compliance coordinated by one local firm with an office in Gulfport.

Glen Hughes CPA, PC is a certified public accounting practice based in Gulfport, Mississippi, offering tax, accounting and business consulting under one roof. The practice is led personally by Glen Hughes, and its pages speak in the first person, which signals that clients deal directly with the CPA rather than being handed off to a large staff.

For employers weighing payroll providers, the firm offers payroll processing as one part of a wider set of accounting services, which suits owners who want wages, books and taxes handled by the same advisor.

Payroll and Related Business Services

Payroll appears on the firm's list of core business services, and it is also named among the offerings for construction companies and law practices. On the tax side, the firm takes on payroll tax problems, a useful option for employers who have fallen behind on employment tax deposits or filings. Payroll work sits alongside a broad range of business support, including:

• Small business accounting and bookkeeping
• Part-time or outsourced CFO services
• Cash flow management and budgeting
• Use and sales tax processing
• Accounting system setup, including chart of accounts and general ledger
• Internal controls aimed at preventing fraud
• Monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements
• New business formation and succession planning
• Forensic accounting and litigation support

Tax Work for Businesses and Individuals

The practice prepares returns for both businesses and individuals and does forward-looking tax planning intended to capture available deductions and credits. Its resolution services cover unfiled returns, back taxes owed, innocent spouse relief, bankruptcy-related tax matters and obtaining a client's IRS file to assess options. Estate and trust returns are also handled. For individuals, the firm offers personal financial planning, retirement planning and wealth management, including reviews of investment fees and retirement income distribution plans.

Industries Served

The firm highlights experience in several sectors: construction, healthcare, hospitality, law firms, manufacturing and real estate. For contractors, it describes work such as compilations, reviews and audits of financial statements, project control reviews, construction audits and the financial documents needed when seeking financing or bonding. For attorneys, it covers start-up support, merger and acquisition advisory, business valuations and payroll. Nonprofits can get help with Forms 990 and 990-T, applications for 501(c)(3) status and compliance with state rules.

How the Firm Works With Clients

Glen Hughes positions himself as an ongoing financial advisor rather than a once-a-year preparer. He pairs routine compliance work with reporting, profitability analysis and forecasting meant to support business goals. On its construction page, the firm also mentions working alongside outside professionals such as attorneys, bankers and real estate specialists.

The site includes a client center and contact forms where prospects can say when they would like to be called. For Gulf Coast employers who want payroll handled by a local CPA who also knows their tax and accounting picture, this single-practitioner firm offers a personal, broad-scope alternative to standalone payroll vendors.

Melissa Lowery Accounting Services LLC is a small accounting practice based in Gulfport, Mississippi. It works with small businesses and individual taxpayers along the Gulf Coast. Melissa Lowery founded the firm in 2012 and still runs it. She offers payroll support as part of a wider bookkeeping service rather than as a stand-alone payroll platform. That setup may suit an owner who wants payroll, books and tax filings handled in one place by someone they deal with directly.

Payroll and Small Business Services

For employers, the firm runs payroll and prepares the payroll tax filings that go with it. At year end it produces wage and contractor forms for workers and vendors. Payroll fits into a set of bookkeeping services that small companies can buy together or separately:

• Payroll processing and payroll tax reporting
• Year-end W-2 forms for employees
• 1099 forms for contractors and other payees
• Sales tax reporting
• Computerized bookkeeping
• Online bookkeeping for clients who prefer working remotely

Because the same practice keeps the ledgers and runs payroll, wage figures, withholding and tax filings can be checked against each other. This is useful for owners who do not have in-house accounting staff. The online bookkeeping option means clients do not always have to visit the office to keep their records current.

Individual Tax Preparation

Personal tax returns are the other main part of the practice. The firm prepares returns for the current year and for earlier years, files them electronically, and handles state returns in every state. Clients can choose direct deposit of refunds or electronic payment of any balance due. They can also ask for encrypted digital copies of their completed returns.

If a filed return needs to be corrected, the firm prepares amendments. Business owners who hire the firm for payroll can therefore have their own personal returns done by the same person.

Background and Credentials

Melissa Lowery grew up in Biloxi. She earned a bachelor's degree in business administration, with accounting as her field of study, from the University of Southern Mississippi. Before starting her own firm, she prepared taxes at another tax preparation business in the area. The firm has been registered as a Mississippi limited liability company since late 2012.

She keeps up the IRS Annual Filing Season Program Record of Completion, which requires continuing education each year. The credential shows that she keeps her tax knowledge current, which matters when payroll and income tax rules change.

Who It Fits

The practice is a good match for small employers, sole proprietors and households in Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach and nearby Coast communities who want a local, owner-run firm. Buyers comparing payroll providers should know that payroll is offered as part of a bookkeeping relationship rather than as software or a large payroll bureau.

That arrangement tends to suit businesses with modest headcounts that value working directly with the owner. Clients can reach the firm by phone call or text message, which makes quick questions about pay runs or filings easy to handle.

Overview

MJD & Associates, LLC is a certified public accounting practice based in Gulfport, Mississippi, a short drive west of Biloxi along the Gulf Coast. The firm offers payroll support alongside tax preparation and general accounting. That mix suits small business owners who want payroll, bookkeeping and tax filings handled in one place rather than spread across several vendors. Individuals who need help with personal returns are also part of its client base.

Payroll and Related Services

Payroll is one of three core service lines on the firm's website, next to tax work and accounting. The site groups payroll with its accounting offering and adds resources on withholding. These include guidance on when an employee may need to give an employer an updated Form W-4, plus a link to the IRS withholding estimator. The firm notes who benefits most from that tool:

• Workers holding more than one job
• Households where both spouses earn wages
• Head-of-household filers
• Parents claiming several children for the Child Tax Credit
• People with sizable non-wage income who would rather cover it through paycheck withholding than through quarterly estimated payments

The pages reviewed do not itemize specific payroll deliverables, such as processing frequency, direct deposit or quarterly payroll tax filings. Buyers who need those details should confirm them directly with the firm. Its broader service range includes:

• Payroll services for businesses
• Payroll-related accounting
• Business and individual tax preparation
• Corporate return preparation, including catching up on returns from prior years
• General accounting services
• A secure online portal for exchanging tax documents

How They Work With Clients

The firm describes its style as personalized and low-key. Each engagement is shaped around the client's circumstances rather than pushed toward a fixed package. Prospective clients can request an appointment online and choose which team member they want to meet with. The site lists Mike Durlak, Kevin McGill and Lindsay Martin as options.

A tax appointment checklist helps new clients arrive prepared. A secure file portal gives clients access to their tax records at any hour, which helps employers who need documents outside office hours. The office keeps standard weekday hours and meets on weekends by appointment.

The website also hosts a reference library for clients. It covers how long to retain records, downloadable tax forms, current tax rates, filing due dates and a summary of taxpayer rights. It also links to a tool for tracking federal refunds.

What Sets Them Apart

Client reviews on the site emphasize responsiveness and personality. One business owner switched firms after a previous accountant left corporate returns unfiled for several years. MJD & Associates brought the overdue returns current for two companies and for the owner's personal filings. Another reviewer praised the firm's patience and scheduling flexibility during the busy filing season.

For Biloxi-area employers comparing payroll providers, the main appeal is a local CPA practice that can connect payroll records to bookkeeping and tax compliance, with a named team available for in-person meetings.

Necaise & Company, PLLC is a certified public accounting firm with offices in Gulfport and Kiln, Mississippi. It works with businesses and organizations that need dependable financial support. For companies comparing payroll providers, the firm handles payroll as one part of a wider range of tax, accounting, and advisory work. That setup may suit owners who would rather keep payroll, bookkeeping, and tax compliance with one trusted accounting relationship than spread them across several separate vendors.

Payroll Within a Broader Compliance Offering

Payroll appears among the firm's core, everyday offerings, alongside routine bookkeeping and related filings. Payroll sits next to sales tax work and income tax preparation in the firm's lineup. This lets a business coordinate several connected compliance obligations through the same CPA practice. The main areas of work include:

• Payroll processing support
• Bookkeeping on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly schedule
• Compilation of financial statements
• Preparation of sales tax filings
• Federal and state tax return preparation and tax planning advice
• QuickBooks instruction for in-house staff
• Design and implementation of internal controls
• Audit engagements built on a risk-based approach

How the Firm Works With Clients

The firm shapes each engagement around the circumstances of the individual client rather than relying on a one-size package. Its professionals each concentrate on particular areas of the accounting field and have invested considerable time in building expertise there.

When new work comes in, the firm matches team members to it according to their experience, so that planning and execution are handled by people familiar with the subject. On the tax side, insights gathered while preparing returns feed into more personalized planning advice.

For audits, the firm assesses each entity's risks and adjusts its procedures to the level of assurance the client wants. It places heavy emphasis on frequent, candid communication so that neither party encounters unexpected findings late in the process.

Clients and Specialties

Much of the team's experience comes from serving privately held companies, where the goal is accurate compliance and on-time tax filings at the federal and state levels. The principal and staff have worked across a variety of industries. They also bring significant depth in accounting and audit work for non-profit organizations and governmental entities. This may be relevant to payroll buyers in those sectors who face added reporting expectations.

Background and Credentials

The practice began in 2006 as a partnership of three founders and was later restructured as a CPA firm. Since then it has grown to include two dedicated support staff positions. The firm holds memberships in the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Mississippi Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Beyond the continuing education these bodies require, it maintains its own internal training standards to keep pace with changes in the profession. Its QuickBooks training and internal control services may interest employers that want to strengthen their own processes, in addition to outsourcing payroll and bookkeeping tasks.

Palazzo & Company, LLC is a CPA firm on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Its office is on Lorraine Road in Gulfport, a short drive from Biloxi. The firm combines accounting, bookkeeping, tax and payroll work under one roof. It serves two main groups. The first is South Mississippi businesses and households.

The second is a large base of Americans who earn their living outside the United States. Buyers looking for a payroll provider tied to a full accounting practice may find that pairing useful.

Services for Businesses and Individuals

The firm lists payroll among its business offerings, alongside a wider set of financial services. Its published areas of work include:

• Payroll services for employers
• Bookkeeping and general accounting
• Business services and professional advisory support
• Sales tax and state tax matters
• Returns for S corporations, C corporations, LLCs and partnerships
• Individual tax preparation and year-round planning
• Tax work for overseas contractors and expatriates

The site describes bookkeeping as the foundation of sound business decisions. It notes that timely, accurate records give owners dependable measures of performance for setting revenue goals and planning operations. For an employer, this means payroll can sit alongside the ledger and the entity's tax filings. Owners do not need to coordinate separate vendors for each function.

The website does not publish details of specific payroll software or plan tiers, so buyers should ask the firm directly about processing schedules, tax deposits and year-end forms.

How the Firm Works with Clients

Much of the firm's growth came from clients it rarely meets face to face. Palazzo & Company reports clients in more than 20 countries. It relies on secure electronic services to exchange documents and handle engagements remotely, and it offers an online payment option. This approach also suits local businesses that would rather share records digitally than visit an office.

The firm stresses that questions come up throughout the year, not only during filing season, and it positions itself as available whenever issues arise.

Background and Team

The practice began in the summer of 2001 as a home-based venture. It worked out of a spare bedroom, preparing returns for people employed abroad. In 2005 it moved into the Biloxi Business Incubator and hired its first employee. About two years later it opened its first formal office in Biloxi.

Over time the business took on the Palazzo & Company name and widened its reach into a worldwide client roster. It later relocated to its current Gulfport address. The firm says it is now concentrating on growing its local client base.

The staff includes Certified Public Accountants and other tax professionals. The firm cites more than two decades of practical experience across accounting and tax work. What distinguishes it from many regional payroll vendors is this mix of international tax knowledge and long roots on the Gulf Coast. Employers with staff or owners working overseas, or with multi-state and entity-level tax questions, may value a provider that handles both payroll and the underlying tax picture.

Wright, Ward, Hatten & Guel, PLLC is a certified public accounting practice based in downtown Gulfport, Mississippi. The firm's history stretches back to 1929, and it serves clients across the Gulf Coast. It positions itself as a single destination for audit, tax and accounting work, so that clients do not need to piece together help from several different accountants. Payroll is offered alongside bookkeeping and budgeting, which suits employers who want one team to understand their complete financial picture.

Services Offered

The firm's website groups its work into four main areas:

• Bookkeeping, payroll and budget support
• Audit and review engagements
• Tax matters, IRS issues and estate planning
• Financial planning

The website does not describe payroll software, pay cycles or filing procedures in detail. Employers with questions about these topics can bring them up during the firm's free initial consultation. A client portal is also available through the site.

Specialties and Experience

Auditing for government bodies and nonprofit organizations is a particular strength. Team members have worked on engagements involving Jackson County, Harrison County, the City of Gulfport, the City of Pass Christian, the City of Gautier, the Gulfport School District, the Gulf Regional Planning Commission and the Diamondhead Fire District.

Principal Michael E. Guel has performed more than seventy-five school audits over about three decades. His audit background also includes cities, counties, contractors and planning commissions. On the tax side, he has worked with individuals, partnerships, corporations, fiduciaries and nonprofits, and he assists many clients with estate and broader financial planning.

History and Team

The practice began under the name A.L. Evans and Company. It was renamed Wright, Ward, and Hatten CPAs in the late 1950s, and the arrival of another partner in the 1980s led to the current name. Its office has stayed in downtown Gulfport the entire time. The firm reports a staff of thirteen, including two principals.

• Michael E. Guel joined in 1975 and became a partner in 1980. He holds CPA, CFP, PFS, CVA and CFE designations, is licensed in Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama, and has taught governmental accounting, auditing and income tax at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Park campus.
• Sande W. Hentges, a CPA and Certified Fraud Examiner, joined in 1997. She has often served as audit senior or manager, handling the planning, execution and supervision of audits.
• Charlene Kerkow, CPA, joined in 1993, worked as a senior accountant for the City of Gulfport starting in 2000, and returned to the governmental audit team in 2004. Her focus is nonprofits and local governments.
• Chris Taylor, CPA, joined in 2013. He spent six years in public accounting with Deloitte and Touche in New Orleans, followed by more than twenty-five years in private industry as controller for savings banks, a law practice and a major Slidell homebuilder. He played a big part in moving those organizations to new accounting systems.

What Sets the Firm Apart

The firm believes a professional practice is defined by its people rather than its size. It aims to be big enough to meet each client's needs while keeping service personal, and it combines technical, practical and business perspectives on every engagement.

Partners and staff are encouraged to take part in community, social and charitable activities, and team members hold volunteer and leadership roles locally. For Gulf Coast employers comparing payroll options, the firm offers deep local roots, a credentialed team and payroll help supported by tax and audit expertise.