Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Hattiesburg, MS

Donnell & Company, PA is a locally owned accounting firm in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, that has worked with area households and companies since 1976. Payroll is one part of a wider practice that also includes bookkeeping, business accounting, tax work and estate-related planning. For an employer, this means a single local office can run payroll, keep the books and prepare the year-end returns.

Payroll Services

The firm offers outsourced payroll for small and growing businesses. It adapts the work to each employer's situation rather than using one fixed package. Its payroll offering covers:

• Processing pay on a weekly, every-two-weeks or monthly schedule
• Payroll tax returns filed on monthly, quarterly and annual deadlines
• Year-end W-2 forms for employees and 1099 forms for contractors
• Setting up and maintaining direct deposit for staff
• Calculating payroll tax deposits and submitting them
• Help meeting payroll reporting obligations

The firm's stated goals are to get workers paid correctly and on schedule and to keep the employer compliant with payroll tax rules. It also aims to help clients avoid IRS penalties and missed filing dates.

Bookkeeping and Related Business Support

Many payroll clients pair the service with bookkeeping. The firm reconciles bank statements each month and sets up and maintains the general ledger. It also tracks payables and receivables and sorts and classifies financial records. Bookkeeping help is available monthly, quarterly or annually, along with preparation for year-end reporting.

The intent is to give owners clean records that are ready for an audit and make tax season simpler. Beyond the books, the firm handles routine business accounting, from periodic reports to annual financial statements. It also helps clients install QuickBooks or similar software and learn to use it well, which suits owners who want to keep some tasks in-house.

Background and Team

Joe Donnell, a Mississippi State University graduate, founded the practice and now serves as founder and senior advisor. His work spans individual and business tax, estate and trust taxation, business formation, cost segregation studies and representation before the IRS and state agencies.

Accounting manager Stacy Hicks earned her degree at the University of Southern Mississippi and has more than two decades in public accounting. Morgan Kuhn, a CPA, handles tax, accounting and advisory work for clients. Staff accountant Danny Vera holds an MBA and an accounting degree from Southern New Hampshire University.

He works in QuickBooks, Sage, Lacerte, UltraTax, CCH ProSystem and Microsoft Dynamics 365 and speaks both English and Spanish. Two administrative assistants support scheduling, documents and client communication.

What Sets the Firm Apart

Buyers weighing payroll providers may value the firm's long local track record and its one-on-one approach. The office describes itself as big enough for complicated engagements yet small enough to know clients personally. Many clients have stayed with the firm for years, across family generations and business milestones.

Because payroll is handled by a CPA firm that also offers tax planning and IRS audit representation, employers can bring compliance questions to the same team that prepares their filings. The office is on South 40th Avenue near Lincoln Road and I-59, with parking in front, and is open Monday through Thursday plus Friday mornings.

Overview

Donnell CPA Group is a certified public accountancy practice that works with privately held businesses, individuals and households. The firm cites more than thirty years in operation and presents itself as something broader than a typical accounting office. Its stated aim is to act as a partner in both business and personal financial life, pairing strategy and consulting with the traditional work of tax and accounting. The firm's site also carries an announcement about a merger with TMH.

Business Services

For companies, the firm offers help that ranges from daily bookkeeping to forward-looking planning. Payroll sits within this group, so an owner can keep wage processing with the same advisors who see the rest of the company's numbers. Listed services include:

• Small business accounting and internal controls
• Payroll
• Part-time CFO support and cash flow management
• Help with bank financing
• Strategic planning and succession planning
• New business formation

Tax Services

The tax practice covers both preparation and planning, and it also handles trouble cases. These include returns that were never filed, payroll tax problems and bankruptcy-related matters. When the IRS becomes involved, the firm represents clients in audits and assists with liens, levies, wage garnishments, seizures and installment arrangements.

Family Office Services

A family office, as the firm explains it, is an entity that supports the intricate finances of one family and acts as its chief advisor. The idea is to simplify an increasingly complicated financial life by coordinating information among a family's attorney, accountant, bank, investment contact, insurance representative, real estate professional and other specialists. The firm's tasks in this area include:

• Collecting the information needed to file tax returns
• Watching for lifestyle changes that affect a will or estate
• Maintaining and reconciling checking accounts
• Paying bills on a family's behalf
• Tracking insurance renewals
• Producing custom investment performance reports
• Building and updating an asset inventory for insurance purposes

The firm does not sell investment, insurance or banking products, and it says this allows it to give completely objective advice to families and business owners.

Approach and People

The firm prefers simple solutions scaled to the size of each business, drawing on industry best practices and third-party tools to keep projects on schedule. Every client has a dedicated contact, which the firm positions as an answer to the frustration of never reaching a live person. It also says it plans with clients so they have the capacity to keep growing, and that its support shifts as their needs change.

Robert E. Donnell III, CPA, has owned and run the firm since 1993, focusing on tax, accounting and family office work, including investment oversight and asset management. Kimberly Hawkins, CPA, a member of the team since 2009, is Senior Manager and concentrates on healthcare, dental and pharmacy clients.

Hillery Wilson, Accounting Manager since 2024, supervises accounting staff, analyzes financial data and helps clients stay compliant. Staff accountants serve individuals and small businesses, while accounting students from The University of Southern Mississippi and The University of Mississippi train across several roles. Administrators oversee daily operations at the Bellevue and Columbia offices.

Havard CPA Group, PA is a certified public accounting practice based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It works with business owners, executives and independent professionals. Payroll is one part of a wider practice that also covers tax work, bookkeeping and advisory services. That makes the firm a fit for small employers who want their payroll handled by the same accountants who prepare their returns and review their books.

Payroll Options

The firm accepts that companies differ in how much of the payroll job they want to hand off. It structures its payroll work as three separate service levels:

• Comprehensive payroll processing: the firm runs each pay cycle and laser-prints checks on blank stock that meets Federal Reserve micro-encoding requirements. Direct deposit is included without charge, and employees can view their pay stubs online.
• After-the-fact payroll: for owners who write their own checks, staff take the manual payroll data, enter it into the firm's system and handle the tax side from there.
• Custom payroll reports: help with workers' compensation audits, unemployment claims, Social Security and child support audits, and W-2/W-3 and 1099/1096 processing. Staff can also prepare or help with federal and state registration forms.

Under both the full-service and after-the-fact plans, the firm files with the IRS and the state and makes EFTPS tax deposits. Clients receive monthly, quarterly and annual payroll tax reports along with year-end W-2, W-3 and 1099 forms. The firm also tracks vacation, sick and personal day accruals, prepares and submits mandatory new hire reports, and keeps payroll records organized. For an added charge, it can produce specialty reports such as union reports, certified payroll and workers' compensation reports.

How the Firm Works With Clients

Pricing is quoted case by case. Before giving a rate, the firm reviews the size of the business and the services it needs, and it offers prospective clients a no-cost consultation. Its pitch focuses on practical benefits.

Owners avoid hiring dedicated payroll staff, stop tracking changes to federal, state and local payroll rules themselves, and spend fewer hours on data entry. Existing clients can store and retrieve financial documents through a password-protected online portal, and anyone can send files through a separate secure upload page without opening an account.

Payroll Tax Problem Help

Some employers are already behind on withholding deposits or payroll tax returns. For them, the firm offers representation in payroll tax disputes with the IRS. Its tax resolution work also covers back taxes, unfiled returns, liens, levies, wage garnishments, seizures, offers in compromise, installment agreements and audit representation. This lets a business that has fallen behind fix past problems and move to ongoing processing with one provider.

Background

The practice describes itself as a full-range accounting firm licensed in Mississippi. Beyond payroll, it provides cash flow management, help forming new businesses, reviews and compilations, small business accounting, QuickBooks support, strategic and succession planning, and tax preparation and planning. Its office has moved to Keystone Drive, near the intersection of Cole Road and Highway 98 in Hattiesburg. For buyers comparing payroll providers, its main distinction is that a local CPA firm handles payroll, tax compliance and IRS matters together.

Keene Bourne Sanderson Haigler & Eavenson PA is a certified public accounting practice based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It serves individuals, small and large businesses, non-profit organizations and other agencies. Payroll is one of several business services the firm provides. Companies that want accountants, rather than a stand-alone payroll vendor, handling their wage processing and tax compliance will find it a relevant option.

Payroll Options

The firm does not apply a single model to every employer. It offers three distinct ways to run payroll, so a business can choose how much of the work it keeps in-house:

• Full-service processing: the firm calculates payroll and laser-prints checks on blank security stock that meets Federal Reserve micro-encoding requirements. Direct deposit is included at no extra charge.
• After-the-fact payroll: for employers who write their own checks, staff enter the manually prepared records into the firm's system. The firm then handles the related filings and reporting.
• Online processing: clients key in hours and earnings through a secure web connection, print checks on their own printers and can also pay staff by direct deposit.

Every option includes federal and state tax reporting and EFTPS tax deposits. Clients receive monthly, quarterly and annual payroll tax reports, along with W-2, W-3 and 1099 forms. The firm also tracks accruals for vacation, sick and personal days, prepares and files required new-hire reports, and maintains organized payroll records.

Reporting and Compliance Support

Beyond routine processing, the firm assists with the many special reports that government agencies request. It helps with workers' compensation audits, unemployment claims, Social Security audits and child support audits. It also processes 1099 and 1096 filings and helps clients complete federal and state registration forms. For an additional charge, clients can receive union reports, certified payroll and workers' compensation reporting. These add-ons may suit contractors and other employers with specialized reporting obligations.

The firm also represents businesses that have fallen behind on payroll tax obligations. It stresses that the IRS pursues unpaid employment taxes aggressively, and it advises owners not to face the agency alone. This work is part of a wider tax resolution practice that covers liens, levies, wage garnishments, seizures, offers in compromise, installment agreements and audit representation.

Broader Accounting Services

Payroll clients can also draw on the firm's other services, which include:

• Small business bookkeeping and accounting
• Part-time CFO and controller support, including budgeting, cash management and help with bank financing
• Audits, reviews and compilations
• Business valuation, strategic planning and succession planning
• New business formation and internal controls
• Tax preparation and tax planning for businesses and individuals
• QuickBooks setup, training and troubleshooting, as well as discounted QuickBooks purchases

The firm describes its approach in terms of personal attention, responsiveness and high professional standards. Its payroll work is handled by accounting professionals, so wage processing, tax filings and general bookkeeping can sit with one provider. Pricing depends on each company's size and the services it selects, and the firm gives a quote after a no-cost consultation. Clients can also use a secure client portal, a file-sharing tool and a regular emailed newsletter.

Schamber-Jones, CPA, PA is a certified public accounting firm in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It combines traditional accounting work with hands-on payroll support for small companies. Payroll is offered alongside tax, bookkeeping and eldercare services. That makes the firm a fit for business owners who want their payroll handled by the same local team that knows their books and tax filings. It holds Mississippi firm permit number F0848.

Payroll Services

The firm's payroll work centers on a live processing model. Each pay period, the client reports which employees worked and how many hours they logged. Staff then calculate wages and produce the paychecks. Along with the checks, clients get printed reports that double as management tools. Owners often use these reports to judge cash flow and plan spending.

The firm also prepares quarterly payroll filings for clients. Because staff complete these forms routinely, they can work more efficiently than an owner who sees the paperwork only occasionally. A dedicated S-J Payroll login is linked from the website for payroll clients.

• Computerized payroll check preparation for small businesses
• Wage computation based on client-supplied hours
• Quarterly payroll reporting
• Payroll printouts that support cash flow decisions

Related Accounting and Tax Work

Many of the firm's business clients are small enterprises. For them it offers monthly writeup, which means recording deposits and disbursements and preparing financial statements. Owners and managers can also use the accountants as a sounding board, and some consultations take place at the client's own business location.

On the tax side, the firm prepares returns for corporations, partnerships, individuals and trusts, plus sales and use tax returns, and it files electronically. People who prefer to do their own Form 1040 and state returns can use a low-cost 1040.com option the office has partnered with. Returns prepared that way are not shared with the firm.

Its eldercare service helps aging clients keep track of personal finances. This can include reconciling bank accounts, arranging other professional services, and sending periodic updates to a family member the client chooses.

Background and Approach

The practice dates to 1972, when Arthur F. Kersh opened it after moving back to Hattiesburg from New Orleans. Sharon B. Schamber-Jones came aboard in 1983. She now owns the practice and serves as its president. The office sits in a 1920s house on Hardy Street, roughly a block from Gordon's Creek. The firm presents this calm setting as a comfortable place for private money conversations.

The building is old, but the firm has a long record of adopting new technology. It moved to personal computers in the early 1980s and began filing tax returns electronically in the early 1990s. It has also converted much of its client recordkeeping to digital form.

The firm stresses close personal attention, ongoing professional education, current computer systems and broad business connections. For employers comparing payroll providers, it offers a CPA-led alternative to large national processors, with payroll tied directly to bookkeeping and tax compliance.