Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Laurel, MS

Carr, Riggs & Ingram, usually called CRI, is a national accounting and advisory firm that ranks among the top 25 in the United States. It has an office in Laurel, Mississippi, and other Mississippi offices in Hattiesburg, Flowood and Jackson. Local businesses that want payroll handled as part of a wider accounting relationship can work with the Laurel team and still draw on the resources of a firm with locations in more than a dozen states.

Payroll and outsourcing capabilities

CRI offers payroll through Paywerx, one of its affiliated business brands. Paywerx sits inside the firm's Accounting & Business Outsourcing practice. In that model, CRI takes on back-office finance work so owners and managers can spend their time running the business.

Process material published by the firm shows how the pieces fit: Paywerx handles payroll, while related cloud tools cover bill payment approvals, disbursements, payables input and document management. Everything feeds into a shared general ledger and published reports. This setup suits companies that want payroll, bookkeeping and reporting connected in one system instead of spread across several vendors.

• Payroll processing through Paywerx
• Outsourced accounting and bookkeeping
• Business, individual and state and local tax work
• Audits of employee benefit plans
• Fractional finance leadership through CRI CFO Hub
• Third-party administration through CRI TPA Services

Beyond payroll

Because payroll connects to tax filings and employee benefits, buyers may find it useful that CRI covers the related work too. Its tax practice handles business tax, individual tax, international tax, research and development credits, cost segregation, and trust, estate and gift planning. Its assurance practice audits employee benefit plans and provides internal control and governance reviews. Its advisory group offers business planning, fraud and forensic work, cybersecurity and data privacy assessments, valuations and transaction support.

Industries served

CRI organizes its teams around industry specialties, so clients are matched with advisors who know their sector. Industries listed by the firm include:

• Construction, manufacturing and distribution
• Hospitals, health systems, physician groups and post-acute care
• Financial institutions and insurance
• Government, public sector and government contracting
• Nonprofits, private foundations, religious organizations and private higher education
• Agribusiness, oil and gas, hospitality and commercial real estate

Background and approach

CRI has been growing for more than 25 years and describes itself as a firm built on long-term client relationships. It has expanded partly by bringing regional firms into its network, and its nonprofit-focused group, CRI CapinCrouse, works with churches and charities. The firm also publishes articles and runs webinars on topics such as year-end tax planning.

For a Laurel employer, CRI is worth considering if it wants a local office that pairs a dedicated payroll platform with full accounting, tax and advisory support from a large regional CPA firm. It is less of a fit for a business that only needs a standalone payroll tool.

Daniel Scott Wilson CPA PA is a certified public accounting practice based in Laurel, Mississippi, serving clients in the Laurel area of Jones County. Directory listings describe the firm as a full-service local accountancy whose work spans bookkeeping, tax, and payroll, which makes it a practical option for small employers that would rather keep payroll, books, and tax filings with one trusted office instead of splitting them among several vendors.

Payroll and Bookkeeping Support

Payroll services are listed among the firm's core offerings, alongside routine bookkeeping and corporate accounting. For a small business owner, that pairing matters: wages, withholdings, and employer tax obligations feed directly into the general ledger and into year-end returns, so having the same CPA practice handle each piece can reduce reconciliation problems and missed deadlines. Listings also note electronic filing, which suits employers looking to submit returns and reports digitally.

QuickBooks Setup and Training

The practice works with QuickBooks, offering setup of the software as well as software consulting and training. Businesses that want to run some of their own bookkeeping or payroll in-house can get help configuring their company file correctly from the start and learn how to use it, while still relying on a CPA for review, tax work, and more complex questions.

The firm's published range of services includes:

• Payroll services
• Bookkeeping and general accounting
• Corporate accounting and financial statements
• Financial forecasting
• QuickBooks setup, software consulting and training
• Current and prior-year tax return preparation with electronic filing
• Tax planning and tax consulting
• Audit and conflict resolution support

Tax and Advisory Work

Beyond payroll, the firm prepares tax returns for the current year and also helps clients catch up on returns from earlier years, a useful service for business owners who have fallen behind on filings. Tax planning and consulting round out the tax side, and the practice offers support when clients face audits or need to resolve disputes with taxing authorities.

Financial forecasting and financial statement preparation give owners a clearer view of where their company stands and where it is heading, which can inform hiring and compensation decisions.

Background and Local Presence

The practice is led by Daniel Scott Wilson, a CPA who serves as president of the firm and whose education includes the University of Texas at El Paso. It operates from an office on North 14th Avenue in Laurel, keeps regular daytime business hours, and is a member of the local Jones County business community through the area chamber network.

For buyers comparing payroll providers, the firm represents the local CPA model: rather than a national payroll platform, clients work with a nearby accounting office that can combine payroll processing with bookkeeping, QuickBooks guidance, and tax expertise under one roof.

Overview

Holt & Associates, PLLC is a CPA firm based in Laurel, Mississippi. It works with individuals and companies across the Pine Belt, including Hattiesburg and nearby south Mississippi communities. Payroll is one part of a broader set of business accounting services. Employers comparing payroll providers can therefore keep wage processing, bookkeeping, tax filings and advisory support with one local firm instead of splitting them among separate vendors.

Payroll and client accounting

The firm handles payroll through its client accounting services group, which is led by partner Sheri Kelly, CPA. This practice area covers recurring outsourced work for businesses, including month-to-month bookkeeping, payroll processing, payroll tax compliance, and sales and use tax. Some employers have fallen behind on employment tax obligations. For them, the firm's tax relief practice deals with payroll tax problems and related IRS matters such as liens, levies, installment arrangements and audit representation.

Payroll-related and complementary services include:

• Payroll processing for small and mid-sized businesses
• Payroll tax compliance and filings
• Resolution of payroll tax problems with the IRS
• Monthly bookkeeping and small business accounting
• Sales and use tax reporting
• QuickBooks setup, training, troubleshooting and tune-ups
• Business and individual tax preparation and planning
• Audits, reviews and compilations

Many small employers keep their books in QuickBooks, so the firm's QuickBooks support can matter to payroll buyers. The firm helps clients install the software, learn to use it, get answers to day-to-day questions and clean up existing files. Holt & Associates also provides business advisory work, financial planning for companies, new entity formation, internal control reviews and nonprofit accounting. For owners, it offers personal financial, retirement and estate planning.

Industries and team

The firm lists construction, hospitality, law firms, manufacturers and real estate among the sectors it serves. The partner biographies describe further experience with governmental bodies, municipal governments, nonprofit organizations, employee benefit plans, rural water associations and privately held companies.

Three CPA partners lead the firm. Julie M. Uher is a Hattiesburg native who has spent more than three decades at the firm. She holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi and has served on the MSCPA Board of Governors and as president of its Southeast Chapter. Kari M.

Blackledge joined in 2006 and has over 20 years in public accounting across audit, attestation and tax. Sheri Kelly is a Mississippi State graduate who became a licensed CPA in 2015 and a partner in 2022. She specializes in the outsourced accounting work that includes payroll.

The partners belong to the AICPA and the MSCPA, and the staff includes additional CPAs in attest and tax roles.

The firm says its work rests on professionalism, responsiveness and quality. Its partners stress timely, detail-oriented communication and long-term client relationships. Clients can use an online portal to exchange documents and complete organizers, and the website provides tax calendars, forms, calculators and newsletters. For Hattiesburg-area employers, the main draw is a CPA-led payroll option backed by full accounting and tax resolution capabilities.

Laura Brame Cerra CPA, PLLC is a certified public accounting practice in Laurel, Mississippi, led by its namesake CPA. The firm describes itself as full service and works with both businesses and individuals. It offers payroll processing alongside tax work, bookkeeping, financial statements and help for people launching new ventures. For employers comparing payroll providers, the main appeal is that the same accountant who prepares the company's books and tax returns can also handle wage processing.

Payroll services

The firm's payroll offering covers the routine cycle of paying staff and the compliance filings that follow. Listed services include:

• Issuing payroll checks, with direct deposit available
• Preparing and filing payroll tax returns each quarter
• Producing W-2 forms for employees and 1099 forms for contractors at year end
• Submitting federal tax deposits through EFTPS, the Treasury's electronic payment system
• After-the-fact payroll, where the firm records and reports pay runs a business has already completed on its own

The after-the-fact option suits owners who prefer to write their own checks but want a CPA to handle the reporting. The full check-issuing service fits employers who want to hand off the entire process.

Broader accounting and advisory support

Payroll sits within a wider menu of business services. On the accounting side, the firm can act as an outsourced accounting department, keep the books, reconcile bank accounts, manage payables and receivables, issue vendor checks, and prepare and analyze financial statements. Tax work spans income tax preparation and electronic filing, amended returns, nonprofit taxation, and tax planning and projections.

It also includes help with IRS audits, payment plans and notices from federal and state agencies. Advisory engagements range from outsourced CFO and controller roles to QuickBooks setup and training, budgeting, job costing, debt analysis, lease-versus-purchase comparisons, business valuations, succession planning, and mergers and acquisitions.

Assurance work includes audits, reviews and compilations of financial statements, plus quality control and risk advisory reviews.

Start-ups and benefits

New companies are a stated focus. The practice offers start-up consulting, business plan development and help forming and incorporating a new entity. This lets a new employer set up its structure, books and payroll with a single provider. Through referrals and financial services, the firm also points clients toward employee health insurance, health savings accounts, benefit plans, workers' compensation coverage, business insurance and corporate college savings plans. All of these connect closely to payroll deductions and reporting.

How the firm works

The practice emphasizes attentive, client-centered service and reports that much of its work comes from returning clients and referrals. Services can be tailored to different budgets, and prospective clients are encouraged to call or visit to discuss custom arrangements. Meetings are scheduled by appointment, and the online request form lets visitors flag payroll specifically when asking for a consultation.

The office recently relocated to Central Avenue in downtown Laurel, upstairs from Wilson's Commissary. It keeps weekday hours and adds Saturday morning availability during the busy season.

Overview

McCullum Tax Services, LLC is a tax and accounting practice based in Laurel, Mississippi, and the firm states that it holds licensing in Mississippi. It works with company owners, corporate executives, self-employed professionals and individual households across Laurel and nearby communities. For employers comparing payroll providers, the appeal is that payroll sits inside a wider bundle of bookkeeping, tax and advisory work handled by the same local team, rather than being sold as a standalone product.

Payroll and Related Support

The firm lists payroll among its core business offerings. It describes the service as a way for owners to hand off the time-consuming chore of paying staff so they can concentrate on running operations.

Its site places payroll alongside compliance with federal and state payroll obligations as well as sales and use tax, which signals that withholding and filing accuracy are part of the conversation.

Where an employer has already fallen behind, the tax relief side of the practice addresses payroll tax problems, along with related IRS matters such as liens, levies, wage garnishment and installment arrangements. Payroll clients who keep their books in QuickBooks can also get help with setup, training, answers to software questions and periodic tune-ups.

Business services listed include:

• Payroll processing solutions
• Bookkeeping and small business accounting
• Part-time CFO services
• Cash flow projections and management
• Audits, reviews and compilations
• Business tax preparation and tax planning
• New business formation and succession planning
• Internal controls assessment, forensic accounting and litigation support

Industries and Clients

The firm highlights experience with several sectors: construction, dentists, healthcare, hospitality, law firms, manufacturers and real estate. It also serves non-profit organizations, helping them classify revenue and expenses in ways that support their tax-exempt standing. On the individual side, it provides personal tax returns, retirement and estate planning, elder care assistance, wealth management and trust tax work. It also assists people with unfiled returns or back taxes.

How the Firm Works

New clients begin with a complimentary consultation, during which the firm reviews their needs and recommends an approach. Ongoing collaboration is supported by an online client portal and a SecureSend tool for transmitting documents. These tools suit employers who need to exchange payroll records and tax forms securely. The practice also publishes a monthly newsletter and maintains a tax center with due dates, rates, forms and a record retention guide, giving clients reference material between meetings.

McCullum Tax Services says its work rests on three principles: professionalism, responsiveness and quality. It positions itself as an affordable, approachable option that gives each client individual attention. For Laurel-area employers who want payroll handled by the same firm that prepares their returns and keeps their ledgers, it offers a single local point of contact for those related tasks.