Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Ridgeland, MS

Haddox Reid Burkes & Calhoun PLLC is a long-established Mississippi accounting practice that now does business as part of BMSS Advisors & CPAs. The original haddoxreid.com address now forwards to the BMSS website. Clients in Madison and the wider Jackson metro area are served from the BMSS office in Ridgeland, on Highland Colony Parkway.

For companies comparing payroll providers, this means a CPA-led firm where payroll is handled alongside tax, audit and advisory work, instead of being sold as a standalone software subscription.

Payroll and Related Services

BMSS lists Payroll & Benefits as one of its main solution areas, along with a separate Human Resources service. Businesses that outsource payroll can also bring in the firm's broader back-office help, such as client accounting, outsourced CFO and controller support, and its Client 361 offering.

Because the same firm handles business tax filings and audits of employee benefit plans, payroll records, benefit plans and year-end compliance can all stay with one provider. The services most relevant to payroll buyers include:

• Payroll and benefits administration
• Human resources support
• Client accounting and outsourced accounting
• CFO and controller advisory services
• Employee benefit plan (EBP) audits
• Business, state and local tax services
• Technology and data consulting

Industries Served

The firm groups its expertise by industry. The sectors it names are construction, consumer business, film and entertainment, financial services and institutions, government and municipalities, government contracting, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution, nonprofits, oil and gas or natural resources, private equity and venture capital, professional services, real estate, and technology and software.

Government contractors also have access to a dedicated practice that covers DCAA support, contract administration, policies and procedures, and systems support. That can matter for employers whose labor costs face federal scrutiny.

How the Firm Works With Clients

BMSS outlines a three-stage engagement process. First, the team learns how a client's business operates. Next, its specialists build a plan around that client's particular requirements. Finally, the firm carries out the work so that owners can focus on running their companies.

Client testimonials on the site come from a range of roles, including a human resources director at a regional law firm and finance leaders at contracting and financial services companies. The firm also runs educational events and webinars, and it offers continuing professional education on subjects such as accounting and auditing updates, year-end tax planning and AI adoption.

Background and Scale

BMSS says it started as a small business and grew into a large, locally owned firm, and it has since built a family of related companies to serve a wider range of client needs. The site reports 38 members, more than 410 staff, over 149 CPAs, 10 offices and more than 10,000 clients across all 50 states.

Industry press coverage shows that Haddox Reid Burkes & Calhoun combined with Eubank Betts Hirn Wood in 2014 to form Haddox Reid Eubank Betts. That Ridgeland firm then merged into BMSS at the end of 2023. Local employers get continuity with a familiar Mississippi team, backed by the resources of a larger regional firm.

Brown, Ewing & Co., P.A. is a certified public accounting practice in Ridgeland, Mississippi, and payroll is one of the business services it provides. The firm is licensed in Mississippi, and every CPA on staff holds a current Mississippi certificate. For employers comparing payroll providers, it is a CPA-led alternative to standalone payroll processors. It combines payroll support with bookkeeping, tax and assurance work in a single office.

Payroll and related services

Payroll sits within the firm's business services lineup next to its accounting work for smaller companies. The website does not describe specific payroll features, so prospective clients should ask the firm directly about processing frequency, filings and delivery options. The site does show that the firm handles payroll tax trouble as part of its tax resolution practice. That can matter to employers who have fallen behind on withholding deposits or received IRS notices. Related offerings include:

• Payroll services for businesses
• Resolution of payroll tax issues with the IRS
• Accounting and bookkeeping for small companies
• Business tax preparation and tax planning
• Audits, reviews and compilations
• Evaluation of internal controls
• Forensic accounting
• Help forming new businesses and obtaining bank financing

Beyond payroll, the firm represents taxpayers in IRS audits. It also assists with a wide range of collection matters, including liens, levies, wage garnishments, seizures, installment agreements, offers in compromise, unfiled returns and innocent spouse relief. Individuals can get financial, retirement and estate planning guidance. Clients exchange documents through a client portal and a secure file transfer tool. The firm also publishes a monthly newsletter, tax calendars, rate tables and financial calculators.

Background and leadership

Kaiser R. Brown, CPA, and David Ewing, Jr., CPA, founded the practice in 2018, and each brings more than four decades of public accounting experience. Brown is the managing partner and oversees staffing, budgeting and quality control.

He began his career at a clothing manufacturer and moved into public accounting in 1975 with a minority-owned regional CPA firm, where he became a partner in 1990. He has audited nonprofits, state and local governments, school systems, higher education institutions, health centers, housing projects and manufacturers. He also does consulting, accounting and tax work for small businesses.

He earned an accounting degree from Jackson State University.

Ewing spent thirty-eight years at the Banks Finley White firm, joining in 1979 and becoming a partner in 1986, before co-founding the current practice in early 2018. His work has centered on nonprofit organizations, government entities and healthcare, especially audit and attestation engagements for larger clients. He holds an accountancy degree from Mississippi State University. Both partners belong to the national CPA professional body (AICPA) and serve on the state's Board of Public Accountancy.

Who it serves

The firm works with clients of many sizes, from individuals and small businesses to nonprofits and public-sector bodies. Its stated goals are helping clients make well-informed financial decisions, building a strong workplace culture and serving the local community. Some employers want payroll handled by a team that also understands audit, tax compliance and IRS resolution. The firm may suit them, especially nonprofit, governmental or healthcare organizations, where the partners have long experience.

Overview

Employee Administrative Services, Inc., known as EASI, is an HR and payroll administration firm headquartered in Ridgeland, Mississippi, with a second office in Homosassa, Florida. The company serves small and mid-sized employers in both states that would rather hand off payroll, tax and personnel duties than manage them in-house. Clients may take a complete outsourced program or pick only the components that suit their situation. The firm has operated since 2000.

Payroll and Tax Administration

Payroll is the core of the business. EASI works out what each employee is owed, applies reimbursements and deductions, and handles the regulatory requirements that go with each pay run, so owners need not track complicated IRS rules themselves. Typical elements include:

• Payroll processing and standard reports
• Direct deposit
• Garnishments and child support payments
• Employee deductions for benefits, uniforms and similar items
• Time off accrual tracking
• Online self-service access for employees
• Quarterly federal and state tax deposits, reporting and payment
• Annual W-2 filing, printing and mailing

Employers who want to monitor attendance can choose among several data collection tools: FlexClock, WebClock, VoiceClock, hand geometry readers and a standard time clock. Separate login areas exist for time and attendance, HR, and employee use.

HR, Benefits and Insurance

Through its HR on Demand offering, EASI gives small businesses a support center, handbooks, job descriptions and guides, plus live consulting with an HR professional. The firm also builds onboarding processes meant to help new hires feel welcome and become productive quickly.

On the benefits side, it manages customized programs that can include health and dental, life and supplemental insurance, FSA, HSA and HRA accounts, retirement plans and Section 125 cafeteria plans. Employers can also rely on the team to establish and administer a 401k plan and to guide investment choices.

Business insurance is available as an add-on, including pay-as-you-go workers' compensation with state report filing and audit help, along with general, professional and manufacturers' liability coverage. Those insurance services are provided by Account Services Group, PA.

People and Philosophy

EASI says its main emphasis is on personal relationships, however technical the business world becomes. Staff create tailored administration plans, take care of unusual requests and answer compliance questions. President Ken Lewis joined the company in 1994 and advanced through the ranks, after nearly ten years in the US Navy.

The team includes payroll specialists, an implementation group, accounting staff, a corporate accounting and tax specialist who handles federal and multi-state tax payments, a business development manager, and a commercial account manager with the CISR designation. Many members have between 15 and 25 years of experience in payroll, accounting, administration or HR.

New clients can try the service with little risk. If a business feels after 120 days from its contract start that the program has not significantly helped, EASI promises to cancel the agreement and refund its administrative fee. Customer comments highlight approachable, knowledgeable contacts, the time saved on payroll administration, access to benefit packages a small firm could not offer alone, and practical help with paperwork during the COVID-19 period, including a PPP report.

Overview

GranthamPoole PLLC is a Mississippi accounting and advisory practice that serves companies and high-net-worth individuals. Its closest office for Brandon-area employers is in Ridgeland, and it also maintains offices in Oxford and Hattiesburg. Anyone comparing payroll providers should know that this is a full-service CPA firm. Payroll is one piece of a wider outsourced accounting relationship, and the firm does not market a standalone payroll product.

Payroll and Client Accounting

Payroll processing sits inside the firm's client accounting services, alongside bookkeeping, financial reporting, financial statement preparation and tax compliance. The stated goal is to give business owners accurate, timely information so they can concentrate on their core operations.

Medical practices can get payroll management as part of a CFO and back-office package that also includes budgeting and financial planning, so clinical staff are not tied up with administrative chores. Companies wanting more senior financial oversight can add CFO or controller advisory work, such as interim CFO support, stronger financial controls, and forecasting.

The firm also runs retirement plan administration, which covers designing plans, testing them for compliance, educating participants, and acting in a fiduciary support role. Employers who provide retirement benefits may find that a natural companion to payroll.

Services most relevant to payroll buyers:

• Payroll processing within outsourced accounting
• Payroll management inside healthcare back-office support
• Bookkeeping and financial statement preparation
• Tax planning and compliance
• Retirement plan administration
• Interim CFO and controller advisory

Industries Served

The firm organizes much of its work by sector:

• Healthcare
• Manufacturing, wholesale and retail
• Nonprofit organizations
• Professional service firms, including legal, consulting and engineering practices
• Real estate and construction

Healthcare clients may also use custom financial dashboards, feasibility studies, benchmarking of practice patterns, practice valuations, and fraud risk assessments. Professional firms can draw on tax planning, succession planning, cost segregation studies, merger and acquisition support, and Lean Six Sigma consulting. Government entities receive help with the regulations tied to public funding, including American Rescue Plan Act money.

Background and Approach

The firm's story begins in 1972, when its two namesake founders, both Juniors, worked as young accountants at a Jackson CPA firm. One started an independent practice in 1977 and the other did the same in 1985. They merged the two businesses in 1999. Listed values include innovation, kindness, trust, integrity, excellence, stewardship and continuous improvement.

Its stated purpose centers on supplying reliable financial information and anticipating clients' problems early. CPAs head its industry teams, and some hold added credentials such as CFE. The firm operates under Mississippi firm permit F0338.

For an employer near Brandon, the main differentiator is breadth. Payroll can be combined with audit, tax, valuation, forensic accounting, and estate and financial planning in one relationship, which may appeal to organizations that prefer a single accounting partner over several vendors. The website does not describe payroll details such as the software used or the specific filings handled, so prospective clients should confirm those points directly with the firm.

Lyle, Walker & Co., P.A. is a licensed Mississippi accounting practice with its office in Ridgeland, a short drive from Madison. Its clients include individuals, owners of companies, corporate executives and self-employed professionals. Payroll is one part of a wider range of accounting and tax work. That makes the firm a practical option for employers who want wage processing, bookkeeping and tax filings handled by one local team rather than split across separate vendors.

Payroll and Business Services

The firm presents its payroll offering as a solution shaped around each company's needs. The goal is to free owners from administrative work so they can concentrate on operating the business. Its business services page also stresses compliance.

It raises questions employers often overlook, such as whether payroll tax obligations at the state and federal level are being met, whether sales and use tax is handled correctly, and whether estimated tax payments go out on schedule.

The site does not list specific payroll features, so buyers should ask directly about pay frequency, deposit methods and reporting during the initial meeting. Related services include:

• Payroll processing and payroll tax compliance support
• Bookkeeping and small business accounting
• Cash flow statements and financial statements
• Tax preparation for businesses and individuals, plus tax planning
• Estate and trust tax work, tax relief and IRS audit representation
• QuickBooks setup and training

Industries Served

The firm says it has specialized knowledge in several sectors, which can matter for employers with industry-specific payroll and reporting issues. These include construction, dental practices, healthcare, hospitality, law firms, manufacturing and real estate. Its audit, financial planning and financial statement work extends beyond routine tax management. Companies that expect to need more than payroll as they grow may find this breadth useful.

Background and Team

The practice has served local households and businesses for many years and holds Mississippi firm permit F0488. The firm carries the names of David Lyle, who died in 2023, and Gary Walker, a CPA who has since retired. Licensed CPAs Cindy Hollingsworth and Jessie Holmes are listed among current staff, along with a support team of several additional professionals.

The firm states that it hires experienced tax specialists. It builds its approach on quality, responsiveness and professionalism, and its stated mission is to keep clients financially sound today while planning ahead for future goals through open dialogue and careful analysis.

Working With the Firm

New clients can begin with a free first consultation to discuss their needs. Existing clients have access to an online client portal, a secure way to send files, online payment and an emailed newsletter. The website also offers tax calendars, forms and financial calculators.

For a Madison-area employer that already uses QuickBooks, or plans to, the firm can help configure the software and train staff. This can make it easier to coordinate payroll records with the general ledger and year-end tax preparation.

Overview

People Lease is a Mississippi professional employer organization (PEO) based in Ridgeland. It supports small and mid-sized employers by handling back-office work such as payroll, benefits administration, workers' compensation and regulatory compliance. The goal is to free owners and managers from personnel paperwork so they can concentrate on the parts of the business that bring in money.

Background and Leadership

The firm traces its roots to 1984, when it pioneered the practice of leasing employees in the state. Several years later, local businessman Larry Lewis was credited with changing how companies thought about employee administration by taking that load off owners. Ken Lewis now leads the company as president.

People Lease says it was among the earliest participants in the National Staff Leasing Association, a status it earned by passing the group's strict audits. It also reports belonging to regional leasing associations, chambers of commerce, the Better Business Bureau and the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.

Affiliations and Partnerships

The company lists a number of professional and security-related relationships, including:

• NAPEO, the largest trade association for PEOs, offering training, conferences and peer networking
• The American Payroll Association, a leading source of payroll education and compliance guidance
• The Independent Payroll Providers Association, a nationwide group of privately held payroll firms
• The Society for Human Resource Management, a global body for HR professionals
• E-Verify, an internet-based tool for checking whether employees may legally work in the country
• HCM Defender, an industry alliance that shares tools and information to reduce security risk
• The Better Business Bureau of Mississippi, where People Lease has held membership since 1989

Services and Technology

Clients get a single, unified payroll and HR platform. Its components include payroll, tax compliance, time and attendance, expense management, onboarding, background screening, performance management, pay cards, earned wage access and links to other business software. Through the PRO App, managers can oversee their workforce from a mobile device, while employees take care of routine HR requests whenever it suits them.

Under the PEO model, small employers can offer medical, dental and vision plans similar to those available at large corporations. They can also add voluntary and supplemental coverage, retirement plans, flexible spending accounts and perks. An HR Support Center fields personnel questions, and insurance options cover workers' compensation, general liability and professional liability.

People Lease points to figures showing PEO clients enjoying a 27.2 percent annual return, revenue growth 7 to 9 percent faster than average, turnover 10 to 14 percent lower and half the likelihood of going out of business.

Clients and Industries

The company serves a broad mix of organizations, including nonprofits, and has dedicated pages for these sectors:

• Restaurants
• Childcare centers
• Legal practices
• Home health agencies
• Senior living communities

Published testimonials come from an advertising agency, a stationery company, a wireless retailer and a real estate firm in Mississippi, among others. Clients commonly mention relief from payroll rules and tax deadlines, attentive and quick service, and the convenience of finding many services in one place.

Quality and Data Protection

People Lease says each service runs under tight controls and is checked from start to delivery for accuracy, all backed by a full satisfaction guarantee. Its stated safeguards include quarterly verification of statutory tax deposits, off-site computer backups with remote processing ability, and physical records kept in a restricted-access area. It also describes internal procedures to protect client confidentiality, layered controls across its digital workflow, and data practices consistent with PCI-DSS and ISO 27002.

Personnel Plus Inc, which also goes by PersonnelPlus, is a Mississippi firm that takes on payroll, human resources, employee benefits and workers' compensation administration for other businesses. The company traces its history to 1988 and is based in Ridgeland, close to Jackson. Its work is aimed mainly at small and mid-sized employers who would rather not spend leadership time on back-office employee duties.

What the Company Offers

Payroll administration sits at the center of the business. The firm supports each stage of payroll processing and also covers tax filing and reporting, with the goal of keeping the work orderly, accurate and consistent. Employers that might otherwise run payroll internally can shift that effort to an outside team. Clients can draw on several related services:

• Payroll processing and administration
• Tax filing and reporting tied to payroll
• HR management support
• Employee benefits administration
• Workers' compensation administration
• A portal where client employees can sign in

In human resources, the company helps employers organize how they handle people-related tasks, easing the strain of internal administration and supporting a more structured workplace. In benefits, it works to make plans simpler to run, recognizing that a solid benefits package helps a business attract and keep good employees. On the workers' compensation side, it helps employers manage obligations that can become slow and confusing without a clear process.

Why Employers Outsource

The firm points out that in smaller companies, payroll and HR duties often land on owners, managers or staff who already have full schedules. Handing those jobs to a specialist can improve consistency, reduce pressure and free people to concentrate on customers, employees and long-term growth. Personnel Plus describes its aim as making these responsibilities more organized and less stressful, rather than simply acting as a vendor.

Who the Company Serves

Personnel Plus says its services suit employers that:

• Are growing and need stronger administrative support
• Want to spend less time on payroll and employee tasks
• Need help with HR responsibilities
• Want a more efficient way to run benefits
• Are looking for dependable workers' compensation help
• Prefer an experienced team that emphasizes service

The company works with clients in a variety of industries across Mississippi, including professional services. Its listed service areas center on Jackson and Ridgeland and extend to several other cities and regional hubs in the north, south, east and west of the state.

For those comparing providers, the main points in its favor are its long record in the state, with more than three decades in operation, and its ability to combine payroll, HR, benefits and workers' compensation support under one roof. The company describes its style as practical and responsive, with personal attention for each client. Interested employers can request a quote through the company.