Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Grand Island, NE

Contryman Associates, P.C. is a CPA firm based in Grand Island, Nebraska, with roots going back to 1939. It combines tax, audit and advisory work with a client accounting practice that covers payroll. For buyers comparing payroll companies, the firm suits small and mid-sized employers who want payroll run by the same accountants who handle their books, tax returns and wider financial planning, rather than by a separate payroll-only vendor.

Payroll and Client Accounting

Payroll is part of the firm's Client Accounting Services group. That group aims to take routine finance work off business owners' desks. Besides payroll management, it offers bookkeeping, help with cash flow, sales tax reporting and QuickBooks support. Employers who hand over payroll get access to a dedicated Client Payroll Portal. Because the same team also does tax planning, payroll results can feed straight into year-end compliance and planning instead of being passed between separate providers.

• Outsourced payroll processing and management
• Bookkeeping, including accounts payable and receivable
• Sales tax reporting
• QuickBooks accounting assistance
• Cash flow management support

Broader Services

Outside client accounting, the firm handles business, individual, nonprofit, and estate, trust and gift tax work, along with tax planning. Its assurance practice provides audits, reviews and compilations for businesses, municipalities and nonprofit organizations. Its advisory work covers mergers and acquisitions, business valuations, succession planning, and choosing or restructuring a business entity. Employers that use the firm for payroll can turn to these services as their needs grow, such as when planning an ownership transition or preparing for an audit.

Industries Served

The firm lists experience in a broad set of sectors, which can help employers whose payroll and bookkeeping follow the patterns of a particular field:

• Agribusiness and farm accounting
• Construction and manufacturing
• Dentistry and healthcare
• Law firms
• Hospitality and restaurants
• Real estate
• Government entities and nonprofits
• Small and mid-sized businesses

Background, Locations and Approach

With more than eight decades in practice, Contryman Associates serves businesses, families and individuals across Nebraska. In addition to its Grand Island headquarters, it has offices in Kearney, Hastings, Lexington, Scottsbluff, Central City and Geneva, so clients in many communities around the state can work with someone nearby.

The firm says it takes time to learn each client's circumstances before suggesting solutions, and it describes its staff as active problem solvers. It promotes CPAs from within; for example, tax manager Laurie Buhlke, CPA, has become a shareholder.

It also runs an internship program and a scholarship tied to the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and it takes part in community activities in the towns it serves.

Clients work through several online tools: a document portal for exchanging files securely, a Canopy client portal, SafeSend for delivering tax returns, and a structured onboarding process for new clients. Together with the payroll portal, these tools let employers handle most routine exchanges online while still having a local accounting team.