Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Westerville, OH

Ahola Payroll & HR Solutions is a family-owned payroll and human capital management provider based in Ohio. Its corporate headquarters is in Brecksville, and its Columbus-area office is in Westerville. The firm works with employers across the United States, and its client base runs from businesses with a single worker up to organizations with about 2,000 employees.

That range makes it a realistic option for small owner-run companies as well as mid-sized employers that need more structured payroll and HR administration.

Payroll and Workforce Technology

At the core of Ahola's offering is a cloud-based platform that brings payroll processing, payroll tax handling, timekeeping, benefits administration and HR record management into one system. Clients don't have to stitch together separate tools for each function. Ahola delivers its software through the isolved People Cloud, and employees can use the isolved mobile app for self-service tasks. The main components buyers can evaluate include:

• Online payroll processing with payroll tax compliance support
• Time and attendance software
• Human resources software for employee records and administration
• Applicant tracking and onboarding tools
• Benefits administration software
• A learning management system for staff training and development
• Employee self-service through the isolved mobile app

Consulting and Additional Services

Ahola also offers more than software. Its HR consulting service lets employers bring in seasoned payroll and HR professionals on an as-needed basis, which can suit companies without a full in-house HR department. The firm has also helped clients with the Employee Retention Tax Credit. Its learning center includes a blog, webinars, year-end resources, tax compliance information and free payroll calculators for common calculations. Existing clients get a support center, login help for employees and a referral program.

How Ahola Works With Clients

The company puts personal service at the center of its pitch. Each client works with a dedicated team that stays involved after the sale, rather than relying only on a generic support line. Ahola describes its role as handling payroll and HR administration accurately so employers can stay compliant and focus on running their operations.

Because its systems are built to grow with a business, a company can start with payroll alone and add timekeeping, onboarding, benefits or training modules later.

Background and Culture

Ahola was founded in 1967 by the married couple Rheta and Chet Ahola. Its first line of work was processing data for businesses in its local area.

Over more than five decades, it has grown into a company with over 60 employees serving thousands of clients nationwide, and its services have expanded from basic processing into a full payroll and HR suite.

The company still has a strong family identity and credits much of its staying power to sisu, a word for perseverance through hardship that the founders brought with them and that staff have adopted as part of the culture. Ahola stays active in the Ohio HR community and has taken part in the Ohio SHRM Conference.

For buyers comparing payroll service providers, Ahola's main differences are its long history as an independent family business, a single integrated platform that covers the whole employee lifecycle from hiring to retirement, and access to HR consulting alongside the software. Organizations in central and northeast Ohio may also value having a regional office nearby.

Alex Salamon, a licensed CPA and member of the Ohio Society of CPAs, runs an independent accounting firm from the Concord Square Office Park in Westerville, Ohio. The practice supports commercial clients across the Columbus area and is organized around a simple idea: business owners should spend their time growing the company rather than wrestling with financial administration. Its client base covers individuals, partnerships and corporations, and payroll is the area the firm describes as its specialty.

Payroll Support for Small Employers

The payroll service is designed for employers who prefer to pass along the number crunching and filing duties. On each payday, the client sends in employee hours. The firm then calculates federal, state and local taxes, along with optional deductions such as retirement plan contributions and insurance premiums. The firm states that its figures are fully accurate and backs that claim with a guarantee.

• Preparation of payroll every pay period
• Electronic filing of federal and state payroll taxes
• Electronic federal and state tax deposits
• Preparation of W-2 and 1099 forms
• Direct deposit into employee bank accounts
• Storage of employee records, earlier pay stubs, tax filings and proof of tax payments

Timeliness is a major selling point. The firm handles deposits and completes quarterly and year-end filings for the employer, aiming to prevent missed deadlines and incorrect amounts. It points out that roughly one in three small businesses pays an IRS penalty in a given year. Employees may receive paper checks or electronic deposits, and their pay stubs list current and year-to-date withholdings plus vacation and sick time. All common pay types are supported, as are many kinds of voluntary deductions.

Accounting, Tax and Planning Services

Beyond payroll, the firm offers a full range of services for its business clients:

• Accounting and bookkeeping
• Preparation of financial statements
• Income tax work for individuals, partnerships and corporations
• State and local taxes, including sales and use tax
• Budgets, projections and business plan development
• Help with launching a new small business
• Resolution of IRS problems

The practice also supports QuickBooks software, which matters for companies that maintain their records with it. In addition, it follows tax law changes through the year so that clients can take advantage of the latest developments.

What Clients Can Expect

The firm positions itself as a trusted advisor who gives personal attention and learns the details of each client's operation. Services are customized rather than one-size-fits-all, with the goal of making an owner's workload lighter. Business owners receive a complimentary first consultation.

The office is open on weekdays during standard daytime hours, and weekend meetings can be arranged by appointment. For employers who want payroll, tax compliance and everyday accounting handled by one credentialed professional in the Westerville and Columbus area, the practice offers a consolidated, owner-led option.

Overview

J.E. Wiggins & Co. is a locally owned tax and accounting practice serving central Ohio from three offices, one of them in Westerville. The firm is known mainly for income tax preparation. It also supports small businesses with bookkeeping and payroll administration. That makes it an option for owners who want payroll, write-up work and tax filings handled by one local firm.

The company has more than eight decades in the tax preparation field and describes honesty and trust as its founding values. Its clients include individual filers as well as partnerships, limited liability companies and smaller corporations. The firm stresses getting to know each client personally while staying current on tax rules. It guarantees the accuracy of its returns and aims to keep fees reasonable.

Payroll services

For growing employers, J.E. Wiggins & Co. takes on the administrative load that comes with adding staff. Its payroll offering works on two levels. First, the team can help a business put sound internal controls in place so that its in-house payroll process is dependable and efficient.

Second, owners who prefer to hand off the work can use the firm's check writing service, which produces employee paychecks on a weekly, every-other-week or monthly schedule. Under either arrangement, the firm prepares the required payroll tax returns and focuses on filing them on time and correctly.

• Payroll system setup and internal controls guidance
• Paycheck writing on weekly, biweekly or monthly cycles
• Preparation of payroll tax returns
• Bookkeeping and write-up services
• Income tax preparation for individuals and businesses
• Year-round tax planning

How they work with clients

The firm describes its approach as proactive rather than reactive. Staff monitor changes in tax legislation and look for planning opportunities that can reduce what a client owes now and in later years. Bookkeeping support covers routine recordkeeping and tax reporting tasks. This gives business owners organized financial records that feed directly into payroll and tax work.

The practice is available throughout the year, not only in the weeks before the April filing deadline. It keeps extended weekday and Saturday hours during tax season and a standard weekday schedule the rest of the year.

Team and locations

The firm publishes a staff roster with each person's years of service. LuAnne Shelby is in her 48th year and Mike Eesley in his 46th. Several other team members, including Betty Carroll, Debbie Skinner, Kim House and Art Davis, each have more than two decades with the company. Newer staff round out a team of roughly seventeen people.

The main office is on Country Club Road in East Columbus, where year-round service began in September 2007. Additional offices operate in Northwest Columbus on West Henderson Road and in Westerville on Westerview Drive.

For Westerville-area employers comparing payroll providers, J.E. Wiggins & Co. suits small businesses that want a long-established local firm. It combines payroll processing, payroll tax filings, bookkeeping and annual tax preparation, rather than offering a standalone payroll software platform.