Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Oak Ridge, TN

Payroll Cent$ is an independent payroll firm based in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. It is owned and run by Steven Ledbetter. The company works mostly with small businesses in Knoxville and the wider East Tennessee region, including Oak Ridge, Alcoa, Maryville, Lenoir City and Morristown. It can also handle employers with locations outside the state. Clients range from a single employee to more than a hundred.

Background and Credentials

Ledbetter has worked in payroll and accounting since 2008. He is registered with the IRS as a Batch Provider on the EFTPS system, the federal electronic platform for tax payments. This lets the firm send employer tax deposits for its clients directly. Because the business is locally owned, clients deal with the owner instead of a national call center. On request, the firm will give prospective clients a list of current customers to contact as references.

Payroll and Tax Services

The firm handles the full payroll cycle, from producing pay to meeting federal and state reporting deadlines. Its services include:

• Printed payroll checks, delivered to the client, and direct deposit into employee accounts
• Checks for 1099 contractors and year-end 1099 and 1096 filings
• Preparation of employee W-2 forms
• Form 940 and Form 941 filings with the related tax payments
• Federal (FUTA) and state (SUTA) unemployment tax handling
• New hire reporting and child support garnishment processing
• Tracking of time and wages by location or department

Federal and state payroll tax liabilities are filed and paid on whatever schedule applies, whether weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Along with each payroll run, clients get reports covering their staff's pay data. That way the work does not depend on one in-house employee and keeps going while the owner is away. The website also has common forms for download, such as the W-4, I-9, W-9 and an employee direct deposit authorization.

How They Work With Clients

The approach is built around personal attention and services fitted to each employer. The firm says it watches client accounts closely, contacts the client quickly if something looks wrong, and can handle payroll changes made at the last minute. It presents outsourcing as a way for owners to spend less on check stock, software and staff training.

It also cuts the time spent tracking paid leave, terminations and changing regulations, and lowers the risk of IRS penalties for late or incorrect tax deposits. In some cases, the firm says, it can help reduce penalties caused by calculation mistakes or late payments.

For companies weighing a switch, the terms are simple. The first consultation is free, and there is no charge to set up a new company or move an existing payroll over from another system. No long-term service contract is required. The firm also offers a guarantee of error-free payroll, tax filings and payments.

Its stated mission is to deliver accurate, timely and compliant payroll so that owners can put more of their energy into the parts of the business that bring in revenue.