Payroll Companies & Payroll Services in Schofield, WI

Pinnacle Tax & Accounting, LLC is an independent tax and accounting practice in Schofield, Wisconsin, on the edge of Wausau. It runs payroll for small companies alongside its tax preparation and bookkeeping work. Paul Jauch and Whitney Lewis co-own the firm. Most of its clients are households and small employers in central Wisconsin, but it also takes on remote clients in other states, using online tools and a secure portal.

Payroll Services

Payroll for small employers has become an expanding part of the practice. A business owner can hand off most of the routine work of paying staff, from the first configuration through year-end reporting. The firm handles:

• Initial payroll configuration and continuing upkeep of payroll records
• Totaling employee time cards each pay period
• Calculating tax withholdings and deductions for benefit contributions
• Preparing federal and state payroll tax filings, including quarterly Form 941 returns
• Producing and issuing employee paychecks
• Preparing annual W-2 forms for employees and 1099 forms for contractors

Whitney Lewis leads this work as COO and Payroll Administrator. She joined in the fall of 2021 and later became a co-owner. She handles payroll for clients of varying sizes and helps them with processing, compliance with payroll tax rules, reporting and questions about staff. In 2023 she earned the IRS designation of qualified tax return preparer, and she appears in the IRS public listing of federal preparers. She also runs daily office operations, including billing and client relations.

Bookkeeping and Business Support

Payroll can be combined with other accounting services. Bookkeeping is offered on a monthly, quarterly or yearly schedule and covers bank reconciliations, receipt entry and sales tax returns. For new ventures, the team helps owners weigh entity choices such as an LLC, a partnership or an S corporation election.

It also explains how to pay employees and withhold taxes correctly, which expenses may be deductible and how to track them, and how to set up QuickBooks for recording income and spending.

Tax Background and Credentials

Paul Jauch, the firm's CFO, began preparing returns in 1991 and spent two decades at H&R Block before launching his own practice. In 2013 he became an Enrolled Agent after a suitability review and a three-part federal exam. That status gives him full authority to represent taxpayers before the IRS on any matter.

The practice prepares individual and business returns for S corporations, partnerships, LLCs and sole proprietors, and it offers year-round tax planning. It also reviews IRS letters, contacts the agency on clients' behalf when needed, and can host audits at its office.

For buyers comparing payroll providers, Pinnacle offers a local, owner-run alternative to large payroll platforms. Clients can choose only the services they need. Through the portal they can upload documents, exchange secure messages and view invoices. The firm says it aims to explain matters plainly and to keep fees manageable for start-ups that want help without paying for a large CPA firm. It also reports being voted among the Best of Marathon County for six consecutive years.