CPA-overseen payroll processing, federal and Michigan tax filings, direct deposit, and year-end W-2 and 1099 prep — done correctly, on time, every pay period.
Note: Payroll processing at 4K Accounting is available exclusively to clients who also have tax or accounting services with Mindy. This ensures every payroll decision is made in the context of your full financial picture — not in isolation.
One misclassified employee, one missed Form 941, one wrong Michigan UIA filing — payroll mistakes turn into IRS and state penalties that cost far more than the mistake itself. As a CPA, Mindy catches the issues that software-only payroll providers don't flag until it's too late.
Book Your Free ConsultationPayroll software doesn't catch misclassifications. It doesn't flag a reasonable-comp problem. It doesn't notice when a Michigan UIA rate changes mid-year. A CPA does. Here are the Grand Rapids businesses we run payroll for.
5 to 50 employees, weekly or bi-weekly payroll, multiple withholding scenarios. You want a CPA running this — not a call center.
Salons, dental practices, law firms, agencies, contractors — businesses with hourly and salaried staff, tipped wages, or commission structures.
Running payroll for yourself as an S-corp owner is one of the most audited areas in small business tax. We set your reasonable comp correctly and document it — so the IRS has nothing to question.
Hiring your first W-2 employee? There are 8 federal and Michigan registrations to complete before that first paycheck. We handle every one of them, in the right order, so day one is clean.
Lots of contractors? We track who needs a 1099-NEC, collect W-9s, and file every form in January — and we'll tell you which "contractors" the IRS would reclassify as employees before they do.
You've been running payroll through QuickBooks Payroll or Gusto and the compliance side is becoming a job. We take it off your plate — you keep the software you know, we handle the filings and oversight.
Software-only payroll providers — ADP, Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, Paychex — are great at the mechanical part of payroll: calculating gross-to-net, sending direct deposits, generating pay stubs. Where they fall short is the part that ends up in IRS letters and Michigan UIA audits: employee versus contractor classification (the IRS Employer Tax Guide lays out the rules in full), reasonable compensation for S-corp owners, multi-state filings when an employee moves, and the small-but-expensive Michigan-specific quirks like local Grand Rapids city tax withholding.
When the IRS or the Michigan Department of Treasury sends a letter, a software provider gives you a call center. A CPA gives you someone who can read the notice, understand what's actually being asked, and respond on your behalf. Grand Rapids payroll also carries its own local layer — city income tax withholding applies to employees who live or work in Grand Rapids, and most software providers don't flag this automatically. As a CPA, Mindy reviews your payroll setup the same way she reviews a tax return — looking for the issues that compound into penalties if left alone.
For most Grand Rapids small businesses, the right answer is both: run payroll through a software platform you already trust, with a CPA overseeing the filings, classifications, and year-end reporting. You keep the convenience. You get the protection.
Most payroll providers are software companies with a help desk. 4K is a CPA firm — payroll is one of the services Mindy personally oversees, the same way she oversees a business tax return.
Every Form 941, every Form 940, every Michigan UIA filing, every W-2, every 1099 — handled on the calendar so you never see an IRS or state penalty letter.
We review every worker — employee or 1099 — against IRS classification rules before they go on payroll. Misclassification is the single most expensive payroll mistake. We don't let it happen.
Payroll questions get answered by a CPA, not a chat bot or a Tier 1 support agent. The same person who handles your books and your tax return handles your payroll.
28 five-star reviews on Google. Here's what a few business clients have to say about working with Mindy.
"I had a complicated problem with my state unemployment taxes. I turned the problem over to these experts and they fixed a 20 thousand dollar problem. We highly recommend this company! They are professional and know their stuff!"
"Always professional, and really helps my business. Mindy and the 4K team are responsive, accurate, and easy to work with month after month."
"Mindy is great, I am so happy that I have someone I can trust to have my business's best interest in mind. She is very professional and goes above and beyond. I knew from the initial meeting that Mindy was going to be someone who would be awesome to work with."
Payroll for a 4-person dental office looks nothing like payroll for a 30-person service business. Pay frequency, contractor mix, multi-state filings — every variable changes the work. We review your setup during a free consultation and provide a clear, personalized quote — before any work begins.
Full-service payroll covers gross-to-net wage calculations, federal and state withholdings, direct deposit, quarterly Form 941 filings, annual Form 940 (FUTA), Michigan UIA filings, year-end W-2 and 1099 preparation, and new hire reporting to the state of Michigan. With CPA oversight, you also get employee vs. contractor classification review and reasonable-comp guidance for S-corp owners — the items that turn into audit triggers when missed.
Michigan small businesses with employees are responsible for federal income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare (FICA), federal unemployment (FUTA, Form 940), Michigan income tax withholding, Michigan UIA unemployment insurance, and new hire reporting within 20 days of hire. Some Grand Rapids businesses also owe city of Grand Rapids income tax withholding for employees who work or live within city limits. We handle every filing on the calendar — federal, state, and local.
Form 941 (Employer's Quarterly Federal Tax Return) is filed every quarter — due by the last day of the month following the end of each quarter (April 30, July 31, October 31, January 31). Form 940 (FUTA) is filed annually by January 31. Michigan UIA returns are also quarterly. Missing a filing or paying late triggers automatic IRS and Michigan penalties that compound quickly — we keep every deadline on a calendar you don't have to look at.
Payroll pricing depends on how many employees you run, pay frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly), whether you have 1099 contractors, multi-state filings, and any unique compliance needs. Rather than publishing a flat rate that may not reflect your situation, we review your specific setup during a free 30-minute consultation and provide a clear, personalized quote before any work begins.
We work with whichever payroll system fits your business. Many of our Grand Rapids clients run payroll through QuickBooks Payroll or Gusto with our oversight — we handle setup, tax filings, year-end reporting, and the compliance questions the software interview never asks about. If you're not running payroll anywhere yet, we'll help you pick the right system and set it up correctly the first time.
Clean monthly books make payroll, tax filings, and decision-making faster. We handle bookkeeping with a CPA on the books.
CPA-led accounting for Grand Rapids small businesses — monthly statements, tax-ready financials, and a CPA who knows your business.
Payroll, bookkeeping, and tax filing under one CPA — so the books and the return tell the same story.
We work with the tools you already use
Acuity Scheduling
CPACharge
MICPA