Accounting services
Payroll.
The quiet machinery behind your first US hire. Salaries calculated, withholdings remitted, quarterly filings submitted, W-2s issued. We run the cycle so it never asks for your attention.
What it is
More moving parts than founders expect.
From the outside, US payroll looks simple: pay people, withhold taxes, send the rest to the government. The reality is more layered. Federal, state, and sometimes city. Quarterly, monthly, and weekly cadences. Different rules for different kinds of employee.
We attend to all of it. The company tells us who is being paid, how much, and on what schedule. We calculate the gross-to-net, withhold the correct amounts, remit the taxes, file the quarterly forms, and issue the year-end W-2s.
For the founder, payroll narrows to a single recurring conversation: changes to compensation, new hires, terminations. Everything else proceeds in the background.
What we manage
Federal, state, and the cadences in between.
Payroll obligations divide into a few categories, each of which must land on time. Every one has its own form and its own deadline; to miss any is to invite a penalty.
We keep track of all of them. The company need not remember the deadlines, learn the form numbers, or know which state asks for what.
What's filed and remitted
- Federal income tax withholding, deposited on the IRS's required schedule
- Social Security and Medicare (FICA), both employee and employer portions
- Federal unemployment tax (FUTA) annually on Form 940
- Quarterly Form 941 reconciling federal withholdings
- State income tax withholding (where the state imposes one)
- State unemployment insurance (SUI) at the state-specific rate
- City and local taxes where applicable
- Year-end Forms W-2 to each employee and W-3 to the SSA
How it scales
From first hire to a full team.
Most clients begin with one or two US-based hires. We onboard the company, register with the state's labor department, and run the first payroll. From there, the cycle repeats.
As the team grows, the cycle holds: more lines, the same flow. New hires onboard within 1 to 2 days. Terminations process as swiftly. Multi-state teams add complexity, with different state withholdings per employee, and we absorb that without changing anything the founder sees.
Direct deposit and pay stubs
What employees see.
Employees are paid by direct deposit on the agreed schedule, typically biweekly or semi-monthly. Pay stubs arrive electronically through a portal each employee logs into. The portal shows pay history, withholdings, year-to-date totals, and end-of-year W-2 access.
For the employee, the experience matches that of any well-run US company. For the founder, the whole process proceeds without your hand in it.
Why outsource
Payroll is the wrong place for surprises.
Payroll is one of the few operational areas where a mistake carries a direct, measurable cost. Late deposits trigger automatic IRS penalties. Misclassified contractors trigger back taxes and penalties. Wrong state withholdings trigger employee complaints and audits.
To entrust payroll to us is rarely a matter of time saved. It is a matter of avoiding the particular class of expensive errors that arise almost inevitably when payroll is run on a spreadsheet by someone whose real work lies elsewhere.
What's included
Everything in your payroll service.
- Company labor-department registration in your state
- Employee onboarding and W-4 collection
- Direct-deposit pay run on your schedule
- Federal and state withholdings remitted on time
- Quarterly Form 941 and annual Form 940 filings
- Year-end W-2 issuance to employees
Questions
Frequently asked
Can a non-resident-owned company run US payroll?
Yes. The company itself, not the owner, is the employer of record. As long as the LLC or Corporation is properly formed, has an EIN, and is registered with the state's labor department, it can hire US employees regardless of the owner's residency.
What withholdings are required?
Federal income tax (per the employee's W-4), Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), federal unemployment (FUTA), and state-specific withholdings (state income tax, state unemployment, sometimes city tax). The exact mix depends on the employee's state and city.
Does the service include direct deposit?
Yes. Once the company's bank account is connected, employees are paid via direct deposit on the agreed schedule (typically biweekly or semi-monthly). Pay stubs are delivered electronically.
What about contractors versus employees?
We help you classify correctly. Misclassification is one of the most common payroll mistakes and can trigger back taxes plus penalties. Most international founders default to 1099 contractors initially; we walk through whether that's still appropriate as the working relationship evolves.
How are quarterly and annual payroll filings handled?
Federal: Form 941 quarterly, Form 940 annually for FUTA, W-2s by January 31 for each employee. State: equivalent state filings, due dates vary. We file all of them on time and provide copies to you.
Can the service start mid-year?
Yes. We onboard the company, register with the state if needed, and pick up payroll from the start of the next pay period. Year-to-date totals are migrated so the W-2 at year-end is correct.
Begin your payroll cycle.
We have onboarded thousands of US employers. Let the next pay period be ours to run.
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