Payroll provider setup
A mainstream payroll provider configured in your firm's name, with pay schedules, owner compensation, and direct deposit, so payroll is a five-minute job every period.
Services · Running the firm
Pay yourself and your team correctly from the first payroll.
The first hire, or the first time you pay yourself as an S-corp owner, means payroll: a provider, state withholding and unemployment accounts, workers' compensation, and the question of benefits. Get it wrong and the penalties arrive quarterly. We set payroll up on a mainstream provider in your name, register the state accounts, and help you choose a retirement plan and health coverage that fit a firm of your size. The CPA on our team leads this work, so owner compensation, the tax election, and the retirement plan are decided together rather than by three different vendors.
Who this is for
Sound familiar?
- A firm about to make its first hire.
- An S-corp owner who needs to be on payroll and has never run one.
- A firm that wants a retirement plan but has been put off by the options.
What is included
The scope of the engagement.
State registrations
Withholding, unemployment insurance, and new-hire reporting accounts opened in each state where you have people.
Workers' compensation
Coverage placed through a licensed broker where your state requires it, including the pay-as-you-go options that suit a small firm.
Retirement and health
A comparison of the plans that make sense at your size (SEP, SIMPLE, solo or small 401(k)) and the health coverage routes available to a firm with a handful of people, with licensed advisors where required.
How it works
From consultation to handoff.
Consultation
Who is being paid, where, how the owners are compensated, and what benefits you want to offer.
Plan and quote
A flat setup fee; provider and plan fees listed separately so you see the ongoing cost.
Setup
Provider configured, accounts registered, employees onboarded, first payroll run with you.
Handoff
A written runbook for each pay period and year end, and a calendar of filings the provider does not handle for you.
On the platform
Where this hands off into BetterDocket.
The software is a separate subscription and never required. Firms that use it get these handoffs out of the box.
Time and invoicing
Log time on the Case, turn it into a clear client invoice with due-date reminders, and record payments without moving money through BetterDocket.
See the featureSpeak with an expert
Talk with us to get started.
A short consultation, then a written scope and a number. No retainer, no long-term contract, and nothing starts until you approve it.
BetterDocket is not a law firm, a CPA firm, or an insurance agency, and nothing on this page is legal, tax, or insurance advice. Where a service requires a licensed professional, that work is performed by a licensed professional in your state, either on our team or through a partner we vet. Every engagement is scoped and quoted after a consultation.
Questions.
Which payroll provider do you use?
A mainstream provider chosen for your situation, set up in your name. The account is yours; we configure it and document how it runs.
Do you run payroll each period?
Setup gets you to a point where each payroll takes minutes. If you would rather not touch it, ongoing payroll administration can be added to a bookkeeping engagement.
Can a solo have a retirement plan?
Yes. Several plans are designed for an owner with no employees, and the right one depends on how much you want to contribute. The comparison lays them out with your numbers.
Who actually does the work?
The BetterDocket team delivers most of this work directly: the technology, web, and search work by the engineers who build the product, and the bookkeeping, tax, and payroll work by the CPA on our team. When a service requires a license we do not hold, or our team is at capacity, we bring in a vetted partner and stay your single point of contact.
What does it cost?
Every engagement is scoped and quoted after a short consultation, and most are flat fees so you know the number before work starts. Ongoing services, such as bookkeeping or SEO, are quoted monthly with no long-term contract.
More in running the firm
BetterDocket is not a law firm, a CPA firm, or an insurance agency, and nothing on this page is legal, tax, or insurance advice. Where a service requires a licensed professional, that work is performed by a licensed professional in your state, either on our team or through a partner we vet. Every engagement is scoped and quoted after a consultation.