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Warrior Business Services

Payroll

Small Business Payroll, Run by Your CPA

Payroll for Indiana small businesses — direct deposit, federal and state filings, W-2s, and responsive CPA support, with owners retaining compensation decisions.

Request a quoteCall 260-749-2200
Payroll services for Fort Wayne small business — weekly payroll routine at a CPA firm

Why have a CPA firm run payroll instead of Gusto / ADP?

National providers run payroll well. What they often do not provide is coordination with the tax preparer, help interpreting notices, or a direct conversation during tax-planning season. Warrior provides that coordination within the agreed engagement.

The owner still decides compensation, monitors changing duties and business facts, and supplies complete information. Running payroll does not make Warrior the continuous evaluator of the owner's salary.

Who determines reasonable salary for an Indiana S-corp owner?

The owner or owners determine reasonable salary and are responsible for maintaining the facts that support it: duties, hours, experience, revenue sources, comparable pay, and distributions. Warrior can coach on the tax rules but does not make the decision.

If an apparent issue emerges from information available during the August and September tax-planning conversation, Warrior discusses it with the client. That consultation is included in pricing; it is not continuous monitoring or an automatic annual compensation study.

Do you handle Indiana county income taxes?

Yes. Allen County, Huntington County, DeKalb County, Whitley County, Wells County — we file all county-level withholding for employees who work in or live in those counties. Multi-county and out-of-state employees handled correctly.

Can you take over payroll mid-year?

Yes — we onboard mid-year regularly. We pull YTD totals from your existing provider, match tax history, and start the next pay period. There's a brief overlap where we verify totals reconcile before old provider access is shut off.

What's included

  • Payroll runs. Weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly — direct deposit + check, your call.
  • Tax filings. Federal 941, 940, IT-6WH (Indiana), county taxes (Allen, Huntington, DeKalb, etc.), and unemployment.
  • Year-end forms. W-2s and 1099-NECs filed with IRS, SSA, and Indiana — copies delivered to employees by Jan 31.
  • Tax-planning check-in. Discussion of apparent compensation issues during August and September planning, using facts the owner supplies.
  • Onboarding. W-4s, I-9s, direct-deposit setup, and Indiana new-hire reporting handled.

Common questions

Payroll Services — questions we get

What payroll software do you use?
We run payroll on Gusto (most common for small businesses) and ADP for larger or multi-state. The software is the back-end; the strategy and support come from us.
Do you handle multi-state employees?
Yes — Indiana plus surrounding states (Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky). Reciprocity, nexus, and SUTA registration all handled.
How much does payroll cost?
Typically $90–$250/month base plus per-employee fees. The August and September tax-planning conversation includes coaching on apparent issues, but any extensive compensation study must be separately scoped. We quote flat fees after scoping.
Can I run payroll myself and just have you advise on reasonable comp?
Warrior can coach on the rules using complete facts supplied by the owner. The owner remains responsible for the decision and documentation; an extensive written study, if needed, must be separately scoped.
What if I get a state or federal notice?
Forward it. We respond to payroll-related notices as part of the service — no additional fee for routine notices.
Do you offer workers' comp and benefits administration?
Workers' comp setup we coordinate with your carrier. Health/401(k) benefits we coordinate with your broker — but the deduction setup in payroll is on us.
Do I have to put myself on payroll as an Indiana S-corp owner?
Yes — if your S-corp is profitable and you work in the business, the IRS requires you to pay yourself a reasonable W-2 salary before taking distributions. We set that salary defensibly, document it, and run it through payroll so it holds up in an audit.

Related services

Often paired with

Specialty

S-Corp Specialists

Election, reasonable salary, K-1s, distributions, and year-round planning for Indiana S-corporation owners.

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Foundational

Monthly Bookkeeping

Clean books, on time, every month. Reconciled bank and credit accounts, categorized transactions, financials you can actually read.

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Strategic

Strategic Tax Planning

We model the year before it ends. Estimated payments, retirement contributions, entity-level moves, and family income shifting.

Learn more

Next step

Ready to keep more of what you earn?

Talk to a CPA who actually picks up. Quick scoping call, no pressure — we'll tell you straight if we're the right fit.

Schedule a consultationCall 260-749-2200