Weekly, bi-weekly, or semi-monthly payroll runs. Federal payroll tax filings (Form 941, 940, W-2, W-3). State payroll registration and quarterly filings for DC, Maryland, and Virginia. 1099-NEC year-end. Direct deposit setup. Auto-synced to your bookkeeping so payroll never falls out of sync with the rest of your books.
Payroll is the easiest place to get a notice from the IRS or a state agency. Miss a deposit deadline by one day, owe a 2-15% penalty. Misclassify a contractor as a 1099 when they should be W-2, owe back payroll taxes plus interest. Forget to register a new employee's state, owe a registration penalty plus the missed quarterly returns.
For a single owner with one or two employees, the math sometimes favors doing payroll yourself with Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll. For most DMV small businesses with 5+ employees, especially across state lines, the math favors handing it off. The cost of one missed deposit deadline usually exceeds a year of outsourced payroll fees.
We handle every payroll cycle from gross-to-net through tax filings. Direct deposit goes to your team, withholdings go to the right federal and state agencies on the right dates, your bookkeeping records sync automatically, and at year-end your W-2s and 1099-NECs go out without a scramble. If you cross state lines mid-year (a remote hire moves from VA to NC, for example) we handle the new state registration and the multi-state apportionment.
How often do you run payroll?
Whatever cadence you want. Most DMV businesses run bi-weekly (every other Friday) because it balances cash flow predictability with administrative load. Weekly is more common for hospitality and trades where labor is mostly hourly and turnover is higher. Semi-monthly (15th and last day of month) is common for salaried teams. We can also handle off-cycle bonuses, commissions, and final paychecks separately.
What if I have employees in multiple states?
Common in the DMV — a Bethesda business might have one employee living in Virginia and another in DC. We register your business in each state where you have employees, file the state withholding and unemployment returns each quarter, and apportion the wages correctly so each state gets the right amount. New remote hires across state lines are also handled — we register the new state before the first paycheck.
How does payroll integrate with the rest of our bookkeeping?
It's the same system end-to-end. Each payroll run produces journal entries that flow directly into your QuickBooks (or whichever system you use). Wages, taxes, benefits, and employer-side payroll taxes all hit the right accounts automatically. Your weekly bookkeeping reconciliation will already account for the payroll cycle that week. At year-end, your trial balance ties to the W-3 totals without manual adjustments.
Every Payroll Processing client across the DMV gets the complete service. Plus a free business CRM that replaces tools costing $260–$880/month.
If any of these hit home, we should talk. Free 15-minute consultation, no pressure.
Book a free call →From government contractors to restaurants, our bookkeeping clients span every corner of the DMV economy. We understand the unique financial pressures of your industry.
Serving businesses in Georgetown, Capitol Hill, Navy Yard, Columbia Heights, Shaw, Logan Circle and surrounding areas including Chevy Chase DC, Friendship Heights, Tenleytown, Brookland. Zip codes served: 20001, 20002, 20003, 20004, 20005, 20006, 20007, 20008, 20009, 20010, 20011, 20012.
We're not a national chain. We understand DC, Maryland, and Virginia tax rules, industry mix,and what government contractors owners in Washington actually need from their bookkeeper.
We serve small businesses across the DMV, Maryland, and Virginia.
All services designed for Washington DC small businesses.
Free 15-minute call. No pressure. We'll tell you exactly what you need and what it costs — no mystery pricing.