Take payroll off your plate. Keep the client relationship.
Refer your payroll clients to a local team and spend your time on the work that grows your firm. Every client gets a dedicated payroll specialist and a direct line to our team, so your referral reflects well on you long after the introduction.
Our Santa Barbara team has worked together for more than 20 years, and you stay your client's accountant.
Overview
Payroll Vault has worked to design a variety of resources and opportunities for today’s accounting professionals. It’s true that accounting firms are becoming more strategic with their suite of professional services, and most are now looking to offload their payroll service offering altogether.
Our goal is to help you align with your future goals and stay focused on the future success opportunities for your accounting firm with our Payroll Vault accounting firm support options, including:
- Referral Partner with Payroll Vault
- Plan Your Exit Strategy with Payroll Vault
Payroll Vault has the experience to support both a referral relationship and an exit strategy specific to your firm. The referral relationship is mutual and provides growth opportunity for the firm and Payroll Vault. Exit opportunities are designed from our years of experience with transactions and subsequent successful payroll service transitions for firms.
If you are ready to explore your options, let's Start the Conversation today, and together we’ll design and plan out your next steps.
Payroll may no longer fit the firm you are building
Many firms never made a deliberate decision to become payroll departments. The work added up client per client. Now it takes specialized knowledge, ongoing staffing, software decisions, deadline coverage, and attention to changing rules.
If payroll is limiting your capacity or adding more risk than value, the right move can protect your clients, your staff, and your firm's reputation.
How referring a client works
Send clients to us one at a time, or several at once, when payroll is no longer a fit. We onboard and support each client directly, coordinate with your team, and leave accounting questions with you. You can refer one client, a segment of your clients, or talk with us about a broader transition.
Your client will not disappear into a call center
A referral reflects on your firm. Every client works with a dedicated payroll specialist and has a direct line to our team. Our Santa Barbara team is reachable, accountable, and experienced with local businesses.
Payroll Vault was founded by a certified public accountant, and we run payroll with the same attention to ethics and accuracy that your profession expects.
What we protect
The client relationship. We handle payroll without trying to replace the accounting relationship.
The client experience. Clients get clear onboarding, a dedicated specialist, and support from someone who knows the account.
Your firm's capacity. Your team can focus on accounting, tax, advisory, and the work that fits the firm best.
Continuity. We plan conversions around payroll schedules so clients do not have to miss a payroll during the move.
Planning your exit?
If you are ready to step away from payroll processing, we start with a valuation. We review your payroll client list, tell you what the book is worth and what we could offer, and only then do you decide whether to go forward. If you do, we plan the handoff, communicate with your clients, and move accounts in an organized way, from onboarding through first payroll. The conversation is confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are our most sought-after answers to our frequently asked questions.
Will you take over our accounting client?
No. We handle payroll. We coordinate with your firm and respect the relationship you have built.
Can we refer only certain clients?
Yes. Refer one client, a segment, or discuss a broader transition.Yes. Refer one client, a segment, or discuss a broader transition.
Will clients have a consistent contact?
Yes. Each client has a dedicated payroll specialist and a direct line to our team.
Is there a referral fee?
No. We do not run a referral fee program. We earn referrals by taking good care of your clients. If you want to sell your payroll book, that is a separate conversation, and it starts with a valuation.
Why has payroll become more complicated for accounting firms?
Five things have made payroll more complicated: the need for more sophisticated, user-driven software; client demand for more workforce resources; tax regulation; new state compliance rules; and new federal compliance and credit rules.
How do we begin?
Start with a confidential conversation about your workload, clients, team, and goals.
What happens in a valuation?
We look at your payroll clients, their size and complexity, and what it takes to serve them well. We then give you a valuation and our price before either of us commits. The conversation is confidential.
When is the right time to consider an exit?
When payroll limits your capacity, adds more risk than value, or no longer fits the firm you are building. Many owners begin by asking for a valuation, which comes before any decision.
Refer your payroll clients to a local team and spend your time on the work that grows your firm. Every client gets a dedicated payroll specialist and a direct line to our team, so your referral reflects well on you long after the introduction.
Our Santa Barbara team has worked together for more than 20 years, and you stay your client's accountant.
