Payroll
Payroll Services for Chicago Employers
People paid on time, deposits made on time, and every filing handled.
Why owners call about payroll
Each one is a conversation we have had this month.
- You are about to hire a first employee and have registered with nobody
- People are paid by transfer with nothing withheld and no filings behind it
- A payroll notice arrived and you cannot tell which agency sent it
- Everyone on the crew is treated as a contractor
- You hired someone who lives in another state
- Your current provider charges per filing and the quarter costs more than the month
What sets the price
A base fee per pay run plus a charge per person, so a business paying four people twice a month costs less than one paying twenty weekly. Quarterly and annual filings are included.
- How many people are paid, and how often the payroll runs
- Any employee working outside Illinois
- Garnishments, tips, or several pay rates on one payroll
- Benefits or retirement deductions running through it
- Year-to-date figures from a prior provider to load and reconcile
Per pay run · Filings included
How it starts
Nobody signs anything before a number is on the table.
Registration first
Federal EIN, Illinois withholding account and the IDES unemployment account, all open before anyone gets paid. Paying first and registering later is what creates the notices.
We set the pay calendar
Pay dates, deposit schedule and filing dates are fixed together, because the deposit schedule follows from how much you withhold.
Each run goes out on the date
You send hours. People get paid, taxes get deposited, and you get a register showing what left the account and why.
Quarters and January are handled
Forms 941, 940, IL-941 and the IDES report each quarter, then W-2s and 1099-NECs in January. Included, never billed as extras.
Trades we do this for
Every industry page lists the returns, the form numbers and the dates.
Payroll
Common questions
How much does payroll service cost for a small business?
A base fee per pay run plus a charge per employee, so a business paying four people twice a month costs less than one paying twenty people weekly. Quarterly and annual filings are included rather than billed separately.
Will you take over payroll partway through the year?
Yes. We load the year-to-date figures from your current provider so W-2s come out correct in January and nothing gets double counted. Mid-year switches are routine.
What payroll taxes do Illinois employers pay?
Federal income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare from both sides, federal unemployment tax, Illinois income tax withholding, and Illinois unemployment insurance. The deposit schedule depends on how much you withhold.
Do I pay the Chicago minimum wage or the Illinois one?
Work inside the city limits takes the city rate, which is the higher of the two. The rate moves on its own schedule, so an employer who set pay once and left it alone drifts out of compliance without doing anything.
What happens if I miss a payroll tax deposit?
The penalty is a percentage of the deposit and steps up the longer the deposit stays unpaid, with interest alongside. Missed deposits are also the fastest route to personal liability for an owner, because withheld payroll tax is money held on behalf of the employee.
Will you pay contractors as well as employees?
Yes, and we file the 1099-NECs in January. First we look at how each contractor actually works, because the cost of getting classification wrong lands on the business rather than the worker.
Get your price this week
The first conversation is free. We read three months of statements, quote a flat figure and hold it. We reply the same working day.