Should You Offer Payroll Services? What Every Bookkeeper Needs to Know | Episode 8

Thinking about adding payroll to your services? This episode breaks down what bookkeepers really need to know before diving into payroll, from pricing and platforms to managing tricky client expectations.

Our guest is George Wilson, owner of Southern Payroll & Bookkeeping, who brings hard-earned insights from years of processing payroll across multiple industries, including one of the most complex: restaurants.

Here’s what we cover:

• How to choose the right payroll platform (Gusto, ADP, QBO, and more)
• What most bookkeepers miss about tip reporting and employee classification
• Why your pricing may not reflect the actual work you’re doing
• The key contract clauses that protect you from payroll headaches
• When to say yes and when to walk away from a payroll client

Payroll can be a profitable service… but only if you do it on your terms. Listen in to learn how to avoid burnout, choose better clients, and grow your bookkeeping business with confidence.

If you’re ready to take your bookkeeping business to the next level, you can join my private Training Circle here: coachingbookkeepers.com/membership

Timestamps:

00:37 – What We’ll Cover In This Episode

01:43 – Meet George Wilson: Payroll Expert

05:34 – The One Shift That Changed How We Do Payroll

08:22 – The Business Model That Nearly Bankrupted Us

11:39 – What “Full-Service Payroll” Really Looks Like

15:24 – This Industry Should Not Be Your First Payroll Client

17:01 – The Easiest Payroll Clients to Start With

20:04 – How to Avoid Last-Minute Payroll Panics

24:02 – The Overlooked Scheduling Mistake That Can Derail Your Week

27:15 – Why Your Bookkeeping May Not Match the W-3

30:25 – The One Tax Mess You Don’t Want to Clean Up

33:16 – The Line You Must Draw With Payroll Clients

34:06 – How to Assess Client Complexity Before Saying Yes

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I’m Lynn Talbott, the Bookkeeper’s Coach. My podcast, The Better Bookkeeper Show, is your guide to growing your bookkeeping business in a thoughtful and sustainable way. I fully believe that anyone has what it takes to make a living from bookkeeping, whether that means being a solopreneur or building a 7-figure firm like me. So follow along, and let’s get your bookkeeping business where you want it to be!

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Produced by SpeakEasy Productions and hosted by Lynn Talbott of The Bookkeeper’s Coach.

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