CSI Accounting & Payroll Blog

Best Payroll Services For Small Business Minneapolis

Written by Brian Paulson | Aug 22, 2022 8:08:35 PM

You own a small business in the Twin Cities area, and you’ve been swamped with handling your payroll yourself on top of everything else that you do - or you’ve gone through the same experience that so many others have with big-name national payroll services.

What’s the logical next step? Find a reputable, local payroll provider to help you get back on your feet.

While CSI Accounting & Payroll works with small businesses across the continental United States, we haven’t forgotten the good folks at home in the Twin Cities area. 

We also understand that you will want to consider all of your options. We actually encourage it! We know that we’re not the right fit for everyone. The following providers offer a range of prices and service levels, and it’s important to do your research to find the best fit for you.

Prospective clients will often ask us who our competitors are so they can do their research, and that’s why we’ve compiled this list of the top six small business payroll providers in the Twin Cities area. To remain neutral, CSI Accounting & Payroll is excluded from this list.

Keep reading to learn more about the following firms:

  • Business Cents
  • Dorsey Enterprises
  • Payroll Direct
  • Payroll Post
  • Press Gold Group
  • Spruce Valley Payroll and Services

Business Cents

Business Cents was founded by Karla Forde in 2010 and is located in Otsego, MN. Their website specifically mentions a focus on payroll for small businesses. 

Despite also offering accounting services, their payroll side appears to have a larger focus - thus, they made our payroll list. The other services that they offer include:

  • Payroll tax and compliance
  • Online timekeeping solutions
  • Employee benefits
  • HR management

Dorsey Payroll Services 

Dorsey Payroll Services was founded in 1998 by Peter Dorsey, a 1990 University of St. Thomas graduate with bachelors’ degrees in Accounting and Computer Science - specializing in Information Systems. The business has a focus on servicing both individuals and businesses.

Once again, despite also offering accounting services, their payroll side appears to have a larger focus - thus, they made our payroll list. The other services that they offer include:

  • Tax filing and payment
  • Direct deposit
  • Employee self-service
  • Tip reporting
  • Garnishment and retirement withholding
  • New hire reporting
  • End of year W-2 and 1099 Filing
  • Workers’ compensation coverage
  • Online HR services
  • 24/7 access to your data files and reports from anywhere
  • Web-based time and attendance system
  • Comprehensive reporting
  • Worker’s compensation reports
  • General ledger interface
  • Pre-employment screening
  • Retirement plan services

Payroll Direct 

Payroll Direct was founded in 2007 and is located in Golden Valley, MN. Their service focus is to provide customized payroll solutions and superior customer service not available from the larger providers in the payroll industry.

The services that they offer include:

  • Payroll tax payments and return filing
  • Direct deposit
  • Secure online payroll reports
  • ACA (Affordable Care Act) reporting
  • Time off accrual
  • General ledger reporting
  • New hire reporting
  • Union reporting
  • W-2 & 1099 processing
  • Employee pay cards
  • 401(k) management
  • Workers’ compensation insurance

Payroll Post 

Payroll Post was founded by Jim Knoll, who has over 30 years of experience providing payroll services and accounting services. The company has two locations in Minnesota: Minneapolis and Burnsville. Their focus is also on businesses.

The services that they offer include:

  • Complete payroll and tax filing service
  • Processing of payroll
  • Production of checks and reports
  • Handling of all tax deposits
  • Preparation of W-2s, 1099s, and employer quarterly returns
  • HR service
  • Integrated online 401(k)
  • Pay-as-you-go workers’ compensation insurance

Press Gold Group 

Press Gold Group was founded in 1998 and is located in Edina, MN. Their service focus is on businesses.

The services that they offer include:

  • HR and hiring services
  • Benefits and insurance
  • Retirement plans
  • Time management
  • Payroll services
  • Workers’ compensation insurance

Spruce Valley Payroll and Services 

Spruce Valley Payroll and Services is located in Farmington, MN and serves both start-up and existing small businesses. It was co-founded by President Bernie Schwab, who had over 20 years of IT senior sales and marketing experience upon founding Spruce Valley, and CEO Terry Johnson, who has over 28 years of experience within the small business payroll industry. Their focus is on making payroll personal and customizing their actions based on the clients’ needs.

The services that they offer include:

  • Payroll tax calculations
  • Direct deposit services
  • Secure online employee access to pay stubs
  • Payments to independent contractors
  • Wage garnishments and child support payment production
  • Vacation and sick pay tracking
  • Pay types
  • Voluntary deductions
  • Tax deposits and report filing
  • Federal and State tax deposits
  • Quarterly and year-end filings
  • W-2’s and 1099’s
  • W-4’s, I-9’s and employer registration forms
  • Multi-state tax payments and filings
  • New hire reporting
  • Accounting software integration
  • Detailed reporting
  • Employer and employee reports

Find the Best Payroll Service For You

As a Twin Cities small business owner, you want to consider all of your options for local payroll providers. We know you’re going to do your research whether we help you or not - so why not? If another provider is a better fit for you, then you should be working with them. 

As we mentioned before, we deliberately left ourselves off of this list to make space for you to review these other six small business payroll services in the Twin Cities area.

If you haven’t made a decision yet, you can still learn more about CSI Accounting & Payroll by clicking the button below to schedule a free, no-commitment consultation.

Not ready to have a conversation yet? Make sure you know if you’re a good fit to work with CSI Accounting & Payroll first!