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Best Payroll Services for Small Businesses in Greenville (2026)

Six Upstate firms that process payroll for Greenville small businesses, described from their own websites, plus what to ask before you hand over your first pay run.

Published by Elite Pro-Tax & Financial Services, which lists itself first. The other firms did not pay to appear and have no business relationship with us. They are described from their own websites; confirm services and details with each firm directly.

Payroll is the task small business owners most often want off their plate, and for good reason. Every pay run involves withholding, federal and state deposits, quarterly returns, year-end W-2s, and new-hire reporting. A missed deposit or a late return brings penalties, even when the paychecks themselves went out on time.

Greenville has plenty of accounting and bookkeeping firms that will run payroll for you. The difference between them is usually scope: some bundle payroll with monthly bookkeeping and tax work, some offer several payroll models, and some focus on growing companies that also want advisory help. This list covers six firms that serve Greenville and say on their own websites that they process payroll.

If you are still deciding whether to outsource at all, our comparison of doing payroll yourself vs. using a service walks through the tradeoffs.

How we put this list together

We included firms that are based in or serve Greenville, that list payroll as a service on their own website, and that serve small businesses. We did not use ratings, review counts, or prices, and we describe each firm only from what its own site says. Things worth comparing:

  • Whether payroll tax deposits and quarterly and annual filings are included, or only paycheck processing.
  • Whether the firm also keeps your books, so payroll entries land in your records correctly.
  • Year-end forms: W-2s for employees and 1099-NECs for contractors.
  • How you submit hours and approve each run (portal, software, email).
  • Whether the same office can help with related work such as sales tax, S-corporation owner salary, or tax returns.

1. Elite Pro-Tax & Financial Services

Easley · tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll, business formation

Best for small businesses that want payroll handled by the same office that keeps their books and prepares their returns

Elite Pro-Tax & Financial Services is an Easley firm founded by LaToya Clark-Thompson, a Greenville native. It offers full-service payroll as an add-on to its bookkeeping service, so payroll sits alongside monthly reconciliation and financial statements rather than in a separate system you manage yourself.

The firm also handles business tax preparation, sales tax filing, business formation, and S-corporation setup, including guidance on a reasonable salary for owner-employees. That matters for payroll, because an S-corp owner who works in the business generally needs to be on payroll.

  • Office at 207 Siloam Road, Suite B, Easley, serving Greenville and the rest of the Upstate in person.
  • Fully virtual option through a secure TaxDome client portal for uploading documents and e-signing.
  • Catch-up bookkeeping for businesses whose records have fallen behind.

The site lists 9+ years of experience and a 5.0 Google rating.

Contact Elite Pro-Tax

2. Stokes & Company CPAs

Greenville (Frederick Street) · accounting, tax, payroll, wealth management

Best for businesses that want a CPA firm handling payroll alongside accounting, tax, and wealth management

Stokes & Company CPAs has a Greenville office on Frederick Street. Its site lists business accounting and bookkeeping, tax preparation and planning, payroll services, and wealth management.

The firm describes its payroll offering as an end-to-end solution that covers customized reporting, employee payments, and compliance with tax laws. It says it works with small businesses and individuals in Greenville and nearby communities including Mauldin, Simpsonville, Greer, Taylors, and Easley.

Visit Stokes & Company CPAs

3. Arthurs & Company CPA, LLC

Greenville (Roper Creek Drive) · tax, accounting, payroll, consulting

Best for owners who want to choose between full processing, after-the-fact payroll, or running payroll online themselves

Arthurs & Company is a Greenville CPA firm on Roper Creek Drive that describes itself as a full-service tax, accounting, and business consulting firm focused on small businesses.

Its payroll page lays out three options:

  • Comprehensive payroll, where the firm prepares checks and handles tax filing and compliance.
  • After-the-fact payroll, where you pay employees yourself and the firm handles the tax reporting and filing.
  • Online payroll processing, where you enter employee data securely and print checks.

The site says all three include direct deposit, W-2, W-3, and 1099 reporting, accrual tracking, new-hire filing, and record maintenance.

Visit Arthurs & Company CPA, LLC

4. Mitchell and Kuharsky CPA

Greenville (Chick Springs Road) · tax, bookkeeping, payroll, QuickBooks support

Best for business owners who also want QuickBooks help and individual tax planning from the same CPA firm

Mitchell and Kuharsky is a Greenville CPA firm on Chick Springs Road. Its site lists tax preparation and planning for individuals and businesses, bookkeeping, payroll, business accounting and advisory, QuickBooks support, financial planning, and IRS problem resolution.

The firm says it offers payroll solutions built around each business's needs, and that it works with business owners, executives, independent professionals, and individuals in the Upstate.

Visit Mitchell and Kuharsky CPA

5. Spara LLC

Greenville (Roper Creek Drive) · accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, fractional CFO

Best for growing companies that want payroll inside a monthly close, with fractional CFO help available

Spara describes itself as a Greenville CPA firm built around accounting, insights, and advisory for growing businesses. Its office is on Roper Creek Drive.

Payroll is listed within its accounting and bookkeeping service, next to month-end close and reporting. The firm also offers financial systems setup, fractional CFO and advisory work (cash flow forecasting, KPI tracking, lender reporting), transactional advisory, and training for owners and their teams.

Visit Spara LLC

6. Keeping Pace

Upstate, remote · bookkeeping, payroll, sales tax reporting

Best for small businesses on QuickBooks Online that want bookkeeping and payroll from a remote Upstate bookkeeper

Keeping Pace is an Upstate bookkeeping firm that serves Greenville small businesses remotely, working in QuickBooks Online. Its site says the firm is a QuickBooks Online Certified ProAdvisor and states plainly that it is a bookkeeping firm, not a CPA firm, and works alongside whoever prepares your taxes.

Its full-service bookkeeping package adds payroll processing, sales tax filings, 1099 preparation, and quarterly tax compliance to monthly bookkeeping. The site says its payroll service covers employee payments, tax filings, and multi-state payroll if your team works across state lines.

Visit Keeping Pace

What to have ready before your first payroll with a new provider

Switching providers, or starting payroll for the first time, goes faster when you gather the basics up front. Our guide to setting up payroll for a new business in South Carolina covers the registrations in detail. In short, expect to provide:

  • Your federal EIN and your South Carolina withholding and unemployment insurance account numbers.
  • A signed Form W-4 and South Carolina withholding form for each employee, plus I-9 records.
  • Pay rates, pay schedule, and any deductions (health insurance, retirement, garnishments).
  • Year-to-date payroll totals if you are switching providers mid-year.
  • Bank details for direct deposit and for tax payments.

Questions to ask any payroll provider

  • Who makes the federal and state tax deposits, and who signs and files the quarterly returns?
  • What happens if a deposit is late because of an error on your side versus theirs?
  • How are contractors paid and reported at year-end?
  • Can payroll entries flow into your books automatically, or will someone reconcile them by hand?
  • If you own an S corporation, will they help set a reasonable salary and run owner payroll?

For a broader checklist, see our payroll compliance checklist for South Carolina and the most common payroll mistakes small employers make.

Frequently asked questions

Is a payroll service the same as payroll software?

Not quite. Payroll software calculates paychecks and often files taxes, but you still enter hours, approve each run, and fix problems. A payroll service is a person or firm that runs the process for you, usually using software behind the scenes. Many small businesses start with software and move to a service once they add employees or fall behind. Our DIY payroll vs. service comparison covers the tradeoffs.

Do I need payroll if I am the only person in my business?

It depends on your structure. A sole proprietor or single-member LLC owner generally takes draws, not wages. An owner who has elected S-corporation status and works in the business is generally expected to take a reasonable salary through payroll. Our article on S-corp payroll requirements explains how that works.

What South Carolina accounts does a new employer need?

Most new employers register for South Carolina withholding with the SC Department of Revenue and for state unemployment insurance with the SC Department of Employment and Workforce, in addition to having a federal EIN. A payroll provider will ask for these account numbers before the first run. Our South Carolina payroll tax guide goes through each one.

Should payroll and bookkeeping be handled by the same firm?

It is not required, but it helps. When the same office runs payroll and keeps your books, wages, employer taxes, and deductions are recorded consistently each month, and year-end reconciliation is simpler. If they are separate, ask how payroll reports will reach your bookkeeper and who reconciles the payroll liability accounts.

Not the question you had? The full tax FAQ covers more ground, and our client reviews say what the work is actually like.

Where Elite Pro-Tax can help

Payroll Services

Full-service payroll with tax filings, direct deposit and year-end forms.

Learn more

Bookkeeping

Clean monthly books, reconciled accounts and reports you can actually use.

Learn more

S-Corp Setup

S-Corp elections, reasonable salary and the payroll that has to follow.

Learn more

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DIY Payroll vs Hiring a Payroll Service: Which Is Right for You?

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What Is Full-Service Payroll? Everything Your Business Needs to Know

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How to Set Up Payroll for a New Business in South Carolina

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South Carolina Payroll Tax Requirements: An Employer’s Guide

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