Platinum Daily Tier 3 Payroll Services: Accurate, Compliant Payroll for Growing Businesses

Payroll is one of the most compliance-heavy and risk-sensitive areas of your business. Errors in payroll processing, tax filings, or employee classifications can lead to penalties, audits, and unnecessary stress. For businesses with a growing team, having payroll handled correctly and consistently is not optional—it is critical.

That is why Payroll Processing and Compliance Support is included in our Platinum Daily Program for businesses with up to four (4) employees.

What Is Included in Platinum Tier 3 Payroll Services

Our Platinum Included Payroll Processing service is designed to provide end-to-end payroll support using reliable, automated systems while maintaining oversight by experienced professionals.

Payroll Software Included (Up to 4 Employees)

Platinum Daily clients receive payroll processing through:

• QuickBooks Online Payroll Core or Premium

• Coverage for up to 4 salaried employees

Payroll is processed on a salary basis. Hourly payroll tracking and processing require additional complexity and oversight and are available as an add-on service.

Payroll Processing & Tax Compliance Services

The Platinum Daily Program includes:

• Payroll processing for salaried employees

• Automated payroll tax payments

• Automated payroll tax return filings

• Quarterly payroll filings

• W-2 annual filings

• 1099 processing and filings, as applicable

• Workers’ Compensation insurance calculations for up to 4 employees

Workers’ Comp audit report filings can also be completed on your behalf as an additional service add-on.

Employee Thresholds and Payroll Scaling

What Happens at 5 Employees?

Once your business reaches five (5) employees, an upgrade to QuickBooks Payroll Elite (or an equivalent program) is required. This comes with an additional monthly fee, which will be outlined in your custom service proposal or engagement agreement.

Additional charges typically include:

• The monthly QuickBooks Payroll Elite subscription fee

• A per-employee flat rate, generally ranging between $35–$45 per employee

All additional costs are transparently quoted in your monthly estimated services as they become relevant.

California-Specific Compliance Considerations

For California-based businesses, payroll complexity increases significantly as headcount grows. Key regulatory thresholds include:

• 5+ employees ($35 each)

  • Fair Employment & Housing Act (FEHA)

  • CalSavers retirement program requirements

• 15+ employees ($45 each)

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance

• 50+ employees (Custom quote)

  • Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA)

  • Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting

  • Expanded sexual harassment training requirements

Because of these escalating obligations, additional HR and compliance oversight services are required once a California business exceeds four employees. These services are offered separately to ensure proper coverage and risk management.

Why Platinum Payroll Matters

External Benefit: Compliance Confidence Automated filings combined with professional oversight reduce the risk of missed deadlines, penalties, and audit exposure.

Internal Benefit: Operational Simplicity Payroll runs smoothly in the background, freeing business owners from administrative burden while ensuring employees are paid accurately and on time.

Payroll Support Designed for Growth

At A Bigger Bottom Line, our Platinum Daily Payroll Services provide a compliant, scalable payroll foundation for growing businesses. By integrating payroll processing, tax filings, and insurance calculations into one structured program, we help you stay compliant today while preparing for tomorrow’s growth.

If your business is approaching a payroll threshold or needs support managing payroll compliance, our team is ready to guide you through the next stage—clearly, strategically, and with confidence.

ABBL PAYROLL SERVICES

Tier 3 — Platinum Full-Service Payroll

Tier 3 is designed for established businesses with higher payroll complexity and California compliance exposure. It supports up to 4 employees with salary, hourly, bonus, and commission payrolls all included as standard. Hourly payroll for employees 1–4 is fully included. Per-employee add-on fees apply starting at employee 5.

Tier 3 — Platinum Full-Service | QuickBooks Payroll Elite | Up to 4 employees | Salary + Hourly + Bonus + Commission

$550 / month  (or included in Platinum Subscription)

One-Time Setup Fee: $850  |  Client-Run Oversight Alternative: $345/mo

SOFTWARE INCLUDED

QuickBooks Online Payroll Elite (including full QuickBooks Time and Mineral/Mammoth HR resources) is paid by ABBL and included in your monthly fee. Clients do not purchase payroll software separately.

What's Included & What's Not

✓  INCLUDED	✗  NOT INCLUDED
Payroll processing — up to 4 employees	Hourly payroll for employee 5+ (per-employee add-on)
Salary payroll	Benefits plan selection or administration (add-on)
Hourly payroll — included for employees 1–4	Open enrollment support
Bonus payrolls	Employee benefit questions
Commission payrolls	Carrier or broker communication
Direct deposit (ACH)	Benefits or garnishment deductions (add-on)
PTO and sick-time accrual tracking	ACA, ERISA, COBRA, or HR compliance filings
Payroll accruals on the balance sheet	Workers' comp policy binding or carrier mgmt.
Federal & 1-state payroll tax payments & filings	HR policy drafting or enforcement
Quarterly filings (Form 941)
Annual filings (Form 940, W-2, W-3)
Payroll journal entries & liability reconciliation
Workers' comp payroll reporting support (payroll-side)
Management-level payroll reporting
Quarterly payroll review
Enhanced CA payroll compliance monitoring
QB Payroll Elite + full QB Time (paid by ABBL)
Mineral/Mammoth HR self-service resources via Elite
QB Workforce self-service portal
1-hour initial time tracking training session

Who Does What — Ongoing Payroll

CLIENT DOES	ABBL DOES
Read & follow the Client Payroll Manual	Set up salary and hourly payroll runs (auto where applicable)
Fill out a Payroll Status Change Form for any and all payroll changes	Receive & process Payroll Status Change Forms
Notify ABBL at least 2 weeks before any changes take effect	Send e-signature onboarding packet to new employees (W-4, I-9, direct deposit, Workforce)
Approve payroll before each run (hourly payrolls: 2 days minimum)	File payroll taxes automatically (federal + 1 state)
Create and maintain employee handbook & company policies	File quarterly & annual payroll tax returns
Write and deliver offer letters, promotion, demotion & termination notices to employees	Email W-2s to employees by January 31 each year
Handle all discipline communications with staff	Upload W-2s and tax filings to client portal
Maintain job descriptions with duties, access requirements, and pay details	Onboard employees to QB Workforce and QB Time
Forward all government tax notices to ABBL via HubDoc the same day received	Provide 1-hour initial time tracking training session
Contact and manage own HR resource provider when HR support is needed	Provide workers' comp payroll reporting support
Train employees on time tracking after initial ABBL training session	Deliver quarterly payroll management reports
Manage employee time approval before payroll submission	Process terminations from payroll with signed Status Change Form
CC ABBL on all discipline communications for employee records
Request HR support via Mineral/Mammoth or external HR provider

One-Time Setup Fee — Tier 3  |  $850

Tier 3 — Initial Payroll Setup

One-Time Fee: $850 — required before first payroll run

Applies to new ABBL-managed payroll only

Setup Includes (All Tier 1 & 2 items, plus)

•      QuickBooks Payroll Elite account purchase & initial configuration

•      Setup questionnaire for all employees (W-4, I-9, 2 forms of ID, direct deposit, Workforce invite)

•      Federal employer account configuration

•      State payroll tax account setup — 1 state included

•      3-hour Zoom meetings total — owner bank verification & e-sign (owner required, not delegatable)

•      Employee profile setup — up to 4 employees

•      Salary and hourly payroll configuration

•      Bonus and commission payroll configuration

•      Full QuickBooks Time integration and job costing setup (if applicable)

•      Advanced PTO accrual logic configuration

•      Payroll accrual configuration for financial reporting

•      Workers' compensation payroll reporting setup

•      Enhanced California compliance review

•      Multiple payroll schedules configuration

•      Coordination of historical payroll balances if migrating mid-year

•      Initial payroll run support and validation

•      Portal folder setup for payroll tax forms

•      Client Payroll Manual & Payroll Status Change Form provided

MULTI-STATE NOTE

1 state included. Additional state setup: $200/state (includes CorpNet registration assistance).

Setup Notes

•      Required for all Platinum payroll clients

•      Reflects higher compliance exposure and accounting complexity

•      Historical cleanup / mid-year migration may require additional custom quote

Payroll Add-On Services

Add-On Service	Description	Monthly	One-Time	Applies To
Off-cycle / bonus payroll run	Missed deadline or extra run	—	$50 / run	All tiers
New hire processing	Payroll setup + new hire reporting	—	$50 / event	All tiers
Termination processing	Final paycheck + PTO payout calc.	—	$50 / event	All tiers
Pay rate / status change	Promotion, demotion, FT/PT change	—	$50 / event	All tiers
Benefits deduction setup	Per plan (medical, dental, 401k, etc.)	—	$150 / plan	All tiers
Benefits deduction tracking	Ongoing payroll deduction entry	$50 / benefit	—	All tiers
Garnishment handling	Setup + ongoing tracking	$25 / garnish.	—	Tier 2 & 3
Hourly payroll processing	Time entry + approval workflow	$75 / mo.	—	Tier 2 only
Multi-state payroll	Additional state filings	$75 / state	—	Tier 2 & 3
Job costing payroll mapping	Classes / jobs mapping	$100 / mo.	—	Tier 3
Advanced time tracking setup	Rules + sync beyond standard	$75 / mo.	$150 setup	Tier 2 & 3
Payroll advisory & comp planning	Comp reviews + planning	$100 / mo.	$150 / hr	Tier 3
Additional state — setup	Registration + configuration	—	$200 / state	All tiers
Additional employee at setup	Beyond included count	—	$75 / employee	All tiers
Mid-year payroll migration	Historical cleanup + import	—	Custom quote	All tiers

Scope & Compliance Boundaries

PAYROLL ≠ HR OR BENEFITS

Payroll services cover calculation, processing, filing, and payroll-related accounting only. Benefits administration, HR compliance, open enrollment, carrier communications, and ACA/ERISA/COBRA filings are NOT included and remain the client's responsibility.

SCOPE CHANGES

Changes to employee count, payroll type, benefits deductions, additional states, payroll accruals, or time-tracking complexity may require add-on services or a tier upgrade. ABBL will always communicate options clearly before changes are made.

Alternative: Client-Run Payroll — 4+ Employees

If you already use a third-party payroll provider (Gusto, ADP, Paychex, OnPay, Rippling, etc.), ABBL provides Payroll Accounting & Reconciliation services only — not payroll processing.

Client-Run Payroll Oversight — 4+ Employees

$345 / month starting price

+ $50–$100 / month complexity adjustments if applicable

What ABBL Provides (Accounting Only)

•      Payroll journal entry posting or import into QuickBooks

•      Payroll liability tracking and clearing

•      Review of quarterly and annual payroll tax filings

•      Storage of payroll returns in the client portal

•      Payroll for 1 state (additional states: $75/mo per state)

•      Coordination when discrepancies are identified

What ABBL Does NOT Provide (Client-Run)

•      Payroll processing, calculations, or tax submissions — handled by your provider

•      Payroll software — client pays their own provider directly

•      Benefits administration, carrier communication, or HR support

WHY THIS IS NEVER FREE

Payroll adds complexity to your accounting regardless of who processes it. This is why client-run oversight starts at $345/mo. In many cases ABBL-managed payroll is the more streamlined and cost-effective option.

Employee Scaling Fees

Tier	Employee Count	Price / Employee / Mo.	Notes
Tier 1	Not allowed	N/A	Owner only — no additional employees
Tier 2	4th employee	$30 / mo.	Approval required; may require upgrade to Tier 3
Tier 3	5–10 employees	$35 / mo.	CA compliance threshold at 5+
Tier 3	11–15 employees	$40 / mo.
Tier 3	16–20 employees	$45 / mo.
Tier 3	21+ employees	Custom quote	Requires custom payroll proposal

5-EMPLOYEE CA THRESHOLD

At 5 employees, California compliance obligations increase significantly. ABBL will proactively discuss the new obligations with Tier 3 clients approaching this threshold. See California section below.

California Compliance Thresholds — Know Before You Grow

Employees	New Compliance Obligations Triggered
1+	Minimum wage ($16.90/hr in 2026)  •  Payroll tax registration  •  Workers' comp insurance required
5+	Fair Employment & Housing Act (FEHA)  •  Mandatory harassment training  •  CalSavers retirement mandate
15+	ADA compliance  •  Expanded employment discrimination protections
50+	Federal FMLA  •  ACA employer mandate reporting  •  Enhanced harassment training

NEED A COMPLIANCE REVIEW?

As your employee count approaches a threshold, ask ABBL about the optional California Headcount Compliance Review ($650 flat fee). This educational review identifies newly applicable obligations — it is not legal advice.

Payroll services provided by A Bigger Bottom Line include payroll software, processing, and payroll tax compliance at the selected tier. Payroll software is paid by ABBL — clients do not purchase or manage it separately when enrolled in ABBL-managed payroll.