Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC, a professional accounting firm based in Leeds, Alabama, partnered with ADP to help support long term growth while freeing the team to focus on higher value advisory services. For CEO Jay Vick, the decision to partner with ADP was significant. What began as a strategic shift quickly became one of the most impactful changes the firm had ever made.
Partnering with ADP truly created the catalyst my company needed to transition from a small firm to a midsized firm.
Jay Vick,
CEO
Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC
| Challenge | ADP capability | What we did | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Payroll administration and regulatory tax filings consumed staff time and limited bandwidth. | RUN Powered by ADP® | Simplified client payroll administration and regulatory tax filing support through RUN Powered by ADP®. | Gave the firm confidence that quarterly tax filings would be done right and freed the team to focus on higher-value advisory services. |
| A previous payroll provider’s support failure left a client unable to use direct deposit. RUN Powered by ADP® | RUN Powered by ADP® | Guided Vick Accounting through a rapid client payroll setup with in-person ADP support for the first payroll run. | Set up the client’s payroll within a week and helped the first payroll direct deposits run smoothly. |
| In-house payroll created scaling constraints for serving larger, more complex accounting clients. | RUN Powered by ADP®, ADP Accountant Connect℠ | Offloaded the firm’s payroll services to ADP, giving the accounting team more bandwidth for strategic work and larger clients. | Helped Vick Accounting move beyond in-house payroll limits and exceeded previous payroll revenue by 57%. |
How can accounting firms reduce manual payroll administration?
Accounting firms can reduce manual payroll administration by shifting client payroll processing and related filing work to a dedicated payroll provider. Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC, a six-employee accounting and tax firm in Leeds, Alabama, had been managing client payroll on Intuit QuickBooks Desktop, which required manual quarterly tax submissions and had become unreliable. By moving most client payrolls to RUN Powered by ADP, the firm reduced time spent in administrative payroll work and gained confidence that payroll tasks would be handled correctly. For small accounting firms, this approach can free staff to focus on advisory services instead of recurring payroll administration.
How does outsourcing client payroll help accounting firms scale?
Outsourcing client payroll helps accounting firms scale by removing a recurring operational bottleneck and creating capacity for larger, more strategic client work. Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC moved beyond the limits of managing payroll in-house by outsourcing clients’ payroll to ADP through RUN Powered by ADP. The case study states that this gave the team more bandwidth to take on strategic work for larger clients and helped the firm expand and grow. For accounting practices with limited staff, outsourcing payroll can turn payroll from an internal workload into a client-service growth enabler.
What results can an accounting firm see after moving payroll to ADP?
An accounting firm can see both operational and financial results after moving client payroll to ADP when the shift frees staff capacity for higher-value work. Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC initially expected it might take two years to replace the revenue it previously earned from in-house payroll. After partnering with RUN Powered by ADP, the firm made up the entire amount in one year and exceeded it by $40,000, marking a 57% increase. The firm also gained bandwidth to pursue larger clients and advisory services. For similar accounting firms, the result shows how payroll outsourcing can support growth rather than simply reduce workload.
What should firms consider when switching away from QuickBooks Desktop Payroll?
Firms switching away from QuickBooks Desktop Payroll should evaluate reliability, tax filing effort, direct deposit continuity and the quality of implementation support. Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC had used Intuit QuickBooks Desktop for client payroll, but the process required manual quarterly tax submissions and the product had become increasingly buggy and unreliable. After a client’s direct deposit access was revoked following a bank transfer issue, ADP helped set up the client’s payroll within a week and stayed in person to ensure the first payroll ran smoothly. For firms considering switching payroll providers, implementation support can be as important as software functionality.
How quickly can a client payroll be set up with a new provider?
A client payroll can be set up quickly when the provider offers hands-on implementation support and the business has the necessary payroll information ready. In the Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC case study, an ADP representative came to the firm’s office the next day after Jay Vick called and was able to get the affected client’s payroll set up and ready within a week. The representative also stayed in person to ensure the first payroll ran smoothly through RUN Powered by ADP. For accounting firms helping clients through urgent payroll disruption, responsive onboarding support can reduce risk and restore payroll continuity.
Why do small accounting firms partner with payroll providers?
Small accounting firms partner with payroll providers when recurring payroll work limits capacity, constrains growth or prevents staff from focusing on higher-value advisory services. Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC is a six-employee professional accounting firm that found payroll administration and regulatory filings were consuming staff time and limiting bandwidth. By partnering with ADP for client payroll through RUN Powered by ADP, the firm gained more capacity for strategic work, larger client opportunities and long-term growth. This model is especially relevant for small accounting and tax practices that want to keep client relationships while reducing the internal burden of payroll operations.
Can payroll outsourcing help accounting firms grow advisory services?
Payroll outsourcing can help accounting firms grow advisory services when it removes time-consuming administrative work from the firm’s internal workload. Vick Accounting & Tax Service LLC partnered with ADP after payroll administration and regulatory filings limited staff bandwidth. The case study explains that outsourcing clients’ payroll to ADP gave the firm more time to take on strategic work for larger clients and focus on higher-value advisory services. The partnership also supported revenue growth and staff investment. For firms with similar constraints, using small business payroll support can create room for consultative services that are harder to scale when staff are tied up in payroll administration.
