Q&A icon

Startup Q&A

Back to questions

What's a good payroll service to use for a startup?

Vanessa Kruze, CPA, is a leading expert in startup taxes and tax compliance. Her team at Kruze Consulting has filed thousands of tax returns for companies that have raised billions in VC funding, and her work has been diligenced by leading VCs, attorneys, and M&A teams at the largest technology companies.
Vanessa Kruze, a highly-experienced CPA, brings valuable tax expertise to startups, drawing from her rich background at Deloitte Tax and as a financial controller for a $20 million startup. As the leader of Kruze Consulting, recognized multiple times in the Inc 5000 list, she specializes in navigating the complex tax landscape for startups. Her firm is known for delivering precise and strategic tax solutions, delivering tax credits utilizing advanced tools to ensure compliance and optimize tax benefits for startups throughout the United States.

Table of contents

I’ve used just about every payroll processor out there (I’m a CPA and interim CFO for 200+ startups) and I can confidently say that Gusto (formerly Zenpayroll) is the best, for a number of reasons:

  • Easy Online Interface: I know this is going to sound nuts, but other interfaces make finding basic information really difficult. I’ve spent hours trying to generate simple reports from other payroll processors. (Time I could’ve been spending doing more value-add activities!) I’ve even received patently incorrect reporting from a large Business Bank payroll processor.

  • Autopilot Feature: If all of your employees are on salary, you can set Autopilot and forget about running payroll. It just runs for you. Are there other processors out there that take 10 min to log in to and “push a button”? Sure. But all it takes is one time to forget to log in, and suddenly you have a mob of angry employees. Don’t risk it.

  • Late Payroll Taxes: Many other payroll processors that I’ve worked with have at some time or another forgotten to file a 941 or DE9. This has never happened with Gusto. They file all your taxes automatically and on time.

  • Competitive Pricing: It’s really cheap. But I’d still use if it was 3x more expensive because the peace of mind that Gusto gives is priceless.

  • World Class Customer Support: Payroll is a time sensitive and emotional endeavor. Your employees really care about getting paid on time and for their full amount due. The Gusto support team (thank you Travis!) understands this and leaps into action when called. They understand the urgency.

I trust Gusto with my startups’ payroll and with my own company’s payroll. 

Looking for the best Gusto accountant? Look no further, Kruze is a Gusto Gold Partner serving venture funded startups.

READY TO CONNECT FOR A FREE CONSULTATION?

We are the experts at helping seed/VC-backed Delaware C-Corps with their accounting and finances!

Talk to an experienced accountant, not a generic sales person

 Kruze Consulting
Alex Janeck
 Kruze Consulting
Edith Silva
 Kruze Consulting
Ian Williams
Viz AI

$250M+ VC Funding Raised


"I had a great experience working with Kruze Consulting when we raised Series A. They know what VCs need to see, and how to present a startup’s books and finances. If you are going to raise venture capital, you need experts like Kruze."
Chris Mansi

Chris Mansi

CEO

Startup Venture Capital Assistance

With former venture capitalists on staff, our team is here to help you navigate the fundraising process and manage your board of directors

 Kruze Consulting
Scott Orn
COO | Former VC
 Kruze Consulting
Healy Jones
VP FP&A | Former VC
Pequity

Scale Remote Operations & Team


"Kruze has supported us above and beyond basic accounting needs by ensuring we have everything we need to expand and support our team wherever they may be located"
Zack Fisch

Zack Fisch

Head of Operations & Legal

Clients who have worked with Kruze have collectively raised over $15 billion in VC funding.

We set startups up for fundrising success, and know how to work with the top VCs.

 Kruze Consulting
Vanessa Kruze, CPA
Founder & CEO
Kruze Logo

Experienced team helping you

Our account management team is staffed by CPAs and accountants who have, on average, 11 years of experience.

 Kruze Consulting
Bill Hollowsky, CPA
VP of Accounting Services
 Kruze Consulting
Claudine Vantomme, CPA
Controller
 Kruze Consulting
Morgan Avery
SUT/R&D Sr. Tax Accountant
 Kruze Consulting
Beth Bassler
Controller, CPA
Protara Therapeutics

Grew from a 2-person startup to a NASDAQ listed public company.


"The Kruze team helped us grow from a 2-person startup to a NASDAQ listed public company in 2 years. We wouldn’t have gotten public without Kruze’s support. Anyone thinking of launching a startup should make Vanessa their first call!"
Jesse Shefferman

Jesse Shefferman

CEO

Kruze Logo

Get in Touch

Please help us connect with you

How can we reach you?

Our first response is typically via email, so please check your inbox.

Help us have a productive first consultation by providing some additional information.

What year was your startup incorporated?

What is your stage of funding?

(pick up from the list)

Approximately how much funding have you raised?

(please enter a dollar value such as 5000000)

Help us understand what you are looking for:

(Optional, click the ones you need)

Anything additional that you’d like to share?

Optional - if you’d like to share anything else to help us prepare for our consultation, please let us know. We are also happy to sign an NDA, just let us know.

READY TO CONNECT FOR A FREE CONSULTATION?

We are the experts at helping seed/VC-backed Delaware C-Corps with their accounting and finances!


Talk with a real accountant, not a generic salesperson!

 Kruze Consulting
Scott Orn
 Kruze Consulting
Alex Janeck
 Kruze Consulting
Edith Silva

Help us get in touch

Enter your name
Enter Company name
Enter Phone number
Enter Email
Enter Message
   

Important Tax Dates for Startups

  Talk to a leading startup CPA