US · Seattle, WA · managed payroll service (Gusto / Rippling) for small businesses

Payroll Services in Seattle, WA
From $199/month + per-employee

A chartered managed-payroll service for Seattle small businesses — set up, run, and supported by a real human.

BlackpeakCFO runs managed payroll for small businesses in Seattle, WA on top of Gusto or Rippling — we handle the setup, registration with WA state agencies and the IRS, monthly payroll runs, all federal and state payroll-tax filings, year-end W-2s and 1099s, and you have one named chartered accountant accountable for the whole thing. No payroll-help-line queues, no missed deadlines.

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What you get

Gusto or Rippling setup, configured to your business
Federal EIN + state payroll-tax registrations handled
Monthly (or bi-weekly) payroll runs
Federal 941 / 940 filings, state withholding + unemployment
Year-end W-2s and 1099-NECs
Single named CGMA on your account, not a support queue

Why this matters in Seattle, Washington

Seattle small businesses in Tech (Amazon, Microsoft), Aerospace (Boeing), Cloud + AI typically have 1–15 employees and don't need a full HR/payroll department — but they do need someone competent running the actual payroll. WA has no state income tax, which simplifies payroll — but state unemployment, federal 941s and W-2s still need to be filed cleanly and on time, and Seattle small businesses often skip this until it bites at year-end.

Seattle's small-business economy is dominated by tech: Amazon's sprawling South Lake Union campus, Microsoft in Redmond, Google's Kirkland expansion, plus the deep contractor and consultant base supporting all of them. Boeing's commercial aircraft division anchors aerospace engineering consulting across Everett and Renton. Add cloud + AI startups clustered around Pioneer Square and Capitol Hill, the Port of Seattle driving maritime and logistics freelancers, and the retail HQ presence (Starbucks, Costco, Nordstrom, Expedia). Washington has no state income tax — but it has the B&O (Business and Occupation) tax, which is a gross-receipts tax on revenue regardless of profit. That changes the calculation versus other no-income-tax states like Texas / Florida — Seattle small businesses owe B&O even on loss-making years. The bookkeeping gap is concentrated in B&O classification (different rates for different activity types) and Seattle city B&O (separate from state).

Common questions about payroll services in Seattle

Do you use Gusto or Rippling for Seattle payroll, or your own system?

Both — we set you up on whichever fits your business. Gusto is the easier default for 1–25 employee businesses; Rippling is stronger if you're hiring across states, paying contractors internationally, or want HR/benefits integrated. We handle setup, configuration and run it; you don't talk to Gusto or Rippling support — you talk to us.

Is WA payroll tax filing included in the monthly price?

Yes — federal 941 / 940, WA state withholding, WA state unemployment, and year-end W-2s are all included. The pricing is one monthly fee from $199 + a small per-employee rate. No surprise bills at year-end, no separate "tax filing" line item.

Washington has no income tax but does have B&O tax. What is it and how much does it cost a typical Seattle consultant?

B&O (Business and Occupation) tax is a gross-receipts tax on Washington businesses. The rate depends on classification: Service & Other Activities is 1.75% for income over $5M, 1.5% below (most consultants fall here); Retailing is 0.471%; Wholesaling is 0.484%; Manufacturing is 0.484%. There's a Small Business B&O Credit that reduces or eliminates B&O for small businesses (the threshold is about $125K of gross taxable income, after which it phases out). Seattle city also has its own B&O tax (typically 0.222% Service, additional on top of state). We classify activity correctly at setup so you're paying the right rate, and we apply the Small Business Credit where it qualifies.

I'm a Bellevue / Redmond Microsoft / Amazon contractor — sometimes W-2 vendor, sometimes 1099 to my LLC. Mixed structure?

Big-tech contractor work is split between integrator W-2 (Insight Global, Aerotek, Allegis) and direct 1099 / corp-to-corp engagements. W-2 income from integrators is personal wages, not in your LLC books. Direct 1099 / C2C flows to your LLC P&L and (if S-corp elected) to your salary + distribution structure. Washington's no-income-tax means the federal SE-tax savings from S-corp election aren't diluted by state tax — the math usually favors S-corp at $100K+ net for direct 1099 contractors. We model the specific saving before recommending the election.

Get started in Seattle

Send your details in a one-minute form. Stuart reads every one personally and replies within one business day. No phone calls required — everything by email unless you specifically want a call.