Bookkeeping, payroll and HR in Cedar Rapids
Cedar Rapids is Iowa's second-largest city and a manufacturing town at heart — aerospace, food processing and the suppliers and service firms around them. Small businesses here range from machine shops and contractors to professional offices and family restaurants.
Our Iowa office is in Cedar Rapids, and here we offer everything: monthly bookkeeping, payroll, fractional HR and Zoho One — one team for the whole back office.
What's different about running a business in Cedar Rapids
The local rules and situations we see most with Cedar Rapids employers.
No city business license
The City of Cedar Rapids doesn't issue general business licenses. You only need a city license for specific activities — alcohol or tobacco sales, mobile food, taxis, pawnbroking and a few others. Your main registrations are with the state.
Sales tax with the local option
Retailers collect Iowa's 6% sales tax plus Cedar Rapids' 1% local option tax, which voters renewed in 2021 through June 30, 2034 to fund street repairs. We reconcile what you collect against what you file each period.
Iowa payroll basics
Iowa withholds income tax at a flat 3.8% rate in 2026. Unemployment is reported to Iowa Workforce Development on the first $20,400 of each employee's 2026 wages, and most new employers start at 1% (5.4% for new construction employers).
Iowa basics for 2026: income tax is withheld at a flat 3.8%, the state minimum wage remains $7.25 an hour, and unemployment insurance is reported quarterly to Iowa Workforce Development.
How we help Cedar Rapids businesses
Monthly Bookkeeping
Reconciled accounts and monthly statements for Cedar Rapids businesses, on flat plans starting at $250 a month.
Payroll Administration
On-time payroll through Cascade Payroll or Gusto, with Iowa withholding and Iowa Workforce Development reporting handled.
Fractional HR
Offer letters, handbooks, leave policies and employee questions — HR expertise without a full-time hire.
Zoho One Consulting
Zoho CRM, Books, People and Flow set up around how your business actually runs.
Payroll services in Cedar Rapids, IA
We run payroll for Cedar Rapids small businesses through Cascade Payroll or Gusto: every pay run, direct deposit, federal and Iowa payroll tax filings, and W-2s and 1099s at year-end. We also handle Iowa income tax withholding and Iowa Workforce Development unemployment insurance, so nothing slips between pay periods.
Payroll is part of our HR & Payroll plan, from $250 a month for your first 2 employees. Our office is right here in Cedar Rapids, so we can meet at your business, at our office, or by video.
See our payroll servicesQuestions from Cedar Rapids business owners
Do you offer bookkeeping in Cedar Rapids?
Can we meet in person?
Does Iowa require paid sick leave?
Local rules checked October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the agency before acting. We don't prepare tax returns.
Also serving Linn County
Talk to us about your Cedar Rapids business
Free consultation — at your place, ours in Cedar Rapids, or by video.