Corneliuson has been around since 1998. Why choose a newer firm?

They have a longer history and we would not dispute it. Twenty years is still a substantial track record, and the relevant question is capability rather than founding date. We carry specialisms in DHS provider compliance, CFO advisory, grant applications and entity formation that a general practice typically does not.

Do you serve Wisconsin clients?

Yes. Minnesota and Wisconsin are both within our service area.

What is included in free catch-up bookkeeping?

Bringing your books current from wherever they stand, including reconciliation and correcting prior errors, as part of onboarding.

Do you offer a guarantee?

We offer an accuracy guarantee, and there is no charge until after your first consultation.

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Home / Comparisons / vs Haworth & Company

HAR Financial Services vs Haworth & Company

Haworth prices for predictability. We scope for complexity, and carry the specialisms that complexity requires. Here is a direct comparison, including where they may be the better choice for you.

20 years

In practice in Minneapolis since 2006

240

Payroll clients migrated with zero missed payrolls

$1M+

Secured for clients in grants and loans

600+

Businesses served across Minnesota and Wisconsin

The short version

Haworth & Company is a Minneapolis-St. Paul firm offering integrated bookkeeping, payroll and tax services on a fixed monthly fee, aimed at established businesses that have outgrown basic bookkeeping or one-time tax help. Their target client description overlaps closely with our own.

Where we differ: Haworth prices for predictability. We scope for complexity, and carry the specialisms that complexity requires.

Side by side

How the two firms compare

Every entry below reflects what each firm publicly states about its own services. Where a firm does not publish a figure or list a service, we have said so rather than guessed.

HAR Financial Services

Haworth & Company

Founded

HAR Financial Services2006

Haworth & CompanyEstablished Twin Cities firm

Pricing model

HAR Financial ServicesScoped to the engagement, quoted after free consultation

Haworth & CompanyFixed monthly fee

Payroll clients

HAR Financial Services240

Haworth & CompanyNot published

DHS and 245D provider support

HAR Financial ServicesCore practice area

Haworth & CompanyNot a stated specialism

Healthcare and care provider accounting

HAR Financial ServicesYes

Haworth & CompanyNot a stated specialism

Grant and loan applications

HAR Financial Services$1,000,000+ secured

Haworth & CompanyNot a stated service line

Entity formation and Secretary of State filing

HAR Financial ServicesYes

Haworth & CompanyNot a stated service line

Catch-up bookkeeping

HAR Financial ServicesCurrently free as part of onboarding

Haworth & CompanyAvailable

Community position

HAR Financial ServicesLeading accounting firm in Minnesota

Haworth & CompanyMainstream Twin Cities firm

Average client tenure

HAR Financial ServicesRoughly five years

Haworth & CompanyNot published

In depth

What actually separates us

Fixed fees work until the work is not fixed

A fixed monthly fee is a good model for a business with steady, predictable accounting needs. Everyone knows the number and nobody argues about scope.

It works less well when the year contains a DHS reevaluation, a rate appeal, a second entity, a grant application with a two-week window and eight months of catch-up bookkeeping. Those are not evenly distributed across twelve months, and pricing them as though they are means either you overpay in quiet months or the complex work sits outside the agreement.

We quote to the actual engagement. Payroll averages around $200 per month, bookkeeping around $500, bundled clients around $700, tax filing around $1,400. You get the number after the first consultation and there is no charge until then.

The same ICP, a different answer

Haworth targets businesses that have outgrown basic bookkeeping. So do we, and that is a real overlap.

The question is what happens after you outgrow it. For some businesses the answer is more organised bookkeeping and a proper monthly close. For others it is CFO-level reporting, multi-entity structuring, payroll across several sites, regulatory compliance and access to capital.

We are built for the second version.

Regulation is not an add-on

If you operate under a Minnesota DHS licence, your accountant needs to understand DWRS rate worksheets, 245D and 245A requirements, NETStudy 2.0 background studies and how to respond to a correction order.

This is not something a general practice can bolt on when needed. It is either a standing capability or it is not there, and finding out which during an audit is an expensive way to learn.

The catch-up problem

A large share of the businesses that come to us arrive with books months or years behind. Sometimes it is a bookkeeper who left. Sometimes it is a founder who kept meaning to get to it. Sometimes a previous firm simply never reconciled anything.

We currently do catch-up bookkeeping at no cost as part of onboarding, because we would rather start from clean books than argue about how they got that way. It is also the fastest way to show you what we actually do.

Twenty years, one community

We have operated from Minneapolis since 2006 and built the leading accounting firm in Minnesota. Most of our team works from the office. Clients come in and sit down with us.

That combination, longevity plus proximity plus community, is not a service line. It is why clients stay roughly five years and why a good portion of our growth still comes from people telling other people.

240

Payroll clients migrated. Zero missed payrolls.

When our payroll processor announced it was shutting down, every one of our 240 payroll clients was at risk at once. We rebuilt every account on a new platform, transferred the data and verified compliance client by client, on a hard deadline. Nobody missed a paycheck. Nobody had a compliance gap. If you are worried about what happens to your books during a transition, that is the standard we hold ourselves to.

Being straight with you

Where Haworth may be the better choice

Haworth's fixed monthly fee model has real advantages. If predictability of cost is your highest priority and your needs are stable, knowing the exact number every month is genuinely valuable and we would not argue against it.

We would rather tell you this now than have you find out three months in. If that describes your situation, they are worth a conversation. If it does not, we would like the chance to earn the work.

The problems people bring us

Why business owners call in the first place

After twenty years the patterns are consistent. Almost every client who moves to us arrives with some combination of the following.

An accountant who takes days to answer a simple question

Not a complicated question. A simple one. And the answer arrives Thursday, after the decision has already been made without it.

Books they do not trust

The statements balance, but the owner could not defend a single line to a lender or an auditor, and quietly suspects some of it is wrong.

Months or years of backlog

Nothing reconciled since spring. Sometimes since the year before. We currently do catch-up bookkeeping free as part of onboarding, because arguing about how it happened helps nobody.

Tax bills that arrive as surprises

No planning, no warning, no advance conversation. Deductions missed because nobody was looking for them during the year, only after it ended.

Reports that explain nothing

Templated output that reports what happened without telling you what it means or what to do about it.

A firm that did not understand their industry

This is the most expensive one. A bookkeeper who has never seen a DWRS rate worksheet, does not know what 245D requires, and finds out during your audit.

Constant turnover at the firm

Re-explaining your business to a new person every eighteen months, forever. Most of our team works from our Minneapolis office, and clients keep the same point of contact.

In their words

What clients say after several years

Their team handles payroll, IRS matters and state payments with accuracy and professionalism. When issues come up they move fast and provide clear solutions. This support saved me time and prevented costly mistakes in my business.

Client of eight years

Their bookkeeping and tax filing are flawless, but their CFO reports are the real game-changer for my business strategy. If you want a team that is knowledgeable, clear and professional, look no further.

Client since company founding

They take the time to explain everything clearly and ensure that all financial matters are handled accurately and on time. They are organised, trustworthy, and truly care about helping businesses stay compliant and financially healthy.

Payroll, bookkeeping and tax client

Questions

HAR Financial Services vs Haworth & Company

Does HAR offer fixed monthly pricing?

We quote to scope rather than to a fixed tier, though most clients settle into a predictable monthly figure. Payroll averages around $200, bookkeeping around $500, and bundled clients around $700 per month.

Which firm is better for a straightforward small business?

If your needs are stable and predictable, a fixed fee model like Haworth's is a reasonable fit. If you have regulatory exposure, multiple entities, complex payroll or need access to capital, that is where we are built to help.