Is HAR more expensive than ADP or Gusto?

Payroll with us averages around $200 per month, which is competitive with national providers once their add-on fees are included. The larger difference is what you get alongside it.

Can you work with my existing software?

Yes. We work with whatever you already use rather than forcing a migration. That is one of the most common questions we get and the answer is almost always yes.

What if I only need payroll?

That is fine. Many clients start with payroll only and add bookkeeping later once they see the reporting.

Do national providers handle DHS compliance?

No. DWRS rate audits, 245D licensing and background study compliance are outside what a national payroll platform does.

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Home / Comparisons / vs Howry Consulting Services

HAR Financial Services vs Howry Consulting Services

Howry and HAR do similar work. The difference is scale, track record and the depth of the accounting practice underneath it. 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

Howry Consulting Services operates out of Mendota Heights and offers a combination of accounting, payroll processing, billing and general ledger work alongside Minnesota provider enrollment, 245D compliance support and representative payee services. Of all the firms in Minnesota, their service mix overlaps with ours most closely.

Where we differ: Howry and HAR do similar work. The difference is scale, track record and the depth of the accounting practice underneath it.

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

Howry Consulting Services

Founded

HAR Financial Services2006

Howry Consulting ServicesEstablished Minnesota firm

Clients served

HAR Financial Services600+

Howry Consulting ServicesNot published

Payroll clients

HAR Financial Services240

Howry Consulting ServicesNot published

Team size

HAR Financial Services12

Howry Consulting ServicesNot published

IRS Authorized E-File Provider

HAR Financial ServicesYes, active EFIN

Howry Consulting ServicesNot stated

BBB accredited

HAR Financial ServicesYes

Howry Consulting ServicesNot stated

AIPB member firm

HAR Financial ServicesYes

Howry Consulting ServicesNot stated

NATP member

HAR Financial ServicesYes

Howry Consulting ServicesNot stated

Grant and loan applications

HAR Financial Services$1,000,000+ secured

Howry Consulting ServicesNot a stated service line

Business formation and entity setup

HAR Financial ServicesYes, full service

Howry Consulting ServicesProvider enrollment

Representative payee services

HAR Financial ServicesNo

Howry Consulting ServicesYes

CFO-level advisory

HAR Financial ServicesYes

Howry Consulting ServicesFinancial reporting

In depth

What actually separates us

Similar services, different depth

Howry offers accounting, payroll processing and billing alongside compliance work, which is close to our own mix. Where the two firms diverge is in the depth of the accounting practice sitting underneath.

We are a BBB accredited business, an IRS Authorized E-File Provider with an active EFIN, a member firm of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers and a member of the National Association of Tax Professionals. Our team includes staff holding international CPA credentials. We file returns directly, we run payroll for 240 clients, and we have done so continuously for twenty years.

Volume is the proof

Two hundred and forty payroll clients is not a marketing number. It is an operational fact with consequences.

It means we have seen almost every payroll edge case Minnesota can produce. Multi-site staffing. Overlapping pay periods. Retroactive rate adjustments. Terminations mid-cycle. Garnishments. Unemployment insurance disputes. Each of those is a small crisis the first time a firm encounters it and routine by the fiftieth.

When our processor shut down, we moved all 240 accounts to a new platform with zero missed payrolls.

The CFO layer

Bookkeeping tells you what happened. Payroll makes sure people get paid. Neither tells you what to do next.

Our CFO advisory produces reporting that explains the business: where margin is actually coming from, what cash looks like ninety days out, whether the next hire is affordable, what a second site does to your numbers. Clients consistently name this as the thing that changed how they run the company, not the bookkeeping.

For a growing provider, that is the difference between compliant and strategic.

Money we have brought in

We have secured more than one million dollars in grants and loans for clients. That covers SBA and community lender applications, budgets, narratives, submission and status tracking, and the post-award reporting that keeps the money compliant.

We also monitor Minneapolis, Hennepin County and statewide grant opportunities and alert clients when a window opens, because these programmes frequently run on very short deadlines and are gone before most operators hear about them.

Start to finish

We form the entity, file with the Secretary of State, obtain the EIN and Minnesota state tax ID, open the unemployment insurance account, coordinate DHS licensing, set up the books, run the payroll, file the returns and produce the reporting.

A provider can start with us before the business legally exists and never need a second financial vendor.

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 Corneliuson may be the better choice

Howry is a credible operator in this space with a genuinely similar service mix, and their representative payee service is something we do not offer. If that specific capability matters to your organisation, it is a legitimate reason to consider them.

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 Howry Consulting Services

How is HAR different from Howry Consulting?

The service mixes are similar. The differences are in the accounting credentials behind the work, the scale of the payroll operation at 240 clients, the CFO advisory layer, and services Howry does not list such as grant and loan applications and full entity formation.