Tarbell

What Tarbell does

Tarbell & Co., P.L.C. is a privately-held Certified Public Accounting firm founded in 1978 and headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, with additional offices in Prairie City and Sully. The firm delivers a full suite of professional services — bookkeeping and payroll, tax planning and preparation, assurance and audit, consulting/management advisory, and estate/trust services — to closely held businesses and their owners/managers, nonprofit organizations, and individual/family clients across central Iowa. Tarbell is a sales-led, relationship-driven practice that emphasizes long-tenured client relationships (spanning 45+ years and three generations in many cases) and personal, one-on-one service over scale or geographic breadth.

Operationally, Tarbell runs a standard CPA technology stack with no proprietary software products, no AI/ML capabilities, and no mobile or SaaS applications. The firm's digital footprint consists of a content-marketing website (News + Resources) and a client portal for payments and document access; the core service delivery is in-person at its three Iowa locations. Recent tooling additions include AIWYN PayNow for credit card/EFT payment processing (with a 3% credit card fee) and QuickFee for client-side invoice financing over 3-12 month terms.

Tarbell generates revenue through professional service fees negotiated per engagement, supplemented by a small transaction-fee stream from payment processing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and follows the standard quote-based model typical of regional CPA firms. The firm is independently owned with no institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no public market listing. Headcount is stated only as 11-50, and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Tarbell

Legal name

Tarbell & Co., P.L.C.

Website

https://tarbellcpa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tarbell & Co., P.L.C. is a privately-held Iowa CPA firm, founded in 1978, providing accounting, tax, assurance, bookkeeping, payroll, estate/trust, and consulting services to closely held businesses, nonprofits, and individuals across three central Iowa locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Accounting: Full-service accounting and tax preparation services including bookkeeping, payroll, tax planning and preparation, estate/trust services, assurance services, and consulting. Revenue is generated through professional service fees for these accounting and advisory services.
2. Payment Processing Services: Payment portal for clients to make payments. A 3% processing fee applies to credit card payments. QuickFee financing option available for clients to pay invoices over 3-12 months ($2,000 minimum required).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Tarbell & Co., P.L.C. is a full-service Certified Public Accounting firm delivering Accounting, Tax Planning & Preparation, Assurance, Consulting, Bookkeeping & Payroll, and Estate/Trust services. The firm serves closely held businesses, nonprofit organizations, and individual/family clients across central Iowa from three office locations.

Product overview

Tarbell & Co., P.L.C. is a full-service Certified Public Accounting firm offering a unified suite of professional services rather than software products. The core offerings consist of Accounting Services (bookkeeping and financial records), Tax Services (planning and preparation), Assurance Services (audit and financial reporting), Consulting Services (management advisory), and Bookkeeping & Payroll Services. The firm specializes in serving closely held businesses, their owners and managers, and nonprofit organizations. All services are delivered through the firm's three Iowa locations in West Des Moines, Prairie City, and Sully.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting Services

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• RSM US: Global audit, tax, and consulting firm with a major Midwest base and significant Iowa presence. Comparable in serving middle-market closely held businesses with full-service tax and assurance offerings, though at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.

Direct peers

• Selden Fox: Mid-sized regional CPA and business advisory firm serving closely held businesses, individuals, and nonprofit organizations across the greater Midwest. Comparable to Tarbell in service mix, client segments, and small-firm relationship-driven delivery model.
• CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen): Top-10 US CPA firm serving closely held businesses and nonprofit organizations across the Midwest and nationally. Directly comparable to Tarbell in target client segments (closely held businesses, nonprofits, individuals) and full-service accounting/tax/assurance/wealth advisory offerings, though at substantially larger scale.
• Wipfli: Top-25 US accounting and advisory firm with Midwest roots. Comparable service mix (accounting, tax, assurance, advisory) and target segments (closely held businesses, nonprofits, agribusiness) to Tarbell, but operating at materially larger scale.
• Smith Schafer & Associates: Minnesota-based regional CPA firm serving closely held businesses and nonprofit organizations. Comparable to Tarbell in service mix (accounting, tax, assurance, advisory) and target client profile, with similar mid-market positioning in the upper Midwest.
• Anders CPAs + Advisors: Mid-sized regional CPA and advisory firm headquartered in St. Louis with offices across the Midwest. Comparable to Tarbell in serving closely held businesses, family offices, and nonprofits with full-service accounting, tax, and wealth advisory offerings at similar scale.
• Porte Brown: Mid-sized regional CPA and advisory firm based in the Chicago suburbs serving closely held businesses, individuals, and nonprofit organizations. Comparable to Tarbell in service portfolio, client segmentation, and relationship-driven regional CPA model.
• KerberRose: Wisconsin-based regional CPA and advisory firm serving closely held businesses, agribusiness, and nonprofits across the upper Midwest. Closely comparable to Tarbell in target segments, geographic profile, and full-service accounting/tax/assurance mix at similar scale.
• Forvis: Top-10 US CPA firm formed from the merger of BKD and Dixon Hughes Goodman, with significant Iowa and Midwest presence. Comparable in serving closely held businesses, agribusiness, and nonprofits across the same geographic corridor as Tarbell.
• Eide Bailly: Top-25 US CPA and advisory firm with strong Midwest footprint and offices in Iowa. Comparable to Tarbell in serving closely held businesses, agribusiness, and nonprofits with full-service accounting, tax, and assurance offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TarbellCPA
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tarbell