What Checks & Balances does

Checks & Balances (dba C&B Payroll, Checks & Balances Payroll) is a vertically specialized payroll processing and paying-agent service for the live entertainment industry, founded in 2011 and operating from New York (1560 Broadway). It serves Broadway productions, touring shows, regional theater, symphony orchestras, and dance companies, managing payroll for cast, crew, musicians, and creative staff. Named clients include marquee Broadway titles such as Hamilton, Wicked, The Book of Mormon, MJ the Musical, Moulin Rouge, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Six, and Little Shop of Horrors. The company is a premier brand and wholly-owned subsidiary of Cast & Crew LLC (Burbank, CA; legal entity Cast & Crew LLC), a broader payroll, accounting, and technology provider spanning film, television, advertising, streaming, and live entertainment.

The core product is Live Entertainment Payroll, built on a proprietary processing system pre-programmed with live-theater personnel structures — departments, unions (e.g., Actors Equity, IATSE), deductions, and entitlements — that can be selected from a menu or customized with specialized departments and earning codes. Surrounding modules include Employer Tax Servicing (weekly tax impounds; federal/state/local payments; Forms 941, 940, W-2, 1099; and specialized 1042 withholding and multi-state touring-company tax management), Digital Solutions (secure data-submission interface, employee self-service portal, real-time online access), Detailed Previews (electronic PDF preview with intensive quality control before finalization), and Payroll Reports (24/7 online standard and custom reporting). Employer of Record (EOR) services are offered as an add-on through sister company Cast & Crew Live Entertainment, which handles wage calculation per union agreements, tax remittance, workers' compensation, and W-2 issuance under its own EIN.

The business operates as a B2B managed-services provider. Acting as a paying agent, it processes payroll and remits taxes under the production company's name and tax ID, generating revenue through service fees tied to comprehensive payroll management. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based, tailored to production size and complexity. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on industry reputation, word-of-mouth referrals within the Broadway/touring ecosystem, the parent Cast & Crew network, and website/organic search. The customer base is enterprise-oriented within a single vertical (live entertainment) and geographically concentrated in the United States, primarily New York.

Name

Checks & Balances

Legal name

Cast & Crew LLC

Website

https://candbpayroll.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Checks & Balances is a specialized payroll processing and paying-agent service for the live entertainment industry, managing cast, crew, and musician payroll, tax remittance, and union compliance for Broadway productions, touring shows, regional theater, symphony, and dance companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entertainment Payroll Services

NAICS

Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities (52232)

akta.pro primary industry

Payroll Tax Filing, Compliance & Regulatory Reporting (BPAAAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Garnishments, Levies & Wage Withholding Administration (BPAAAHAG), Payroll Audit, Reconciliation & Payroll Controls (BPACAIAJ)

Keywords

• Live theater payroll
• Entertainment payroll services
• Broadway payroll processing
• Production payroll management
• Performing arts payroll

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Payroll Processing Services: Checks & Balances operates as a Paying Agent, processing payroll and remitting taxes under the production company's name and tax ID number. The company calculates and issues payments to cast and crew, withholds and remits taxes, prepares tax filings, and issues W-2s and 1099s. Revenue is generated through service fees for comprehensive payroll management.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Checks & Balances is a payroll processing service for the live theater industry, acting as a paying agent for production companies. It calculates and issues payments to cast and crew, withholds and remits taxes, prepares tax filings, and issues W-2s and 1099s under the production company's name and tax ID. The service includes specialized handling of union agreements (Actors Equity, IATSE), multi-state tax withholding for touring productions, and pre-programmed personnel structures tailored to live entertainment.

Product overview

Checks & Balances is a unified payroll-as-a-service platform for live entertainment productions. The core offering is Live Entertainment Payroll processing, supported by modular components including Employer Tax Servicing (tax filing and compliance), Digital Solutions (secure web interface and employee self-service), Payroll Reports (comprehensive reporting tools), and Detailed Previews (quality-controlled payroll previews). EOR services are available as an add-on through sister company Cast & Crew Live Entertainment for productions requiring additional administrative support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Entertainment Payroll Core payroll processing service for live theater productions, including actors, singers, dancers, musicians, and crew, with pre-programmed personnel structures for departments, unions, deductions, and entitlements that can be customized to specific production needs.
• Employer Tax Servicing Full funds management and tax reporting service including weekly tax impounds, federal/state/local payments, quarterly/annual payroll returns (Forms 941, 940, W-2, 1099), and specialized support for 1042 withholding and touring company tax management.
• Employer of Record (EOR) Services Employer of Record service provided through sister company Cast & Crew Live Entertainment, handling administrative details including wage calculations per union agreements, tax withholding/remittance, employer tax remittance, workers' compensation coverage, and W-2 issuance under the EOR's EIN.

Quantifiable outcome

• Quick and easy setup with pre-programmed menu-based department, union, deduction, and entitlement options
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cast & CrewcoreOthersChecks & Balances is a premier brand of Cast & Crew, a leading provider of payroll, accounting, and technology solutions powering productions across film, television, advertising, streaming, and live entertainment. Cast & Crew provides the parent company infrastructure and brand backing for Checks & Balances operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Broad incumbents

• ADP: Largest US payroll and HR services provider with broad industry coverage. Overlaps with Checks & Balances on core payroll processing but lacks the deep live-theater vertical specialization and union-compliance depth.
• Paychex: Major SMB and mid-market payroll/HR provider. Comparable in core payroll functionality but targets general businesses rather than entertainment-specific structures and union agreements.
• Workday: Enterprise cloud HCM and payroll platform. Adjacent competitor in payroll but oriented toward large enterprises and lacking vertical depth in live-entertainment union and touring payroll.
• Paylocity: Cloud-based payroll and HCM platform focused on mid-market employers. Competes broadly in payroll processing but does not address the specialized live-theater union and touring-tax complexities.

Direct peers

• Entertainment Partners: Long-established entertainment payroll, residuals, and production accounting provider serving film, TV, and live entertainment. Directly comparable vertical specialization, paying-agent model, and union-compliance focus.
• Wrapbook: Modern vertical-SaaS payroll and production accounting platform purpose-built for film, TV, and entertainment productions. Comparable in targeting entertainment producers with payroll compliance, though delivered via self-service technology rather than managed service.
• Berkshire Production Services: Production payroll and accounting services for live entertainment and event productions. Comparable vertical focus on live shows with paying-agent and union-compliance capabilities.
• Media Services: Entertainment-industry payroll and paymaster services for film, TV, and live productions. Directly comparable paying-agent model serving producers with union and multi-jurisdiction tax expertise.
• Cast & Crew (film/TV/streaming divisions): Sibling divisions under the same Cast & Crew LLC parent providing payroll and production accounting to film, television, advertising, and streaming — closest possible peer given shared corporate infrastructure and overlapping product set.

Emerging players

• Gusto: SMB-focused modern payroll, benefits, and HR platform. Comparable payroll-fundamentals overlap but lacks industry-specific configurations for live entertainment personnel structures.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Checks & Balances