Business Associates

What Business Associates does

Business Associates Inc is a privately held, locally owned accounting and tax services firm headquartered at 2550 Market St NE in Salem, Oregon. The company provides a unified suite of professional services for two primary customer segments: small businesses (including Sole Proprietors, LLCs, Partnerships, S-Corporations, and C-Corporations across industries such as artists, manufacturing, medical, food-services, transportation, retail, and wholesale) and individual taxpayers with simple to complex tax situations. Its offerings span accounting and bookkeeping, tax preparation and planning, IRS and state audit representation, payroll processing, business formation assistance, and certified QuickBooks setup and support.

The firm's technology stack is built on third-party, industry-standard platforms rather than proprietary systems. Business Associates is a Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor, providing installation, setup, chart-of-accounts configuration, data transfer, and payroll integration for QuickBooks users. For tax preparation, the firm operates Drake Software's online tax service, leveraging a platform the firm has used for more than 30 years. The firm has no mobile app, no public API, no SDK, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. Its competitive positioning rests principally on the federal Enrolled Agent license held by principal Cletus Fernandez — a credential granted by the U.S. Department of the Treasury/IRS that confers nationwide authority to represent taxpayers before any IRS office, distinguishing the firm from CPAs and attorneys whose practice is limited to their state licensure.

Business Associates operates a sales-led, relationship-driven go-to-market motion. All services are billed on an hourly or per-engagement basis; audit representation ranges from $70 to $160 per hour depending on complexity and whether the firm prepared the underlying return, and a complimentary 30-minute initial meeting is offered. Customer acquisition relies on the firm's local presence, personal referrals, and a service-marketing website (business-associate.us) featuring interactive financial calculators across mortgage, loan, retirement, and IRA planning use cases. Business Associates has no external investors, no parent company, no disclosed headcount, and no disclosed revenue; it functions as a single-office professional services practice serving the Oregon market, with all services ultimately delivered by the licensed principal.

Name

Business Associates

Legal name

Business Associates Inc

Website

https://business-associate.us

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Business Associates Inc is a locally owned accounting and tax services firm in Salem, Oregon, offering bookkeeping, tax preparation, tax planning, IRS audit representation, payroll, and business formation services to small businesses and individual taxpayers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accounting and Tax Services

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Accounting & Bookkeeping Services (BPAHABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Business Registration & Corporate Affairs (Registries) (BPAIAOAA)

Keywords

• Accounting services
• Tax preparation
• Audit representation
• Payroll processing
• Bookkeeping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Audit Representation Services: Hourly-based professional services for IRS and state tax audit representation, including preparation, meeting attendance, and appeals support
2. Accounting and Bookkeeping Services: Ongoing accounting services including general ledger preparation, financial statements, bank reconciliations, payroll processing, and QuickBooks support billed hourly
3. Tax Preparation and Planning: Tax return preparation for individuals and small businesses including C-Corporation, S-Corp, LLC, Partnership, and Sole Proprietorship. Includes tax planning and forecasting services.
4. Business Formation Services: New business registration assistance including federal and state ID obtainment, business plan creation, budget forecasting, and free business consulting

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Business Associates Inc is a Salem, Oregon-based accounting and tax services firm providing bookkeeping, financial statement preparation, payroll processing, federal and state tax return preparation for individuals and small businesses (C-Corp, S-Corp, LLC, Partnership, Sole Proprietorship), tax planning and forecasting, IRS and state audit representation, business formation assistance, and QuickBooks setup and support, all delivered on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Product overview

Business Associate Inc is a local accounting and tax services firm offering a unified suite of professional services for individuals and small businesses. The core offering combines Accounting Services (general ledger, bookkeeping, financial statements, bank reconciliations) with Tax Services (preparation, planning, and filing for individuals and businesses), Audit Representation (IRS and state tax audits), and Payroll Services. Additional offerings include Business Formation assistance and specialized QuickBooks Setup and Support for clients using QuickBooks software. The firm also provides Financial Calculators as a supplementary tool for client planning. All services are delivered by Licensed Enrolled Agent and Licensed Tax Consultant Cletus Fernandez.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accounting Services Comprehensive ongoing accounting services for small businesses on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, including general ledger and financial statement preparation, bookkeeping (monthly, quarterly, or annual), accounting system setup and support, payroll processing, cash flow budgeting and forecasting, personal financial statements, employee benefit and profit-sharing plans, and corporate tax planning and return preparation.
• Tax Preparation and Filing Federal and state tax return preparation for individuals and small businesses, including C-Corporation, S-Corp, LLC, Partnership, and Sole Proprietorship entities, with e-filing available. Service also encompasses related offerings such as Offer In Compromise, IRS Garnishments/Liens/Levies, Innocent Spouse Relief, answering IRS Notices, payroll tax filing, and All State Income Tax Preparation.
• Tax Planning and Consulting Long-term tax strategizing, annual tax forecasting, and mid-year tax planning services for individuals and small businesses aimed at minimizing tax liability and maintaining ongoing conscientious planning.
• Audit Representation IRS and state tax audit representation including audit preparation, documentation organization, attendance at audit proceedings, and assistance with the appeals process. Provided by a Licensed Enrolled Agent with federal practice rights before the IRS in any state. Pricing varies depending on whether the firm prepared the return being audited.
• Business Formation Services New business registration assistance for entrepreneurs, including federal and state ID obtainment, business plan creation, and 3-5 year budget forecasting, bundled with free business consulting.
• Payroll Services Full payroll processing for small businesses covering payroll tax checks, federal and state quarterly returns, W2/W3 forms, 1099/1096 forms, Federal 940, new hire reporting, and unemployment claims processing, including development and implementation of a payroll system.
• QuickBooks Setup and Support Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor service offering installation, product selection, setup, data transfer from older versions, chart of accounts configuration, employee payroll information setup, payroll report creation, and ongoing personal training, support, and review for QuickBooks users.
• Financial Calculators Interactive web-based financial planning tools including mortgage calculator, loan calculator, amortization calculator, auto loans calculator, lease vs. buy analysis, retirement planner, and Roth vs. Traditional IRA calculator, available on the firm website for client use.

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

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Anders CPAs + Advisors: Regional accounting and advisory firm offering tax, audit, accounting, and business advisory services to small and mid-sized businesses — comparable service breadth and SMB client focus.
• Liberty Tax: Franchise-based tax preparation chain serving individual and small business clients with in-person office service — similar service model and customer base to Business Associates.
• Padgett Business Services: Franchise network providing accounting, tax, payroll, and advisory services to small businesses — a direct functional and customer-base peer to Business Associates.
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service: Tax preparation franchise focused on individual and small business returns with retail office presence — overlaps with Business Associates in target customer and service mix.
• H&R Block: National tax preparation firm offering individual and small business tax services with both retail offices and digital channels — directly comparable to Business Associates' core retail tax preparation offering.

Broad incumbents

• Intuit (TurboTax, QuickBooks Live): Owner of TurboTax and QuickBooks Live, the dominant DIY and live-assisted tax and accounting platforms for small businesses and individuals — a major competitive incumbent that commoditizes the services Business Associates offers.
• Marcum LLP: National accounting and advisory firm providing tax, audit, and consulting services including for small businesses — broader portfolio but overlaps with Business Associates' tax and accounting offerings.
• BDO USA: Global accounting network with U.S. operations providing tax, audit, and advisory services to small businesses and middle-market clients — operates at a larger scale but in the same professional services space.

Emerging players

• 1-800Accountant: Virtual accounting and tax firm serving small businesses and individuals nationwide — competes with Business Associates for the same SMB tax and bookkeeping work but through a remote delivery model.
• AccountingDepartment.com: Outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services firm targeting small and mid-sized businesses — competes for the same SMB bookkeeping and accounting engagements with a technology-enabled virtual delivery model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Business Associates