Bookkeeping & Payroll Services in Knoxville, TN | P&L Business Services

Twenty-five minutes from downtown, with 28 years of doing this in East Tennessee.

P&L Business Services provides bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation for businesses in Knoxville and Knox County. We are based in Oak Ridge, about twenty-five minutes from downtown Knoxville, and we have been doing this work for 35 years, 28 of them in East Tennessee.

Most of what we do happens digitally, so where you are matters less than it used to. But when something needs a conversation, we are close enough to have one in person — and when tax season turns complicated, that tends to matter more than people expect.

We bill hourly. You pay for the work you actually need, not a package built around someone else’s business.

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What We Handle

Bookkeeping
Bank and credit card reconciliation
Financial statements
Accounts payable and receivable

Payroll
Payroll tax filing
Quarterly returns, W-2s, and 1099s
Sales tax filing

Tax preparation
Tennessee business tax filing
Tangible personal property returns
Registered agent services

Why Local Still Matters

Plenty of bookkeeping happens online now, and most of ours does too. But there are still reasons Knoxville business owners choose someone nearby.

You can hand us the box.

Some clients still show up with a box of receipts and a shoebox full of good intentions. That is harder to do with a service three states away, and we would rather have the box than a year of guesswork.

We know Tennessee filings.

City and county business tax returns. Sales tax. Tangible personal property returns. These are state and local requirements that national online services routinely miss or file incorrectly — and the penalties land on you, not on them.

You get a person, not a ticket.

When you call, you reach someone in Oak Ridge who knows your business. There is no queue and no case number.

Remote whenever you want it.

The day-to-day work is digital. Being close by is an option you can use when you need it, not an obligation.

Who We Work With

We work with businesses across Knoxville and Knox County — the kind of businesses where the owner is also the operator, and where the books are the last thing anyone wants to spend a Sunday on.

That includes trades and contractors, title companies, salons, dental practices, physical therapy clinics, cleaning companies, artists and content creators, and chambers of commerce.

If you are not sure whether you are the right fit, call and ask. It is a short conversation either way.

Serving Knoxville and the Surrounding Area

Our Knoxville clients are spread across Knox County and the communities around it. We work with businesses in Farragut, Hardin Valley, Karns, Powell, Heiskell, Mascot, Strawberry Plains, and Solway — and across the wider region from Oak Ridge out to Blount, Roane, Loudon, and Sevier counties.

Common Questions from Knoxville Business Owners

Do you meet with clients in person in Knoxville?

Yes. Most of our work happens digitally, but we are twenty-five minutes from downtown and we meet clients in person when it helps. Some clients we see quarterly. Some we have never met face to face. Both work.

How does working with an Oak Ridge bookkeeper actually work day to day?

You send us your statements and documents, we handle the categorization and reconciliation, and you get financial statements you can actually use. Most of it happens through secure file sharing and email. If you would rather drop off paperwork, our office is at 109 W. Tennessee Ave. in Oak Ridge.

Do I need a CPA or a bookkeeper?

For most businesses, a bookkeeper handles the ongoing work — recording transactions, reconciling accounts, running payroll, filing sales and business tax returns, and producing financial statements. A CPA is typically brought in for audits, complex tax strategy, or certified financial statements. We handle bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation, and we will tell you plainly if something needs a CPA.

How do you charge?

We bill hourly. We do not sell packages, because most businesses do not need the same amount of work every month and we would rather not charge you for hours you did not use.

Which Tennessee filings do you handle?

Annual city and county business tax returns, monthly sales tax filings, tangible personal property returns, and quarterly payroll tax returns. We also serve as registered agent, which keeps your LLC from being administratively dissolved because a notice went to an old address.