Bookkeeping and payroll in Tennessee

Bookkeeping and payroll for Tennessee businesses.

Visory provides bookkeeping and payroll services for growing Tennessee businesses, from professional firms and consultancies to agencies. A dedicated team you know by name works inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file, with Delphi AI taking the repetitive parts under that team’s oversight, and keeps your books and pay runs to Tennessee’s business tax, sales tax, and unemployment insurance rules. One flat monthly fee covers the agreed scope.

  • A dedicated team you know by name
  • Tennessee rules in every pay run and close
  • One flat monthly fee for the agreed scope
Downtown Nashville under a clear blue sky, with a tall twin-spired tower rising above the brick blocks near Lower Broadway.
Photo: Mike Gattorna, Unsplash License

Who we work with in Tennessee

Growing businesses across Tennessee.

Health care and social assistance is Tennessee’s largest private industry, with about 434,000 jobs, and transportation and warehousing employs about 204,000 people, nearly one and a half times its share of jobs nationally (BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages). Across the state, private employers averaged about 2.84 million jobs in 2025.

Tennessee rules

The Tennessee rules your finance function runs on.

Six rules set by Tennessee, each with the law that sets it and what it does to your month. Your team works to them every pay run and every close.

The state tax sits with the entity, not the pay stub.

With no wage withholding, Tennessee’s tax cost shows up in the business’s own returns, so the books track net earnings and net worth through the year, and estimates start once the liability passes $5,000.

Set by Hall income tax repeal, Public Chapter 181 (2017), Section 13 (IMPROVE Act); franchise and excise taxes on entities

Tennessee’s Hall income tax applied only to interest from bonds and notes and dividends from stock, and it was repealed for tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021, so no state income tax is withheld from wages and pay runs carry federal withholding only. Corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and business trusts pay franchise and excise taxes instead: 0.25% of Tennessee net worth and 6.5% of Tennessee taxable income, with quarterly estimates once the combined liability reaches $5,000 in both the prior and current years.

Hall income tax repeal, Public Chapter 181 (2017), Section 13 (IMPROVE Act); franchise and excise taxes on entities; Hall income tax repealed for tax periods beginning on or after January 1, 2021.

The cost lands early in the year.

Premiums stop once an employee’s wages pass $7,000, so for most staff the whole year’s cost accrues on January to March wages and is paid with the first-quarter report by April 30, and a budget that spreads it evenly overstates the rest of the year.

Set by Tennessee Employment Security Law, Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-7-403

Employers pay unemployment premiums on the first $7,000 of each employee’s wages in 2026, the base since 2018. The Unemployment Trust Fund balance selects one of six premium rate tables each half-year; Table 6 has applied since July 1, 2015, with rates from 0.01% to 10.00% by reserve ratio. Most new employers pay 2.7%, or their industry sector’s rate if its reserve ratio is negative. Wage and premium reports are due by April 30, July 31, October 31, and January 31.

Tennessee Employment Security Law, Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-7-403; $7,000 wage base for 2026; Premium Rate Table 6 in effect from January 1, 2026; new employer rate as set out in the Employer Handbook (June 2019).

The federal floor is the only floor.

With no state or city rate to track, every pay rate is checked against $7.25, and tipped staff against the $2.13 cash wage plus the tips recorded in each pay period.

Set by Fair Labor Standards Act (federal); Tennessee has no minimum wage law

Tennessee has no state minimum wage law, so employers subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act pay the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. Tipped employees who receive more than $30 a month in tips may be paid a cash wage of $2.13, with a tip credit of up to $5.12, as long as their tips bring pay to at least $7.25 an hour.

Fair Labor Standards Act (federal); Tennessee has no minimum wage law; federal minimum wage of $7.25 effective July 24, 2009.

A tax on revenue, not profit.

Business tax is owed on gross receipts even in a loss-making year, so the books accrue it monthly against sales, and a calendar-year business budgets for the return due April 15.

Set by Tennessee state and city business tax, Classification 3 (service businesses)

Businesses grossing $100,000 or more in Tennessee register for and pay the state business tax on gross receipts, plus city business tax where their city has enacted it. Service businesses fall in Classification 3, taxed at 0.1875% of retail receipts, with a minimum tax of $22; architecture, engineering, legal, and medical services are exempt. Returns are due on the 15th day of the fourth month after the fiscal year, April 15 for a calendar year. Sales tax applies to taxable services at 7%, plus local rates up to 2.75%.

Tennessee state and city business tax, Classification 3 (service businesses).

Final pay can run in the normal cycle.

A leaver is paid on the next regular payday or 21 days after leaving, whichever comes last, and what the leave policy says about unused balances decides what else goes in that final pay.

Set by Tennessee Wage Regulations Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-2-103

Private employers with five or more employees set and keep regular paydays, and wages are paid at least once a month. Monthly payers pay wages earned before the 1st by the 5th of the next month. Anyone who leaves is paid in full by the next regular payday or 21 days after leaving, whichever is later. Paid time off, vacation, and sick pay follow company policy, and unused balances are paid at separation only if the policy or a labor agreement says so.

Tennessee Wage Regulations Act, Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-2-103.

Onboarding is part of the first pay run.

The new-hire report draws on the same details as the first pay, so it is done the day someone is added to the payroll file, well inside the 20 days.

Set by Tennessee new hire reporting, Department of Labor and Workforce Development

Employers report every newly hired or rehired employee to the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development within 20 days of the date they are hired. The Department matches the reports against its active unemployment claimant files to stop payments or recover erroneous ones, which reduces fraudulent unemployment and workers’ compensation payments.

Tennessee new hire reporting, Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Rules last checked October 9, 2026 against the sources at the foot of this page. General information only. It does not take your circumstances into account.

How it works from anywhere

Can a team outside Tennessee run a Tennessee business?

Yes. Visory’s US leadership team is in New York, and its teams work with businesses across the United States remotely, inside your own accounting file, so nothing about the work depends on where your office is.

Your own file

Your books stay in your own QuickBooks or Xero file. Your team works inside it, so you see the same numbers they do, whenever you look.

A team you know by name

A dedicated team runs the work, led by a Business Performance Partner. You meet them by video call, and you always know who to ask.

Tennessee rules, built in

Visory runs the finance function for growing businesses across the United States, with its US leadership team in New York. Your books stay in your own QuickBooks or Xero file, and your team works inside it with you. Every pay run and every close is checked against the rules on this page.

Business hours, and the platform after them

Your team works 9am to 5pm Eastern Time on business days, all year round, and the Visory platform is open to you around the clock for documents, approvals, and your numbers.

Visory Insights

What your numbers should show in Tennessee.

Clean books are the start. Every month, Insights turns them into a plain-English report, and a named Business Performance Partner walks your leadership team through what they mean for the year ahead.

Unemployment premiums, all in the first quarter

At the 2.7% new-employer rate, each employee costs up to $189 in premiums on the $7,000 wage base, and for anyone paid more than $28,000 a year, all of it falls in the first quarter. Insights puts that into the cash flow forecast.

Business tax is owed on revenue

At 0.1875%, a service business with $2 million of taxable receipts owes $3,750 of state business tax for the year, before any city tax, whether or not it made a profit. Insights accrues it monthly, so April’s return is already in the numbers.

When excise tax brings quarterly estimates

Excise tax is 6.5% of Tennessee taxable income, so excise alone reaches the $5,000 estimate line at about $77,000 of taxable income. Once that holds in both the prior and current years, estimates fall due in the fourth, sixth, and ninth months and the first month after. Insights times them in the forecast.

Looking for a fractional CFO in Tennessee? Visory has no standalone CFO offer. That work sits inside Visory Insights and your sessions with a Business Performance Partner. See Visory Insights

What customers say

In a customer’s words.

“Visory understands my business deeply and it's evident with the thoughtful questions they ask and changes they propose.”

Rachelle Harper Co-founder and COO, BrandBossHQ

Common questions

Questions Tennessee businesses ask.

Straight answers about bookkeeping and payroll for a Tennessee business, from a team that works remotely.

Does Visory have an office in Tennessee?

Visory’s US leadership team is in New York, and its teams work with growing businesses across the United States remotely, so we support businesses in Tennessee as we do everywhere else. A Tennessee business gets a dedicated team you know by name, who keep the books and run payroll inside your own QuickBooks or Xero file and meet you by video call. Your records stay in your file, which you can open at any time.

What hours does my Visory team work?

Your team works 9am to 5pm Eastern Time on business days, all year round. Outside those hours, the Visory platform is your 24/7 access point, so your financial information is there whenever you need it.

Can a bookkeeper outside my office look after a Tennessee business?

Yes. What matters is that the team knows Tennessee’s rules and works inside your own accounting file. Visory connects to your bank feeds and software, codes and reconciles transactions through the month with Delphi AI working under an expert team, and meets you by video call. Nothing about the work depends on where your office is.

How much does a bookkeeper cost in Tennessee?

Visory charges one flat monthly fee for the scope we agree, with no hourly billing and no timesheets. The fee reflects the services you take, from bookkeeping and payroll to accounts payable, accounts receivable, and Insights, and the volume of work in your business. After a discovery call, you get a clear proposal, so you know the monthly cost before you start.

See how pricing works

Do you work in QuickBooks and Xero?

Yes. Visory works inside the systems you already use: QuickBooks and Xero for the ledger, Gusto and Rippling for pay runs, and Bill, Ramp, and Stripe for payments, along with your bank feeds. Your books stay in your own accounting file, which you own and can open at any time. Any change to your setup is agreed with you first.

Do Tennessee businesses pay tax on services?

Most do, through business tax. With a few exceptions, a business grossing $100,000 or more pays state business tax on its receipts, 0.1875% for service businesses with a $22 minimum, plus city business tax where its city levies one; architecture, engineering, legal, and medical services are exempt. Taxable services also carry 7% sales tax plus up to 2.75% local. This is general information; the Department of Revenue sets the rules.

Does Tennessee have a state income tax?

Not on wages. Tennessee’s Hall income tax applied only to interest and dividends and was repealed for tax periods from January 1, 2021, so pay runs carry federal withholding only. Corporations and LLCs pay franchise and excise taxes instead, at 0.25% of Tennessee net worth and 6.5% of Tennessee taxable income. This is general information; the Department of Revenue sets the rules.

When is final pay due in Tennessee?

All wages earned are due in full by the next regular payday after the employee quits or is discharged, or 21 days after they leave, whichever is later, and no employer can exempt itself from that deadline, by agreement or otherwise. Unused paid time off is paid only if your policy or a labor agreement says so. Employers with five or more staff keep regular paydays, at least monthly. This is general information; the Department of Labor and Workforce Development sets the rules.

Can you look after staff in more than one state?

Yes. Each state sets its own income tax withholding, unemployment insurance, minimum wage, and leave rules, and under Tennessee’s unemployment rules, wages are reported and premiums paid to the state where the work is performed. Visory keeps one set of books and runs payroll with each state’s rules applied to the staff who work there, so every state’s cost shows in one monthly report.

Do you offer a fractional CFO in Tennessee?

A fractional CFO advises on numbers someone else produces. Visory runs the books, payroll, and payments, then delivers the insight from the same team: Visory Insights is a plain-English monthly report and a session with a named Business Performance Partner. There is no handover between the doing and the advising, and it comes on one flat monthly fee.

See how Visory Insights works
More questions, longer answers. Every question has its own link. See all common questions

Getting started

Start with clarity, not a contract.

Three steps, in whatever rhythm suits you. Each one is useful on its own.

  1. Two people shake hands across a desk beside a laptop

    Book a discovery call

    An obligation-free conversation about your goals and what you want the numbers to tell you.

    Obligation-free
  2. A woman takes notes beside a laptop showing a financial report

    Get your free financial health check

    A senior member of the Visory team analyzes your financials and shows you where your finance function can improve. It is free, and it is your own numbers.

    Free · your own numbers
  3. Top-down view of hands on a laptop showing the Visory accounts receivable workflow

    Receive a clear proposal

    A clear commercial proposal for the scope we agree, on one flat monthly fee. No hourly billing. You decide whether to go ahead.

    Flat monthly fee

Get started

The best is ahead for your business.

Start with a discovery call. We will listen first, then show you what your own numbers have been trying to tell you.

Sources (17) · rules last checked October 9, 2026

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