For CPA firms
HearthRC Defense
Most S-corp salary numbers are guesses. HearthRC Defense replaces the guess with a documented report: three independent methods run through a guided interview, reconciled into one figure with the working papers behind it. Your firm reviews it, brands it, and bills it.
Why it matters
"Reasonable" is a number that has to hold up.
Set the salary too low and the client risks reclassification plus back payroll taxes. Set it too high and they overpay payroll tax every year. The defensible answer is the point where three independent analyses converge, with the narrative and stress tests written down behind it.
How it works
Three methods, one reconciled figure
Guided intake.
A conversational interview captures roles, hours, complexity, and market position in the owner's own words. It runs in your firm's brand.
Three independent methods.
Cost, Market, and Income approaches run on every engagement, each with its own working papers.
One reconciled figure.
The point where the three analyses converge, with the weighting and sensitivity ranges documented. Not a single-method number that's easy to challenge.
Ready to deliver.
Methodology narrative, stress tests, and corporate-minutes language drafted and ready to drop in. We never call it audit-proof or IRS-approved. The documentation speaks for itself.
Start the work
The intake that feeds the report.
One structured questionnaire captures what the nine factors ask about: the election and ownership, the owner's roles and hours, three years of financials, staff comparables, and the records on hand. Your firm completes it about the client, online or on paper. Gaps are fine; the engagement flags them and keeps moving.
What it costs
One report at a time, or the firm year.
Single Report
One documented figure: three methods reconciled, working papers, corporate-minutes language. Buy one when the engagement calls for it; the credit never expires.
See pricing and buy →Premium Year
Ten reports with your firm's branding on every one, audit defense included. The lane for firms running S-corp clients at any volume.
See pricing and buy →Questions
Common questions
Do clients need a new report every year?
Facts change: pay, role, market comparables. Annual refreshes are the norm, and firm subscriptions carry year-over-year cloning so the refresh stays light.
Is this audit-proof?
No, and we'll never claim that. No one can. What you get is a documented, reviewed figure with a reconciled methodology behind it, which is what holds up.
How does the pricing work?
A single report is $449. The Premium Year is $1,399 for ten reports with your firm's branding. You bill the client at your own rate in your market's range; both tiers are published on the pricing page.
How is this different from the free calculator?
The calculator educates. The report is the documented figure: three methods reconciled, working papers, narrative, and minutes language. The calculator never mimics the report.
See a sample report on the screen call.
Thirty minutes on your practice. You'll see the report, the terms, and what the first month looks like. If it isn't a fit, we'll say so on the call.