Why a fixed fee instead of an hourly rate?

Because the value is in the answer, not in how long it takes. A fixed fee means we work fast, we don't pad the timeline, and you know exactly what you're paying before we start.

What if our files are already a mess?

That's the typical starting point. We've audited files where I-9s were missing for 40% of staff and handbooks were three years stale. The audit is built to find the mess, not to judge it.

Do we have to commit to a retainer afterward?

No. Some clients hand the cleanup plan to their internal team and stop there. That's fine. If you continue, the $2,500 audit fee is credited toward your first month of retainer.

Who delivers the audit?

Josh King personally runs every audit. No junior associate, no offshore reviewer. The person doing the audit is the same person who builds the plan and presents the readout.

Will you tell us things we don't want to hear?

Yes. That's the entire point. If your manager-of-record paperwork is invalid, you'll know on day 21. If your overtime classifications are wrong, you'll know. The whole engagement is designed around candor.

Is this only for cannabis or senior care operators?

Those are our two strongest fits, cannabis because state inspectors don't forgive sloppy files, senior care because PBJ and survey readiness compound risk. But the audit works for any regulated SMB with 10-100 employees.

Entry offer · $2,500 fixed fee

A 30-day audit before small problems become expensive ones.

We pull your employee files, payroll process, training records, and compliance documentation, find the gaps, and hand you a prioritized cleanup plan. Fixed fee. No retainer commitment. Credited toward your first month if you continue.

Book a 20-min scoping call

See what you get

Partner

Rippling Certified

Google reviews

5.0 ★ · 6 reviews

Licensed

LNHA · MA · NH · NC

Insured

E&O coverage

Based in

Ludlow, MA

The deliverable

Compliance file gap report

Per-employee file checklist with status
Missing-document list, prioritized by risk
Payroll process map + leakage points
Training & compliance matrix
30-day cleanup plan, sequenced

Length

~25 pages

Timeline

4 weeks

Format

PDF + readout

What's included

Six deliverables. One scope. Fixed fee.

The audit is the same for every client, we don't sell variants. Cannabis, senior care, manufacturing, healthcare: same engagement, calibrated to your regulatory landscape.

Employee file audit

I-9s, W-4s, signed handbooks, training acknowledgements, exempt classifications, every file reviewed against the federal and MA-specific list.

Missing-document report

A line-item list of every file gap, every employee, prioritized by audit risk and the cost of the lapse.

Training & compliance matrix

Who has completed what, who's overdue, and what's exposed. Includes harassment, OIG, license verification, and industry-specific training.

Payroll process & risk summary

How payroll is run today, where it's leaking, and where misclassification, late deposits, or PFML errors are creating exposure.

30-day cleanup plan

Sequenced fix list, what we'd do first, what we'd hand to your team, what we'd own monthly. Concrete, not consulting fluff.

Owner/operator readout

60-minute walkthrough of findings with the owner or COO. Hard truth, not a sanitized deck.

The 30 days, week by week

A predictable schedule, not a consulting black box.

Most clients see the gap report in week 3 and the readout in week 4. We don't run audits longer than 30 days, anything longer is a project, not an audit.

Week 1

Kickoff & file pull

Scope confirmed, files pulled from your payroll platform and HRIS, intake interviews with the owner and key managers.

Engagement scope
File access set up
Interview kickoff

Week 2

Audit & interviews

Every file reviewed against the federal + MA checklist. Manager interviews uncover the workarounds and shadow processes.

Per-employee audit
Process interviews
Risk scoring

Week 3

Gap report & plan

Findings consolidated. Missing-doc list per employee. 30-day prioritized cleanup plan, sequenced by audit risk.

Gap report
Risk summary
Cleanup plan

Week 4

Readout & next step

60-minute readout with the owner. Decision time: hand the plan to your team, or convert to a monthly retainer.

Owner readout
Q&A session
Retainer recommendation

Pricing

One number. Credited if you stay.

The audit is fixed-fee so you know exactly what you're paying. If you continue with a retainer afterward, the $2,500 is credited toward your first month.

Recommended

Entry offer

Compliance File Audit Sprint

$2,500fixed fee

The full 30-day audit. Same scope every time. Credited toward your first month of retainer if you continue.

Employee file audit (every employee)
Missing-document report
Training & compliance matrix
Payroll process & risk summary
30-day prioritized cleanup plan
60-minute owner/operator readout

Larger teams (>75 employees) and complex cannabis multi-site operations may require a $5,000 tier, we'll flag this on the scoping call.

Book a scoping call

Continue with us

HR & Payroll Backstop

$2,950+/month

The retainer the audit converts into. Payroll coordination, file management, monthly compliance reporting, and priority support.

Payroll coordination + audits
Onboarding & employee file management
PFML / FMLA notice + return-to-work
Compliance & training tracking
Monthly owner/operator report
Priority email + Slack support

3-month minimum. $2,500 audit fee credited toward month 1. Sized to team complexity, not headcount.

See HR & Payroll details

Who this is for

Regulated, owner-operated, 10-100 employees.

The audit fits the operators who feel the most pain when files are messy, and the most exposure when an inspector shows up.

Cannabis operators

Dispensaries, cultivators, processors. Agent registration, license verification, multi-site shift premiums, the audit catches the things state inspectors flag.

Senior care & SNFs

Skilled nursing, assisted living, home care. PBJ, OIG, SAM, license, and CORI exposure mapped against survey readiness.

Regulated local SMBs

Healthcare, behavioral health, dental, manufacturing, logistics. Anywhere the owner is the de facto HR department and an audit is the next email away.

A note from the founder

“The point of the audit isn’t to sell you a retainer. It’s to tell you the truth about your files in 30 days. If the cleanup plan is small enough that your office manager can run it, you’ll know, and you’ll keep the plan either way.”

Josh King· Founder, King & Co.

Audit questions

What clients ask before booking the scoping call.

One audit. One number. One conversation.

A 20-minute call to confirm fit. We’ll either schedule the audit or tell you it’s not the right time.