| Founded | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Closed | 2022 |
| Country | USA |
| Sector | Saas |
| Collapse type | Fire Sale |
| Founder | Chandra Bhansali |
Payroll Relief (by AccountantsWorld)
"Two decades of payroll processing expertise, made irrelevant by Gusto's modern UX in four years."
Distressed acquisition below last-round valuation
Key Events Timeline
AccountantsWorld's Payroll Relief platform, marketed to small CPA firms serving SME payroll clients, was sold to Thomson Reuters in 2022 after years of declining market share.
// full analysis
Full analysis requires the Analyst plan
Documented cause · Market cycle · Competitive moat type · Verified lesson
€149/mo · or contribute your autopsy for free access →
UnicornBurn Season 0 opens July 2026. 10,000 founders competing in one world. Your startup fights for the market every Saturday. Most will end up here. Which one are you?
JOIN SEASON 0 →Payroll Relief (by AccountantsWorld) followed a documented pattern. Identify the same signals in any company before they reach the point of no return.
Witnessed a startup failure first-hand? Share the real story. First-hand accounts from founders and team members get prioritized for publication.
SUBMIT AN AUTOPSY →Failure intelligence for due diligence and risk analysis.
Structured dataset by collapse type, for 5031 startups. 7-day trial.
See plans →Free JSON API. No key required. 50 autopsies, 10 req/day.
Full dataset available with Intelligence plan API key. CORS enabled.
Explore API →Academic, press, or research use? Free JSON API available — no auth required →