The Best PEO Service Providers of 2019

by Matt D'AngeloLast Modified: July 9, 2019

Professional employer organizations (PEOs) take HR, payroll and benefits tasks off your hands so you can focus on running your business. These companies operate under a unique co-employment model, where your employees legally appear on a PEO's books but remain under your control. This model allows for a PEO to leverage major health benefits plans with the best providers no matter the client.

PEOs also have experience when it comes to handling HR problems or new payroll practices, like payroll taxes. PEOs can provide workplace training, unemployment insurance, workers' compensation coverage and other types of employee benefits. A PEO can handle your administrative tasks and give you the kind of employee benefits that will attract new workers. As a client, partnering with a PEO gives you access to great back-end administrative services for running your business.

Best Picks

Customer Service

Very Small Businesses

Startups

Small Businesses

Midsize Businesses

ADP TotalSource

Best Customer Service

ADP TotalSource represents more than half a million employees across the nation. It offers extensive services that are ideal for businesses of all sizes. What set this company apart from others we reviewed, however, was the attention to detail and support we received from its sales team.

Part of our review process involves posing as small business owners shopping for a PEO for our business. ADP was one of the few companies that extended a service brochure to us. When we explained that we were looking at competitors, the representatives offered advice on what questions to ask and what services to look for in our search. This level of attention was unmatched by other sales teams we reviewed. TotalSource's friendly and helpful sales team, in addition to its robust PEO services, are why we selected it as the best PEO for customer service.

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TriNet

Best for Very Small Businesses

TriNet has an attractive offering for very small businesses, which includes a flexible pricing structure and no long-term contracts. TriNet also doesn't have an employee minimum, so you can sign up for TriNet's PEO services no matter how small your business is. TriNet provides HR services, risk management, payroll software and benefits administration, which are all included in its PEO plan.

Very small businesses can use TriNet's services to grow and offer competitive employee benefits and HR solutions to beat competitors. In addition to all these features, the TriNet representatives we interacted with were kind and helpful. For these reasons, TriNet earns our pick for best PEO for very small businesses.

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Oasis Outsourcing

Best for Startups

Oasis Outsourcing is an ideal PEO solution for startups because of its pricing and contract structure. Oasis supports a client of any size – it doesn't have an employee minimum, although your agreement structure may depend on how big your company is. While it requires a one-year contract, you can receive a full refund if you cancel your service within the first 90 days. Oasis is one of the only PEO services we reviewed with an offer like this.

Startups are small and agile businesses, so Oasis' refund structure means that if anything changes with your business, it's easy to get your money back. Oasis also gives you the ability to mix and match services as you require – as your business changes, you can add or remove services accordingly. For these reasons, Oasis Outsourcing is the best PEO for startups.

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Insperity

Best for Small Businesses

Insperity's HR outsourcing services, risk management, payroll administration and employee benefit plans make it a great option for small business owners. Insperity provides a dedicated team to handle each area of the PEO service.

A standout feature from Insperity is its employee training solutions. Insperity partners have access to thousands of online courses for HR topics and other educational materials. You can also set up onsite or online training sessions tailored to your business's needs. For these reasons, Insperity is our pick as the best PEO for small businesses.

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Paychex

Best for Midsize Businesses

Paychex is ideal for midsize businesses because of its scalability and the HR generalist the company provides to help you manage your services. The HR generalist remains the point person as your business grows and changes, which means you'll receive personalized coverage even as your business grows.

Paychex is certified by the IRS and accredited by the Employer Services Assurance Corporation. Not all the companies we reviewed had this level of certification. Paychex represents thousands of employees and businesses of varying sizes, so you'll be joining a company that has the infrastructure to support your business as it grows. For these reasons, Paychex is the PEO we recommend for midsize businesses.

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Editor's note: Interested in a PEO service? Fill out the questionnaire below to have our vendor partners provide you with information for free.

Reviews

What to Expect in 2019

PEOs are growing at a rapid rate. As business owners look to offset administrative tasks and offer better benefits, PEOs are answering the call. Currently, PEOs employ 3.7 million worksite employees and have annual wages around $176 billion. These numbers are only expected to increase in the coming years, offering small businesses better benefits options and more HR resources.

Before we dive into which PEO is best for various types of businesses, it's important to consider some important information about the industry, including commonalities with PEOs, such as contractual obligations and pricing structures, plus important factors and questions to keep in mind as you search for a professional employer organization.

If you already have a handle on a lot of this information, you can dive right into our best picks and reviews below.

After researching dozens of PEOs and spending hours on the phone with providers, we've identified the best PEO for very small businesses, the best PEO for startups, the best PEO for small businesses, the best PEO for midsize businesses, and the PEO with the best customer service.

PEO Pricing

PEOs offer two main forms of pricing: They either charge a per-employee fee or a percentage of your total payroll.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both types of pricing, and whether a PEO that charges you per employee or as a percentage of your payroll is right for you depends on your business, how many employees you have and the overall structure of the PEO plan.

There aren't any free trials with PEOs. Oasis Outsourcing was the only company that offered a plan that resembled a free trial, and it's in the form of a 90-day, money-back guarantee. During the initial phase of shopping for a PEO, ask the sales representative questions and iron out the details of service and how they relate to your business.

PEO contract length and structure vary by company. Some PEOs offer long-term contracts only while others don't require any contract at all. Cancellation policies also vary widely among companies and which plan you enroll in. Generally, you need to provide 30 to 60 days' notice before canceling your service. Some companies allow you to leave at any time for any reason; others charge you a fee for leaving.

Within each of our reviews, we've listed the cancellation policy of the PEO. It's critical, though, that you ask about the PEO's cancellation policy before you reach an agreement – you want the freedom and flexibility to cancel the service if you need to.

Negotiation Tips

Below are additional crucial items to address with the PEO service you're considering hiring. You should go over this information – even though it may be available on the company's website – with a member of the PEO's sales team so you gain a complete understanding of the PEO's services.

Additional fees. Ask the company upfront if there are any additional fees. Some companies charge for canceling service, for example. Make sure you thoroughly review the material the sales team gives you to spot any fees associated with service. If you're not sure, ask the sales representative. Also keep in mind that the cost structure, whether per employee or as a percentage of income, does not include additional costs for healthcare and other employee benefits plans.
Employee minimums. Many of the PEOs we evaluated had an employee minimum; that is, they required a certain minimum number of employees – usually five or 10 – in order to qualify for their service. As you browse PEOs, keep in mind that you may need a minimum number of employees to qualify for the PEO offering. If you don't qualify, many companies offer ASO or HR outsourcing services, which may make sense for your business. Just be aware that while these services may be similar to the PEO model, it is a different agreement. Some companies also structure their services so a certain number of employees need to be enrolled in health benefits in order to qualify for service. Others require a minimum monthly salary requirement if your business is below a certain employee threshold. All of these companies have requirements and standards for the clients they take on. Make sure you understand what each company expects from you. If you fall below the PEO's employee minimum, for example, you don't want to have to cancel your services or pay an additional fee.
Access to experts. Make sure the PEO you partner with provides you with a designated team of experts who can handle your HR, risk management, benefits and payroll needs. You want to partner with a company that provides specialists in each area, as well as a relationship manager who can help you use the services available to you to your full advantage. Sometimes the HR consultant doubles as a relationship manager, which is also a good option. The best companies have HR consultants who are certified by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). SHRM certification ensures that your account coordinator is more than just a relationship manager.
Plan structure. One final thing to pay attention to is how the company structures its plan. Some PEOs offer a one-size-fits-all solution, so you'll receive all your features for the same monthly fee. Others offer services that you can add and remove to tailor the plan to your small business's needs. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. A one-size-fits-all solution means you can grow into all the features without changing the pay structure, while an a la carte option is more customized to your business.

Co-Employment: How Do PEOs Work?

PEOs operate under a co-employment model, where your employees will appear on the PEO's books for legal and tax purposes. This allows PEOs to act as massive corporations with hundreds of thousands of employees. The co-employment model means these companies can negotiate contracts with employee benefits providers for more favorable insurance rates on workers' compensation insurance and unemployment insurance. It also means they have the power and scope to build and leverage powerful time and attendance and payroll technology for small businesses.

Once you sign on with a PEO, you'll work closely with customer success managers and other team members to build out the services you need for your small business. Many of the companies we reviewed offer a la carte services, where companies can sign up for individual services instead of full bundles.

As your business grows, your PEO will adjust to your needs and work with you. Working with a PEO under the co-employment model is essentially partnering with a team of specialists to build out the administrative and back-end processes of your organization. If it makes sense for your business financially, these organizations can take a lot of the stress (and handle most of the legwork) out of running your business so you can focus on more important needs.

More than 150,000 small businesses partner with PEOs across the country to get high-quality benefits and proper HR support to keep their businesses running smoothly. There are more than 800 PEO services companies serving and operating in all 50 states. A PEO must adhere to both state and federal regulations, so some companies are divided up by region or even state.

As you search for a PEO, keep your own state and region in mind – some PEOs are only qualified to serve small businesses in some states. Most of the companies we reviewed are qualified to offer coverage in all 50 states. If you're curious about whether a PEO operates in your state or not, you can look it up in the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations' directory.

Our Methodology

We compiled a list of almost 60 PEO services after analyzing industry trends, considering companies featured on other review sites, reviewing top industry players and searching NAPEO's (the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations) website.

After analyzing their small business services, establishing whether they were national PEOs, reviewing their accreditation and NAPEO membership, and grading their online presence, we whittled the list down to 35 companies.

From the list of 35, we conducted further research and chose 12 companies that stood out as industry leaders. We picked these 12 companies by diving deep into their services and reviewing their HR, payroll, benefits, and risk management offerings. We also established the types of training resources and customer reviews the company had.

From the list of 12 companies we selected, we chose five that stood out as best picks for customer service, small business, startups, very small businesses and midsize businesses. We then reviewed each company's pricing structure, contract requirements, online and mobile access, the services the PEO offered, and standout features.

Of the five best picks we determined, we dug even deeper, evaluating the customer service and features the plans offer. We contacted our finalists by phone, speaking as small business owners. We inquired about the PEO's plan structure, pricing and cancellation policy. The five companies withstood each round of our testing and stood out in all of our interactions with them.

CognosHR

17W635 Butterfield Road

Oakbrook Terrace,

Employers Resource

1301 S Vista Ave

Boise, ID

Execustaff HR

5898 Silver Creek Valley Rd

San Jose, CA

Premier Employer Services

7200 S Alton Way

Centennial, CO

Synuity

14497 N Dale Mabry Hwy

Tampa , FL

Best Employment Solutions Team

3000 Town Center

Southfield, ME

Engage PEO

4000 Hollywood Blvd.

Hollywood, FL

G&A Partners

17220 Katy Freeway

Houston, TX

Genesis HR

1 Burlington Woods Dr.

Burlington, MA

Justworks

601 W 26th St.

New York, NY

Paychex

911 Panorama Trail S

Rochester, NY

Questco

100 Commercial Circle

Conroe, TX

Siracusa Staffing & LeasingClearwater, FL

Tandem HR WI

Lyons HR

201 S. Court Street

Florence, AL

Insperity

19001 Crescent Springs Drive

Kingwood, TX

Services

List of the The Best PEO Service Providers of 2019

ADP TotalSource

https://www.adp.com

ADP TotalSource is a branch of the large human resources management company ADP. Because it's backed by a major organization, partnering with ADP means you get top-of-the-line offerings at potentially lower costs than you'd see with some competitors.

Visit ADP TotalSource

AccessPoint

https://www.apteam.com

AccessPoint is a PEO service that can provide your business with a wide variety of features, including HR auditing and hands-on HR policy development.

Visit AccessPoint

Axcet HR Solutions

http://www.axcethr.com

Axcet HR Solutions offers HR training, forecasting, succession planning options, employee coaching and many more features. Axcet's goal is to allow businesses to focus on their core competencies, while Axcet provides a comprehensive HR solution.

Visit Axcet HR Solutions

CognosHR

https://www.cognoshr.com

Designed for small to mid-size companies, CognosHR takes ownership of some of the employee-related tasks its client is working on. This allows the business to focus on the work rather than the HR related tasks.

Visit CognosHR

Employers Resource

https://www.employersresource.com

Employers Resource is a PEO that aims to make dealing with all elements of handling employees easier. The company's PEO service helps with HR, payroll, safety and more.

Visit Employers Resource

Execustaff HR

https://www.execustaffhr.com

Execustaff HR handles human resources, payroll and benefits responsibilities for companies. The company aims to "never forget the 'H' in HR." Customer service is one of Execustaff HR's top priorities, stating that they while they utilize technology, they always have human representatives available.

Visit Execustaff HR

FrankCrum

https://www.frankcrum.com

FrankCrum is a PEO service that has been helping small businesses for 35 years. It provides in-depth HR coverage, including an HR management team to help you implement specific areas of your service.

Visit FrankCrum

LandrumHR

https://www.landrumhr.com

LandrumHR is an established PEO service that has been helping small businesses since the 1970s.

Visit LandrumHR

NetPEO

https://www.netpeo.com

NetPEO can match your small business with the PEO service that's right for you. It does all the research, so you only need to meet with company representatives to determine which PEO is best for your business.

Visit NetPEO

Premier Employer Services

https://premieremployerservices.com

Premier Employer Services' PEO service assists in all areas of human resources to help you manage your company and your employees. It offers solutions for payroll, risk management and benefits, as well as basic administrative tasks.

Visit Premier Employer Services

SBE 479

http://sbe479.org

SBE 479, which stands for Small Business Efficiency, can help you find reduced-cost benefits and other PEO services.

Visit SBE 479

HROi

https://www.hroi.com

HROi, a subsidiary of Paychex, offers a wide selection of HR-related services to businesses as small as five people.

Visit HROi

Synuity

https://www.synuity.com

Synuity's PEO service handles tasks from payroll processing to direct deposit to local, federal and state tax reporting.

Visit Synuity

Vensure Employer Services

https://vensure.com

Vensure Employer Services offers solutions for outsourced payroll, human resources, benefits, risk management and workers’ compensation services. The company offers services to business of varying sizes.

Visit Vensure Employer Services

Best Employment Solutions Team

http://www.bestpeo.com

Best Employment Solutions Team (BEST) is a national PEO service that provides services like benefits administration, risk management consulting, and human resource outsourcing for small and midsize businesses.

Visit Best Employment Solutions Team

Engage PEO

https://www.engagepeo.com

Engage PEO provides a solid offering in human resources, risk management, payroll and benefits services. It also has a strong training program that includes onsite and online training on a variety of topics.

Visit Engage PEO

G&A Partners

https://www.gnapartners.com

From HR support to benefits administration to payroll services, G&A offers several professional services for businesses needing PEO and ASO services. The company works with you to create an HR package that will meet your needs and help you manage employees.

Visit G&A Partners

Genesis HR

https://genesishrsolutions.com

Genesis HR has been providing small businesses with PEO services for 25 years. This PEO takes administrative tasks, like HR support, payroll processing and tax compliance, off your plate so you can focus on running your business. It can handle all your HR management, payroll, benefits, risk management and support needs. Genesis offers extensive training resources in addition to its PEO services offerings.

Visit Genesis HR

Justworks

https://justworks.com

Justworks provides a technology-first PEO solution that focuses on HR, payroll and benefits. In addition to PEO services, it offers advanced resources for your HR and business needs.

Visit Justworks

Oasis Outsourcing

http://www.oasisadvantage.com

Oasis Outsourcing provides PEO services for more than 8,000 companies across the United States. It offers extensive training resources and personalized service, with a flexible contract and pricing structure that is ideal for startups.

Visit Oasis Outsourcing

Paychex

https://www.paychex.com

Paychex offers extensive, in-depth PEO services in benefits administration, risk management, human resources and payroll. This national company operates in all 50 states and offers fully up-to-date HR training.

Visit Paychex

Questco

https://questco.net

Questco offers a full range of PEO services to meet your small business's needs. It provides human resource solutions, payroll services, employee benefits, risk management and compliance, and a cloud-based platform to help your business run smoothly.

Visit Questco

TriNet

https://www.trinet.com

TriNet offers hands-on HR support and PEO services, including benefit administration, risk management, payroll processing software and training resources. This provider divides its HR teams to address specific industries, including the automotive, financial services, healthcare, hospitality, life sciences, manufacturing, nonprofit, professional services, real estate, skilled trades, retail and technology industries.

Visit TriNet

XcelHR

https://www.xcelhr.com

XcelHR provides many benefits if you use its services. This PEO company offers assistance with payroll, employee benefits, risk management, and administrative tasks for companies of all sizes and in all 50 states.

Visit XcelHR

Siracusa Staffing & Leasing

https://siracusastaffi1.godaddysites.com

Based in Florida, Siracusa Staffing & Leasing specializes in workers compensation, payroll services and tax administration for small and medium-sized businesses.

Visit Siracusa Staffing & Leasing

Tandem HR

https://tandemhr.com

Tandem HR includes numerous human resource features including employee handbooks, new-hire onboarding, employment verification and other training and development opportunities.

Visit Tandem HR

Lyons HR

https://www.lyonshr.com

Lyons HR offers PEO services ranging from the typical HR duties to recruitment services. The company aims to offer flexible and customized services designed specifically around the needs of your business. The company has been in business for nearly 25 years.

Visit Lyons HR

Insperity

https://www.insperity.com

Insperity provides PEO services to businesses needing benefits administration, payroll processing, risk management resources and human resource consulting. This company excels in the employee training and HR outsourcing spaces, and its competitive pricing and contract structure puts it on par with competitors.

Visit Insperity

The Best PEO Service Providers of 2019

by Matt D'AngeloLast Modified: July 9, 2019

Best Picks

Best Customer Service

Best for Very Small Businesses

Best for Startups

Best for Small Businesses

Best for Midsize Businesses

Reviews

ADP TotalSource Review

TriNet Review

Oasis Outsourcing - PEO Services Review

Insperity Review

Paychex - PEO Services Review

Best Employment Solutions Team Review

Engage PEO Review

Genesis HR Review

Justworks Review

Questco Review

XcelHR Review

G&A Partners Review

HROi Review

What to Expect in 2019

PEO Pricing

Negotiation Tips

Co-Employment: How Do PEOs Work?

Our Methodology

Common PEO Service Questions & Answers

At what point should a small business look for HR help?

What are the best benefits packages for a start up company?

At what point do I need to offer benefits and think about using a payroll service?

Outsourcing payroll: Who do you prefer, a privately owned local payroll company or one of the big guys, and why?

What employee benefits should I have for a small business of 10-15 people?

How should I pay myself?

Can hiring a PEO pay for itself?

Map

Services

List of the The Best PEO Service Providers of 2019

ADP TotalSource

https://www.adp.com

AccessPoint

https://www.apteam.com

Axcet HR Solutions

http://www.axcethr.com

CognosHR

https://www.cognoshr.com

Employers Resource

https://www.employersresource.com

Execustaff HR

https://www.execustaffhr.com

FrankCrum

https://www.frankcrum.com

LandrumHR

https://www.landrumhr.com

NetPEO

https://www.netpeo.com

Premier Employer Services

https://premieremployerservices.com

SBE 479

http://sbe479.org

HROi

https://www.hroi.com

Synuity

https://www.synuity.com

Vensure Employer Services

https://vensure.com

Best Employment Solutions Team

http://www.bestpeo.com

Engage PEO

https://www.engagepeo.com

G&A Partners

https://www.gnapartners.com

Genesis HR

https://genesishrsolutions.com

Justworks

https://justworks.com

Oasis Outsourcing

http://www.oasisadvantage.com

Paychex

https://www.paychex.com