Best PEO Companies

PEO services take a lot of the burden of HR, employee and benefits administration, and more off of your organization’s plate. We looked into many providers of PEO and came away from our research knowing that Rippling is the best PEO company for most businesses. Their customizable suite of offerings and commitment to technology will not only cover a lot of your HR bases but improve them.

The Best PEO Company for Most Businesses

No matter what you’re looking to ask from a PEO provider, Rippling can handle it. From payroll and HR to time and attendance, benefits, and risk management, you get a single provider that can capably take all of that off your plate.

This is a PEO provider with the ability to handle these elements without upsetting the balance of your organization. And their commitment to cutting-edge technology and strategy means you’ll be able to reap the benefits of Rippling’s experience, all while having a dedicated representative to serve as your single point of contact.

The 7 Best PEO Organizations to Consider: 

1. Rippling – Best for generating data-driven reports
2. Deel – Best for managing a small global workforce
3. Papaya Global – Best global PEO company
4. Justworks – Best for businesses without an in-house HR department
5. Paychex – Best for growing SMBs with fewer than 49 employees
6. Insperity – Best for businesses with more than 150 employees
7. ADP TotalSource – Best for businesses needing full-time HR support

When Does It Make Sense to Invest In PEO Services?

Small businesses without a huge HR burden don’t have to think about using a PEO. It’s probably more trouble than it’s worth unless you are hiring full-time employees outside the country.

At a certain size however, companies find they are spending way too much on HR, compliance, recruiting, and other employer obligations. They can outsource some of these tasks, or they can use a PEO.

This is a very big decision. Unlike outsourcing, where you hire another company to take responsibilities off your plate, a PEO is a co-employment agreement.

The PEO company becomes the employer for your business, and they become responsible for filing payroll taxes using their own EIN instead of yours. 

In addition to taking over many of the HR, compliance, and administration tasks, PEOs are able to negotiate better prices on benefits and cut down on costs. The biggest thing is that the PEO is fully handling HR, so you can focus on the core offerings of your business.

There are definitely some tradeoffs. In a co-employment agreement, you will lose some direct control because you are bringing a third party into your business. It’s a hard decision to unwind, so you want to make sure that you find a PEO that actually delivers on the promised cost-savings and efficiency.

#1 – Rippling – The Best for Generating Data-Driven Reports

Because personnel is such a large portion of the budget for any business, it’s important to make the right decisions regarding hiring and productivity. Most PEO services can generate quite a bit of data for you, but Rippling excels in using that data to create useful reports that help you to make smarter decisions.

Rippling offers both pre-built reports and reports that you can customize yourself, so you can generate the exact information you need. 

You also can run simulations through the generation of the reports. Just feed Rippling data that indicates a projected pay raise, and the report will show you how this change may affect your bottom line.

You can drill down to highly specific data regarding time tracking. You can see how your labor costs on a particular project affect the profit margin. You then can make decisions on just how many people you want to devote to the project. 

Rippling helps you automatically track in real time the number of hours your team is working. Should you have issues with spending too much on overtime, RIpping can give you a warning when employees are approaching overtime, so you can take measures to adjust the schedule. Having such useful information available in real time is invaluable for accurate decision making. 

Rippling offers strength in a number of other areas as well:

• You can run payroll in as little as 90 seconds.
• Ripping automatically handles compliance and tax filings associated with payroll.
• You can sync your tracked data with more than 500 different apps, ensuring accuracy.
• You can easily track time and attendance for your employees.

Rippling offers a mobile app that allows employees to track all aspects of their benefits. They can request time off or make adjustments to their W-2 forms on their own, meaning your HR team will have more time to spend on other items.

Ripping has a low starting price for the basics, but you will need to reach out to the company for a custom price quote that includes all the features you need. You can learn more by checking out our Rippling review.

#2 – Deel – The Best for Managing a Small Global Workforce

If you don’t feel like your company is large enough to benefit from hiring a PEO services company, using the Deel software package may be the better choice for you.

Deel can help you accomplish many of the same services as a third-party PEO company, yet its software price may be more aligned with your budgetary concerns. Your HR team can focus on the business development tasks it needs to do for the company, using the software to save time on other necessary HR-related tasks.

Additionally, because Deel can automate many types of common HR tasks, you don’t have to worry about mistakes leading to issues down the road. Errors made now can compound later, resulting in significant time commitments to fix them. Deel helps your HR team do things correctly the first time.

If you have a team of employees or independent contractors who work in different parts of the world, Deel greatly simplifies managing your workforce. You can be certain you are following all local employment and wage regulations, because Deel tracks these items for you, keeping you compliant.

Additionally, Deel can run payroll for you, taking your foreign remote workers into account. It can operate in several dozen different foreign currencies, calculating wages and taxes for each employee accurately. 

While Deel’s payroll and HR software is a great alternative to completely outsourcing your needs, they do offer traditional PEO services. As your full-service PEO provider, you can rely on Deel for things like:

• Online payroll services
• Benefits administration
• Employee training and development
• Tax and benefits compliance
• HR policy implementation
• Attracting top-level talent

You’ll also benefit from 24/7 in-house support via live chat. Deel boasts an impressive 1.25 minute average time to first response—meaning you won’t have to wait long before you’re connected with someone who can help.

Deel includes a time tracking and attendance feature, where employees can use a time clock to mark the hours they are working. By automating this process, Deel gives you accurate data for running payroll. You can be certain your remote workers are following the company guidelines for working the appropriate number of hours, too.

To learn more about how Deel operates and to determine whether it’s a good fit for your team, request a free demo.

#3 – Papaya Global — The Best Global PEO Company

As the name implies, Papaya Global specializes in working with global brands. If you have full-time employees, part-time employees, contractors, or remote staff in different countries throughout the world, you need to take a closer look at Papaya Global’s PEO services. 

Calculating local taxes and compliance is hard enough when you’re managing employees in different states. But it’s a whole different ball game when you’re crossing international borders. 

Papaya Global covers over 160 different countries. So you can outsource payroll and HCM to just one provider.

Beyond payroll and taxes, the experts at Papaya Global can work with you and provide professional advice related to immigration, employee benefits, and so much more. You’ll deal with just a single point of contact at Papaya Global. But that contact is in touch with local experts in each country where you’re hiring and paying workers. 

Not only does Papaya Global simplify your global payments and compliance, but it also helps you manage global hiring at scale. This means that your company can work with top-level talent worldwide—without having to worry about the legal and tax headaches associated with onboarding and paying them. 

Another unique standout of Papaya Global’s PEO solution is its benefits administration. 

Papaya Global eliminates the need for you to source local providers in every country where you have employees. There’s no minimum number of employees for you to qualify for benefits administration in a specific area. 

This means that you can hire a single developer in Poland and just one sales rep in Italy. Each employee will be eligible for localized healthcare, pensions, maternity leave, and whatever else you want or need to offer based on local laws. 

This structure allows you to customize Papaya Global’s offerings based on your unique needs in an à la carte fashion.

But if you’re looking for a complete PEO solution for global payments and benefits administration, contact Papaya Global for a 30-minute demo and tailored quote. 

#4 – Justworks — The Best for Businesses With No In-House HR Department

Without an in-house HR team, you’re looking for comprehensive PEO services that aren’t going to break the bank. Justworks gives you just that—plentiful support for payroll, HR, and compliance, plus top-notch benefits partnerships and a team of expert staff members behind the scenes. 

Justworks’ offerings start with what they provide in the following areas:

• Payroll: Automate direct deposits for employees and pay contractors and vendors
• Core HR functions: Onboarding, PTO, documentation, policy setting, reporting, and more
• Compliance: State and federal taxes, workers’ comp, unemployment insurance, and regulations
• Employee access: Paperwork, paystubs, tax and deposit documents, benefits information, PTO, and policies

In those four categories, you get all the PEO assistance you’d need to compensate for your lack of an HR department. Plus, the software is easy to use. So, there won’t be much of a learning curve for whomever will serve as admin on the platform.

But, one of the biggest reasons smaller teams invest in PEO services is access to better healthcare packages. JustWorks offers access to its benefits partners as an add-on if you need it. 

Those partners include Aetna, United Healthcare, and Kaiser, all of which are nationally recognized healthcare providers with numerous packages to choose from. 

For dental and vision coverage, your employees can choose from various MetLife plans. 

With the add-on, your employees also get access to modern health and wellness packages to encourage strong mental and physical health. Plus, you can get help with 401(k)s, HSAs, and commuter benefits to keep your team engaged, healthy, and happy. 

And, if you ever need help using the software—or you want to consult an expert on how to navigate a more unique issue or situation—you can contact JustWorks support 24/7 via Slack, SMS, phone, email, or live chat.  

JustWorks is also one of the only PEO companies we’ve found that publishes its pricing online without the need for a 1:1 consultation to get started. 

There are two different PEO plans to choose from, Basic, which starts at $59 per employee per month, and Plus, which starts at $99 per employee per month.

The Basic plan includes payroll, benefits, HR tools, and compliance features. JustWorks Plus comes with all of the Basic benefits, plus access to medical, dental, and vision coverage (for an extra fee).

The rates above are for smaller businesses with fewer than 50 employees. But if you have 50 or more employees, the rates drop to $49 and $89 per employee per month, respectively. This is a pretty good discount, especially at the Basic tier.

If you need a PEO package that covers all the bases at a predictable, reasonable price, Justworks is the provider you’ve been looking for.

Get in touch with Justworks today to fill your HR gap in no time.

#5 – Paychex — The Best for Growing SMBs With Less than 49 Employees

Paychex is one of the most popular HR management companies, with more than 45 years of experience and over 650,000 customers of all shapes and sizes. 

While Paychex offers various HR management services and technology, it also provides a full-service PEO option for small businesses. With it, you get the best of both worlds in top-of-the-line software and one-on-one HR services that scale alongside your business. 

As a result, you get “big-business” HR automation and processes without the expensive price tag of hiring a full HR department in-house. 

However, Paychex offers numerous services to help supplement your in-house team when you decide to start building out your HR department as you grow. Those services work hand-in-hand with your team to continuously improve your HR processes and bolster continuous growth. 

The best part about Paychex is that you can choose which services you need. Unlike other options, you can start with one or two services and add more as you grow. 

There are dozens of services to choose from, including:

• Group health insurance and benefit accounts (FSA, HRA, and HSAs)
• Retirement planning and 401(k) administration
• Workers’ compensation insurance
• Recruiting and onboarding
• Unemployment insurance
• Risk and compliance management
• Payroll processing

With that said, you can also opt for a full-service option if that’s more your speed. This level of flexibility helps keep your HR costs low since you only have to pay for what you’re going to use and the exact services your employees need. 

Additionally, you can talk to an HR professional anytime something comes up. Need to terminate an employee and not sure what to do? Or, maybe you want guidance on tax and compliance regulations in a specific state? No problem at all.

Regardless of what you need, Paychex’s team acts as an extension of your business, ready to help you out at a moment’s notice. 

Aside from answering questions and navigating various situations with you, the Paychex support team can also set up automatic payroll runs, manage employee benefits packages for you, and manage taxes on behalf of your business. 

At the end of the day, you’re in complete control of your PEO solution, with the option to offload as much or as little as you need to. 

If you choose to offload a little, you’ll appreciate the simplicity and intuitiveness of Paychex’s HR software, Paychex Flex. With it, you or anyone on your team can seamlessly manage onboarding, hiring, payroll, benefits, PTO, your policies, and more. 

Plus, there are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees. So, you don’t have to worry about anything if your situation changes down the road. And you can add or remove services as you need to without worrying about breaking your contract. 

All of Paychex’s plans are crafted specifically around your business’s needs. 

While this may seem like a benefit that’s better suited for large businesses and enterprises with complex systems in place, it’s actually an excellent idea for growing small businesses as well. 

It gives you a chance to explain your needs and talk things through with someone who understands your situation and the PEO industry. Plus, you may even identify services and options you didn’t realize you need or don’t need. 

Schedule your free consultation to get started with Paychex today, or read our complete Paychex review to learn more about this service.

#6 – Insperity — The Best for Businesses With More than 150 Employees

If you have more than 150 employees, you need a PEO company that understands your needs and has the capacity to manage HR for your business. 

Insperity works with businesses of all sizes, but it has a standalone division that solely works with large businesses like yours. With a growing client-base of companies with 1,000+ employees, you can rest easy knowing you’re in good company (and good hands). 

Plus, its HR experts have experience in all 50 states, so it’s an excellent option even if you’re a remote or distributed team.

When you sign up, you get a dedicated account executive who will help coordinate your new services and strategize what happens next to ensure you’re getting the most out of your new partnership with Insperity. 

Other PEO companies charge extra for a dedicated account manager, so this is definitely a standout feature. 

However, the best part is that you can choose to offload as much or as little as you’d like. This is helpful if you already have an in-house HR team with the capacity to manage certain activities and HR processes. 

Insperity’s team can work directly with your in-house staff to continuously improve processes and automate repetitive tasks, freeing up more time for everyone involved. 

On top of that, you also get on-demand guidance, help with proactive measures to mitigate risky situations before they happen, specialized team-members to lend a hand with different HR functions, and access to Insperity’s robust HR software. 

The software is a fully integrated human capital management platform that effectively replaces numerous tools you may already be using. As such, you can consolidate everything into one interface while saving money on long-term SaaS subscriptions for numerous tools you no longer need. 

Every module of the software seamlessly pulls data from other modules, which eliminates manual double entry and the risk of human error. 

You can even get in touch with Insperity for help analyzing the data you collect. The support team will walk you through every report and ensure you fully understand the data you have so you can make more educated decisions moving forward. 

Plus, your employees can use the software to access their accounts through an intuitive self-service dashboard where they can:

• Select and manage their benefits
• Utilize Alex, an interactive tool that helps users choose the right benefits
• Request time off and view pay stubs/W-2s
• Manage their 401(k)s

So, it’s an excellent choice for you and your HR team, but it’s also beneficial for your employees as well. Plus, they can get in touch with Insperity’s team to ask questions and get answers within 7 minutes—support is friendly, helpful, and lightning fast. 

Aside from software and dedicated HR support, Insperity also delivers benefits through numerous nationally recognized insurance carriers and offers guidance on compliance. 

As with most PEO companies, all of Insperity’s PEO solution is designed around your business needs, so you won’t find standard pricing online. However, the good news is that you can lock in your rates for up to two years so you always know what to expect when it’s time to pay your bill. 

Speak to an HR specialist to get started with Insperity today!

#7 – ADP TotalSource — The Best for Businesses Needing Full-Time HR Support

If you’re looking for a highly customizable and flexible PEO solution, ADP TotalSource is an excellent choice. It’s also one of the most well-known HR management companies globally, servicing more than 140+ countries worldwide. 

It’s an all-in-one PEO solution, but it’s “never one-size-fits-all.” 

Why? Because you get a dedicated strategic HR expert and other specialists as part of the package, including a(n):

• Payroll advisor
• Benefits specialist
• Investigation team
• Workers’ comp specialist
• Technology specialist
• Safety consultants

Plus, your employees can enjoy direct access to premium advisors and support for any questions or issues that may arise. 

This helps eliminate employees coming to you or your in-house HR team with questions and issues so your team can focus on other tasks and HR-related activities. 

While the features you get from ADP remain the same from business to business, personalized support and access to dedicated specialists in various areas make this PEO solution extraordinarily flexible and customizable to match your needs.

However, no PEO solution is complete without software designed with your administrators and employees in mind. 

With ADP’s all-in-one software, employees can manage their PTO, retirement packages, insurance, and more in just a few clicks. And administrators can manage benefits, payroll, and employees all from one intuitive interface. 

If you’re interested in enterprise-grade employee benefits without the enterprise-grade price tag, a dedicated benefits specialist will walk through the entire process with you. 

From helping you choose the best options for your team and reviewing your selections every year to guiding your employees through the selection process, the ADP team is there to help with benefits administration from day one. 

On top of that, you’ll appreciate ADP’s data-driven, hands-on approach to recruitment and employee development. 

The team leverages data directly from your business to identify trends and qualified candidates. In turn, you can rest assured that you’re hiring the right people from day one. Once they’re hired, the ADP team handles onboarding and ongoing training to establish a growth-driven company culture. 

All without you and your team ever having to lift a finger. 

You also don’t have to worry about federal employee taxes because the IRS-certified ADP team preps, files, and pays them for you. 

As such, you get added peace of mind knowing your taxes are always correct and you’re always in compliance with dynamic tax laws and regulations, regardless of where your employees live. 

ADP TotalSource is a highly customizable solution with the most robust selection of services on the market, a massive team of HR specialists and professionals, and award-winning software. As such, it delivers the most comprehensive PEO solution we’ve seen. 

Plus, ADP’s client-base is nothing to scoff at with 500,000+ small businesses and a wide range of midsize to large companies under its management. 

So, whether you’re a small, midsize, large, or rapid-growth business, it’s adaptability and comprehensiveness make it a top consideration that’ll meet your needs today and in the future. 

Get in touch with their sales team to get started. You can also check out our in-depth ADP review for more information.

Methodology For Choosing The Best PEO Company

PEO companies offer a wide range of services at various price points with dozens of factors to consider. From employee benefits and payroll administration to taxes and compliance with dynamic HR regulations, you have a lot to think about. 

Plus, all the marketing fluff out there makes it difficult to understand what makes each provider unique, what they actually offer, and which one is best for your team. 

To help you cut through the noise, we developed a definitive methodology you can use as you go through the process of choosing the best PEO company for your business. 

Number of Employees

Most PEO companies charge on a per-employee basis or as a percentage of your overall payroll. So, the more employees you have, the more your investment is going to be. 

Furthermore, some providers may only have the resources to work with small businesses. So, you may quickly outgrow them if you plan to expand in the near future. 

However, others are well-equipped to work with businesses of all sizes, making them a better fit for growing teams. 

If you don’t have plans to grow, provider scalability isn’t as important but it’s still crucial to know how many employees you have so you can estimate your monthly costs and choose a company that specializes in working with your specific type of business. 

On the other hand, some PEO companies only work with businesses that have a minimum number of employees. 

For example, Insperity only offers full-service options to businesses with more than 99 employees. Smaller teams can choose a la carte services, but they aren’t eligible for full-service. 

Full-Service vs. a La Carte Services

Do you need a PEO solution that acts as your entire HR department or one that augments your existing (or future) HR team? 

Most providers offer options for both full-service solutions and a la carte choices if you only need one or two services. However, it’s important to note that your needs are probably going to change over time.

You may not have an HR team as of today, but you could hire someone in-house within the next six months. Maybe you have one full-time HR employee with no plans of adding more. 

Alternatively, you could have a fully-staffed HR team looking for better benefits packages and help with compliance regulations. 

Regardless of your situation, you should carefully review contract requirements before making any decisions. 

Some providers require you to sign for a year or more in advance, with hefty cancellation fees if you need to make changes to your plan. Others offer month-to-month contracts and are more easily adaptable as your HR needs change over time. 

Furthermore, it’s important to understand if you can add new services as your business grows or remove services if you decide to hire someone on to handle HR tasks in-house. 

This flexibility is extremely important, especially if you’re growing quickly. 

You should also carefully consider the services each PEO company offers, since they can vary greatly from one provider to the next. Some may specialize in recruitment services to help you find top-notch candidates, while others may only offer payroll, administrative tasks, and employee benefits packages. 

This is equally important whether you’re interested in full-service or a la carte options. 

To get a better understanding of the services you need, you can start by outlining your current processes for things like:

• Payroll administration
• Tax payments, filings, and preparation
• Benefits and PTO
• Discipline or termination procedures
• Recruitment and talent management
• Workers’ compensation
• Employee training and onboarding
• Vendor and supplier payments
• HR legal compliance and risk mitigation

Doing so can help you identify areas that are currently working, gaps in your HR processes, and any problem areas you need more help with. 

From there, you can work with your provider to choose the best plan or services package that checks all your boxes. 

Where Your Employees Live

There are a lot of variables that depend on the work and home location of your employees. So, it plays a major role in which PEO companies you can (and should) partner with. 

Some PEO companies only work with businesses in specific regions, while others work in all 50 states. 

However, it’s important to choose a provider that’s beneficial for everyone within your company, especially if you’re a distributed team with employees in various locations.

For example, there are numerous national insurance providers that cover the entire country, regardless of where your employees live. However, that’s not always the case, since there are regional and local healthcare networks as well. 

As such, you need to make sure everyone has adequate coverage in their area. 

On top of that, you should carefully consider how well your PEO provider understands the local, state, and tax regulations for each state you do business in. 

Beyond state-specific rules and regulations, some PEO providers are better than others for international payroll and human resources across borders. For example, if you want to start hiring staff in specific countries, you could consider using a PEO provider with Employer of Record (EOR) services. This helps you hire compliantly without having to form a legal entity in each new country.

Always make sure to talk about this with each company you’re considering. They should be able to quickly tell you what regions they cover or don’t cover, so you’ll know if it’s a good fit before making your final decision. 

Access to Dedicated HR Support

One of the biggest benefits of partnering with a PEO company is access to HR professionals that can answer questions and help you navigate different situations as they arise. 

While most PEO companies offer support of some kind, it’s important to understand that they don’t all offer it at the same level. Some providers may give you direct access to a dedicated HR team that’s always available to help, while others may only offer general support through a helpdesk. 

Quick access to an HR professional is crucial, especially since HR laws and regulations change seemingly every day. 

Are you in compliance with the new CARES act and do you know how to handle COVID-related issues? Are you withholding the right amount of taxes from everyone’s paychecks? Maybe you’re unsure of how to handle an employee termination from a legal standpoint. 

Or perhaps you have a time-sensitive question about running payroll that needs to be resolved in the next twenty minutes. 

The last thing you want is to get transferred from one support rep to another for hours before you finally connect with someone who can help. 

As such, it’s crucial to understand the amount of support you need and whether or not you get a direct line of communication with professionals who can help you out when you need it.

Some PEO companies even have specialists for different HR functions, like benefits, payroll, taxes, and creating business policies. In this case, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting help from dedicated professionals who know their specialty inside and out. 

You may even get a direct line to each team to help cut down the amount of time it takes to get the help you need. 

Employee Benefits

Since the PEO company you choose becomes your employer, you can access their healthcare and benefits plans rather than finding your own. This can be life changing for smaller teams who don’t qualify for enterprise-grade benefits because of their size. 

While all PEO providers can help with administering these benefits, not all benefits packages are created equal. 

We already talked about why employee location matters, but plan specifics also matter as well. 

Are there plans available that will work well for your employees? What are the monthly premiums like? And what about deductibles, prescription costs, copays, and out of pocket expenses?

Each plan is vastly different, so it’s important to evaluate healthcare, dental, and vision coverage options that are available with each PEO company you’re considering. 

Some will have plans that are a better fit than others since they all partner with different insurance providers. Make sure you take the time to walk through your options to ensure everyone gets the coverage they deserve. 

Lastly, you should also evaluate the provider’s retirement plans, wellness programs, and other perks your employees will enjoy.

Expanding Your Knowledge: Best PEO Companies

Summary

Rippling is our top choice for most users. They offer personalized custom-fit packages to suit the needs of businesses of all shapes and sizes. Furthermore, their commitment to the best in HR technology and strategy means your company and its employees will get the best experience they can from a PEO provider.

However, it’s not the perfect solution for everyone. 

So, don’t forget to use the methodology we talked about as you decide on the best PEO services for you, your team, and your business.