08/16/2022

Top 5 Most Reliable PEO Services

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PEO services can take a lot off your plate, including HR, benefits, and employee administration. After looking at many PEO providers, we concluded that Resource Edge was the best PEO company. The customizable offerings and dedication to technology will not just cover most of your HR needs, but will also help improve them.

The Best PEO Company For Most Businesses

Resourcing Edge

Best for the Most

Resourcing Edge provides a comprehensive and flexible suite of PEO services with a single point of contact. Their HR dashboard and time clock software will assist you with your payroll, HR, benefits, and risk management.

Resource Edge can handle any request you might have for a PEO provider. You get one provider who can handle everything, from payroll and HR to benefits and risk management to time and attendance and benefits.

These PEO providers can manage these elements without affecting the balance of your company. Their commitment to cutting-edge technology and strategy will allow you to reap the benefits of Resourcing Edge’s expertise while still having a single point of contact.

These are the 5 Best PEO Organizations You Should Consider:

  1. Resourcing Edge Best for Most
  2. Justworks is the best for small businesses that don’t have an HR department.
  3. Paychex is the best for SMBs with less than 49 employees.
  4. Insperity is Best for Businesses with More Than 150 Employees
  5. ADP – The best for businesses that need full-time HR support

What is the best time to invest in PEO Services?

Are you looking to improve your HR and payroll management skills? Do you need help with compliance? PEO services are a smart investment.

It is important to remember that you are investing in a work agreement.

Your PEO company is now your employer and responsible for filing your payroll taxes with their EIN (instead of yours).

This type of agreement allows you to invite a third party into the business, but it does not give you complete control.

You should be prepared for this.

If you are tired of managing everything yourself and want to let someone else do the heavy lifting, this service might be for you.

You must decide what route is best for your business.

You probably don’t require full-blown PEO services if your business is a micro-business or solopreneur. You don’t need to worry about many of the HR tasks that they usually take care of.

#1 – Resource Edge – The Best For Most

Resourcing Edge

Best for the Most

Resourcing Edge provides a comprehensive and flexible suite of PEO services with a single point of contact. Their HR dashboard and time clock software will assist you with your payroll, HR, benefits, and risk management.

You want to be able to use a PEO provider for your business. Resource Edge fulfills all of these requirements.

This company offers a variety of PEO services including:

  • Payroll
  • Attendance and time
  • Benefits
  • Human resources
  • Risk management

Let’s begin with the most important: Human Resources. It’s not easy to manage employee relations and professional development. This is why many companies choose PEO providers.

Resourcing Edge manages the entire employee lifecycle, from start to finish. This includes new hire reporting, federal compliance, and state compliance.

They also offer many ways to support employee training and development. Access to more than 8,000 online learning courses, monthly webinars, and on-site training.

They are extremely helpful in assisting with payroll, time, and attendance. Resourcing Edge allows you to offer direct deposit for employees and an online portal that allows you to view pay stubs, and other details. They’ll also handle all the details, including tax administration, W-2s forms, wage garnishment, and generating payroll reports.

This online portal can be used for more than employees to view pay stubs. This software, called Resourcing Edge re360, allows employees, managers, admins, and administrators to access a single platform for viewing data, approvals and data classifications, status changes, paid leave and paid time off, as well as data and status changes.

Resourcing Edge’s dedication to technology is the cherry on top for a complete PEO package. Resourcing Edge offers more than a PEO service. They are a partner who uses their expertise and innovative strategies to enhance their services.

The best part is that you won’t have to do anything by yourself or be kept out of the loop. Resourcing Edge assigns each client a Personal Account Manager who will be the single point of contact for both your company and your employees.

Resourcing Edge will help you customize a package using their PEO offerings until your services are perfect.

Contact Resourcing Edge today for a free quote.

#2 – Justworks – The Best for Businesses Without an In-House Human Resources Department

Justworks

Ideal for businesses without in-house support

JustWorks provides everything you need for your employees to get the HR support they want. You can get instant access to the best HR automation software and expert support without having to spend a fortune. Plans start at $39 per employee per month

You don’t need an HR department to get comprehensive PEO services. Justworks offers you a wealth of support for payroll, compliance, and HR. There are also top-notch benefits partnerships, as well as a team behind-the-scenes that can help with your business.

Justworks offers the following services:

  • Payroll: Automate direct deposit for employees, pay contractors, and vendors
  • The core HR functions include onboarding, PTO, and documentation. Policy setting and reporting are also important.
  • Compliance: Federal and state taxes, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and other regulations
  • Access to employees: Paperwork, pay stubs, and tax documents, as well as benefits information and PTO.

These four categories provide all the PEO support you need to make up for the lack of an HR department. The software is also easy to use. The platform is easy to use, so there will be no learning curve for anyone who serves as an administrator.

Access to better healthcare is one of the main reasons that smaller teams invest in PEO. JustWorks allows you to access its benefits partners as an additional benefit if you require it.

These partners include Aetna and United Healthcare. Kaiser is also a nationally recognized healthcare provider with many packages available.

Your employees have the option of choosing from a variety of MetLife plans for vision and dental coverage.

Your employees can also access modern health and well-being packages that promote strong mental and physical health with the add-on. You can also get assistance with 401(k), HSAs, and commuter benefits to keep your team healthy and happy.

If you need assistance with the software, or want to speak to an expert about how to navigate a unique situation or issue, you can reach JustWorks support via Slack or SMS, phone, email, or live chat.

JustWorks is the only PEO company we have found that posts its pricing online, without requiring a consultation.

JustWorks plans are available for those with fewer than 25 employees

  • Basic – $49 per month per employee
  • Basic + Benefits – $99 per Employee per Month

If you have more employees, these costs will be $39 per person per month and $79 per person per month, respectively. 

Justworks is the right provider for you if you are looking for a PEO package that provides all the necessary features at a predictable and affordable price.

Contact Justworks today to fill your HR gaps in no time.

#3 – Paychex – The Best Growth Strategy for Small Businesses with Less Than 49 Employees

Paychex

Best for Growing Small Businesses

Paychex has over 45 years of industry experience and more than 650,000 satisfied customers all around the globe. This allows you to focus more on growing your business than managing HR-related tasks.

Paychex has over 650,000 customers and more than 45 years of experience.

Paychex provides many HR services and technology. However, the company also offers a full-service PEO option to small businesses. It combines the best of both worlds: top-of-the-line software and one-to-one HR services that scale with your business.

This allows you to get HR automation and processes for large-business without having to hire a full-time HR department.

Paychex also offers many services that can be used to supplement your existing team if you are looking to build out your HR department. These services can be used in conjunction with your existing team to improve HR processes and foster continuous growth.

Paychex’s best feature is the ability to choose which services are most important to you. Paychex is unlike other options. You can start with just one or two services, and then add more as your business grows.

There are many services available to choose from.

  • Group insurance and benefits accounts (FSA and HRA)
  • Administration of 401(k), retirement planning
  • Workers’ Compensation Insurance
  • Onboarding and Recruiting
  • Unemployment insurance
  • Management of compliance and risk
  • Payroll processing

If you’re more inclined, you can opt for a full-service option. Flexibility allows you to keep HR costs low by only paying for the services you use and not what your employees require.

You can also talk to an HR professional whenever you have a question. Are you looking for advice on how to terminate employees? Maybe you need guidance about tax and compliance regulations for a particular state. No problem at all.

Paychex is there to assist you no matter what your needs may be.

Paychex’s support team is available to answer questions and navigate you through various situations. They can set up automatic payroll runs, manage employee benefits packages, and manage taxes for your business.

You have complete control over your PEO solution and can offload as much as you want.

Paychex Flex, Paychex’s HR Software, is a great way to delegate some tasks. It allows you and your team to seamlessly manage onboarding, employee hiring, payroll, benefits, and your policies.

There are no cancellation fees or long-term contracts. You don’t need to worry about what might happen if your circumstances change. You can also add or subtract services at any time without having to break your contract.

Paychex plans are tailored to your specific business needs.

This may sound like an advantage that is best suited to large companies or enterprises with complex systems, but it is a great idea for small businesses.

This allows you to discuss your requirements and have a conversation with someone familiar with your situation and the PEO market. You may also discover services or options that you don’t know you need.

Book your complimentary consultation today to get started with Paychex!

#4 – Insperity – The Best For Businesses with More Than 150 Employees

Insperity

Ideal for large businesses

Built to assist businesses with over 150 employees in reducing risk and allowing them to access enterprise-grade benefits packages. This software can also be used to manage their HR department easily. All for one transparent cost, you get expert personal services, access to HR experts, and world-class software. No 2-year contracts.

A PEO company should be able to handle your HR needs if you have more than 150 employees.

Insperity is a company that works with all businesses. However, it also has a separate division that focuses on large companies like yours. You can be sure that you are in good company with a growing list of clients who have 1,000+ employees.

Its HR professionals have extensive experience in all 50 US states. This makes it an excellent choice for remote teams or distributed teams.

You will be assigned an account executive when you sign up. This executive will coordinate your services and help you plan what the next steps are to make sure you get the most from your Insperity partnership.

This is a unique feature that other PEO companies don’t offer.

The best thing about this is that you can offload as much as you like. This is especially useful if your HR department already can handle certain HR activities.

Insperity can collaborate directly with your staff to improve processes and automate repetitive tasks. This will free up more time for all involved.

You also have access to Insperity’s powerful HR software and on-demand guidance.

It is an integrated platform for human capital management that can replace many tools you may be using. You can combine all your data into one interface and save money on long-term SaaS subscriptions to many tools that you don’t use.

The software pulls data seamlessly from all modules. This eliminates double entry and reduces the chance of human error.

Insperity can help you analyze the data that you have collected. You can expect to be guided through each report by the support team so that you can make better decisions.

Your employees can also use the software to access their accounts via an intuitive self-service dashboard.

  • Manage their benefits by selecting and managing them
  • Alex is an interactive tool that allows users to choose the best benefits.
  • Request time off, view pay stubs/W-2s, and request time off
  • Manage your 401(k).

It’s a great choice for you and your HR team. But it also benefits your employees. Insperity’s support team can be reached to answer questions or get answers in 7 minutes. It is friendly, helpful, and quick.

Insperity offers more than software and dedicated HR support. It also provides benefits through several nationally recognized insurance companies and offers guidance regarding compliance.

Insperity’s PEO solutions are tailored to your needs. You won’t find standard pricing online, as with many PEO companies. The good news is that rates can be locked in for up to 2 years, so you know exactly what to expect when you pay your bill.

Talk to an HR specialist today to get started with Insperity 

#5 – TotalSource – The Best for Businesses requiring full-time HR support

ADP TotalSource

Ideal for businesses that require full-time support

Access to ADP’s experts in payroll, benefits, and risk management, recruitment and onboarding, technology, and compliance is available 24/7. This will allow you to reduce your administrative burden and increase HR productivity.

ADP TotalSource is a great choice if you are looking for a flexible and highly customizable PEO solution. It is also one of the most recognizable HR management companies in the world, serving more than 140+ countries.

Although it is an all-in-one solution for PEO, it is not “one-size-fits-all.”

Why? You get a dedicated HR specialist and other specialists as part of the package.

  • Payroll advisor
  • Benefits Specialist
  • Investigators
  • Specialist in workers’ compensation
  • Technology Specialist
  • Safety consultants

Your employees have direct access to premium advisors, as well as support for any issues or questions that might arise.

This eliminates employees from coming to you or your HR department with questions and concerns so that your team can concentrate on other HR-related tasks.

ADP’s features are the same for all businesses, but personalized support and access by specialists in different areas make this PEO solution extremely flexible and adaptable to your specific needs.

Software designed for your employees and administrators is a must in any PEO solution.

ADP’s all-in-one software allows employees to manage their PTO and retirement plans, insurance, as well as other responsibilities, with just a few clicks. Administrators can also manage employee benefits, payroll, as well as their employees, all through one intuitive interface.

A dedicated benefits specialist will guide you through the process if you are interested in enterprise-grade benefits for employees without the enterprise price tag.

The ADP team can help you select the best options for your staff, review your selections each year, and guide your employees through the selection process.

ADP’s hands-on, data-driven approach to employee recruitment and development will be appreciated by you.

Your business data is used by the team to identify trends and candidates. You can be confident that you are hiring the right people, every time. After they are hired, ADP handles onboarding and ongoing training to create a growth-oriented culture.

This was all done without you or your team lifting a finger.

The IRS-certified ADP team files and pays federal taxes for you.

This gives you added assurance that your taxes are correct and you comply with tax laws and regulations regardless of where your employees reside.

ADP TotalSource offers highly customizable solutions with the best selection of services, the largest team of professionals and HR specialists, and award-winning software. It is the most complete PEO solution that we have ever seen.

ADP has a large client base, including 500,000+ small businesses as well as a range of mid-sized to large companies.

Its flexible and comprehensiveness makes it an excellent choice for small, medium, large, and fast-growing businesses.

Contact their sales team for more information!

Methodology for Choosing the Best PEO Company

Many factors are involved in choosing a PEO company. They offer many services at different price points and provide a variety of options. There are many things to consider, including employee benefits and payroll administration as well as taxes and compliance with dynamic HR regulations.

It can be difficult to know what makes each provider different, what they offer, and which one would work best for you and your team.

We have created a method that will help you to cut through the noise when you are looking for the right PEO company.

Number of employees

PEO companies typically charge per employee or a percentage of your total payroll. The more employees you have the greater your return on investment.

Some providers might not be able to work with small businesses. If you are looking to grow, they may not be able to support you.

Others are better equipped to work with all kinds of businesses, which makes them an ideal fit for growing teams.

Provider scalability doesn’t matter if you don’t plan to grow. However, it is important to know your employees so you can calculate your monthly costs and find a company that works with your type of business.

Some PEO companies will only work with businesses with a minimum of employees.

Insperity, for example, only offers full-service options to companies with over 99 employees. Although smaller teams may be able to choose a la carte options, they are not eligible for full-service.

Full-Service vs. a La Carte Services

Are you looking for a PEO that can act as your entire HR department, or just augment your current (or future) HR staff?

Many providers offer both full-service options and a la carte options if you only require one or two services. It is important to remember that your needs will change over time.

Although you may not currently have an HR department, it is possible to hire one within six months. Perhaps you already have one HR professional full-time and no plans to add more.

You could also have a full-time HR team that is looking for better benefits and compliance advice.

No matter what your situation may be, it is important to carefully examine the contract requirements before you make any decisions.

You may be required to sign up for a plan at least one year in advance. There are also cancellation fees if you have to cancel your plan. Some providers offer monthly contracts that are flexible and can be modified as your HR needs change.

It’s also important to know if your business can add or remove services if you are looking to hire someone to manage HR tasks in-house.

It is crucial to be flexible, especially when you are growing rapidly.

It is important to carefully review the services offered by each PEO company, as they can differ greatly from one provider. While some may offer recruitment services that help you find the best candidates, others may just offer administrative tasks and payroll.

This applies regardless of whether you are interested in full-service options or a la carte.

You can begin by describing your current processes, such as:

  • Payroll administration
  • Filings, tax payments, and tax preparation
  • Benefits and PTO
  • Discipline and termination procedures
  • Talent management and recruitment
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Onboarding and training employees
  • Payments to suppliers and vendors
  • Compliance with HR laws and risk mitigation

This will help you to identify the areas that are working and where there are gaps in your HR processes. It also helps you to pinpoint any problems you may have.

You can then work with your provider and choose the plan or service package that best suits your needs.

Where do your employees live

Many variables are affected by the work and location of your employees. It is a key factor in deciding which PEO companies to partner with.

PEO companies may only be able to work with certain regions of businesses, while others can work in all 50 states.

It is important to select a provider that benefits everyone in your company, especially if there are employees located all over the world.

Many national insurance providers can cover you regardless of where you live. But, this is not always true. There are also regional and local healthcare networks.

You must ensure that everyone has sufficient coverage.

You should also carefully examine how well your PEO provider knows the tax and local regulations in each state where you do business.

This should be discussed with every company that you are considering. You should be able quickly to find out what areas they cover so that you can make an informed decision before you commit to anything.

Access to dedicated HR support

Partnering with a PEO company has many benefits. You have access to HR professionals who can answer your questions and help you navigate through different situations.

Although most PEO companies offer some support, it is important to know that not all of them offer the same level. While some providers will give you direct access and assistance from a dedicated HR team, others may offer support via a helpdesk.

It is important to have quick access to an HR professional, as HR laws and regulations are constantly changing.

Are you compliant with the new CARES Act and are you familiar with COVID-related issues? Are you withholding the correct amount of taxes from each employee’s paychecks? Perhaps you are unsure how to handle termination of employment from a legal perspective.

Perhaps you have an urgent question about payroll management that must be answered within the next 20 minutes.

It is not what you want to be transferred from one support representative to the next for hours before finally connecting with someone who can help.

It is important to know how much support you require and if you have access to professionals who can assist you when you need it.

Many PEO companies have HR specialists who can help with benefits, payroll taxes, and creating business policies. You can be sure that you are getting the best possible help because you know your specialty inside out.

To speed up the process of getting the help you need, you may be able to have a direct line with each team.

Employee Benefits

You can choose the PEO company that you want to be your employer for and have access to their benefits and healthcare plans. For smaller companies that don’t qualify to receive enterprise-grade benefits due to their size, this can make a huge difference.

All PEO providers are capable of administering these benefits. However, not all benefit packages are created equally.

While we have already discussed the importance of employee location, plan details are equally important.

What plans are available that work for your employees? What are the monthly premiums? What about deductibles? Prescription costs? Copays? Out-of-pocket expenses?

Every plan is different. You must evaluate the options available to you with every PEO company.

Because they partner with different insurance companies, some plans will be better suited than others. To ensure that everyone receives the coverage they need, take the time to review all options.

You should also review the provider’s retirement plans and wellness programs as well as any other perks that your employees will be able to enjoy.

About the author

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