PEO & Workforce Guidance

Your team is growing. The administrative work is, too.

Payroll, employee benefits, and HR responsibilities can take more of your attention as your business grows. A professional employer organization, or PEO, may offer a practical way to get support.

I help business owners understand the PEO model, ask better questions, and explore an introduction when there’s a potential fit.

Explore PEO Pricing How I Help

For owners exploring PEO support for the first time or reconsidering their current arrangement.

Is it time to look at a PEO?

These are some of the reasons owners start the conversation.

Employee benefits

You want to understand your options for offering benefits and what they would cost.

Payroll and administration

Too much time goes into coordinating payroll, employee information, and administrative details.

HR support

Employee questions and workplace responsibilities are becoming harder to manage with your current resources.

Your current PEO

You want a clearer understanding of your fees, service experience, or upcoming renewal.

What does a PEO help with?

A PEO can bring payroll administration, employee benefits administration, HR guidance, and workers’ compensation support into one service relationship. The exact services and responsibilities depend on the provider and agreement.

You continue to run your business and direct your employees’ day-to-day work. Understanding how responsibilities are divided is an important part of evaluating the fit.

Payroll administration
Employee benefits administration
HR guidance
Workers’ compensation support

How I Help

Experience to help you ask the right questions.

My background in the PEO industry gives me a practical understanding of the questions business owners face. I help you make sense of the model and identify what matters for your business.

Talk through your needs
We discuss your team, current arrangement, and what you would like to improve.
Understand the model and costs
I explain how PEO services and pricing work so you can approach the conversation with clearer expectations.
Make an introduction
If there’s a potential fit, I can introduce you to a provider. Its team handles the proposal, enrollment, onboarding, and ongoing service.

Pricing Guide

PEO Pricing: Know What You’re Paying For

Two proposals can look similar and cost very different amounts. Start by asking how the administrative fee is calculated and what is included.

Flat fee per employee

You pay a set administrative fee for each covered employee, usually quoted monthly.

At an unchanged rate and headcount, giving employees raises does not automatically increase that fee.

Ask about minimum charges, additional fees, and renewal increases.

Percentage of payroll

The administrative fee is calculated as a percentage of covered payroll.

If that percentage stays the same, higher wages increase the fee. Ask how bonuses, commissions, and overtime are treated.

Ask the provider to separate its administrative charge from taxes, insurance, and other costs.

Why I prefer per-employee pricing

“Giving your employees a raise shouldn’t automatically give your PEO a raise, too.”

I favor a clearly itemized, per-employee administrative fee because it makes budgeting and comparisons more straightforward. But the pricing model alone doesn’t determine value. Benefits costs, service quality, additional charges, and renewal terms matter.

What happens when you give someone a raise?

Suppose an employee receives a $10,000 annual salary increase.

Percentage-based administrative fee

At an unchanged 3% rate applied to that salary increase:

+$300

more per year in administrative fees

Fixed per-employee administrative fee

At an unchanged per-employee rate:

additional administrative fee from that raise alone

This is an illustration, not a provider quote. Payroll taxes and certain insurance costs may still increase with wages under either model.

Five questions to ask before you sign

1
What is the administrative fee, separate from other costs?
2
What services are included, and what costs extra?
3
How do raises, bonuses, and new hires affect the bill?
4
Can the rate change at renewal?
5
What are the setup fees, minimum charges, and cancellation terms?

Let’s talk about what your business needs.

Tell me what’s working, what’s taking too much time, and what you would like to understand about PEO services. We can discuss if a provider introduction makes sense.

Talk With Cynthia

Referral disclosure: I may receive compensation from a PEO provider if you become a client through my introduction.