8 Best PEO Companies 2022

A professional employer organization (PEO) provides comprehensive HR solutions to help businesses efficiently handle transactional and day-to-day employee management processes. PEOs also provide access to a wider range of benefits at better rates—options and pricing that, at times, you can’t normally get as a small or midsize business.

In this guide, we reviewed 12 PEO companies for small businesses and narrowed the list down to our top eight recommendations.

• Justworks: Best (overall) for small businesses needing a low-cost, high-functioning PEO
• Rippling: Best for IT and tech-heavy businesses
• XcelHR: Best for businesses wanting a unique benefits package
• ADP: Best for growing businesses that want the expertise of a large PEO
• Insperity HR: Best for midsize businesses wanting complete PEO services with a focus on training
• Paychex PEO: Best for highly customizable PEO plans
• TriNet: Best for industry-specific PEO services
• Papaya Global: Best for global payroll or employer of record (EoR) services

Best PEO Companies for Small Businesses Compared

Justworks: Best Overall PEO Service for Small Businesses

Justworks

Overall Score: 4.60 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Enterprise-level benefits from major insurance companies + 401(k)
• Excellent customer support
• Intuitive interface
• IRS and ESAC certified

What's Missing

• Limited reports and integrations
• No mobile app for employees and employers
• Users say the PTO tools are not robust

Justworks Pricing

• Basic: $39–$49/employee/month
• Plus: $79–$99/employee/month

Justworks is an affordable PEO that offers payroll processing, tax filing services, and employee benefits administration. With 70,000 employees through its clients, its benefits packages include enterprise-level options from top carriers and insurers. It also provides access to HR professionals who can help you stay compliant. Scoring 4.6 out of 5, Justworks is a great choice for small businesses with limited HR experience that want low-cost PEO services.

It has an intuitive interface with online tools that are simple to learn and use, but it doesn’t have mobile apps that allow employees and employers to view pay slips and benefits information while on the go. User reviewers said that its HR solutions and PEO services are affordable and efficient. However, some users complained about its limited reporting and third-party software integrations.

Justworks Pricing

Justworks and Papaya Global are the only PEO companies on our list that offer fully transparent pricing, with prices and plans listed on their websites. Justworks has two plans with flat, per employee pricing depending on the tools. In addition, Justworks only charges you the Basic plan for part-time employees even if you are on the Plus tier.

• Basic: Covers payroll, benefits, HR tools, and compliance
  • 1–24 employees: $49/employee/month
  • 25–99 employees: $44/employee/month
  • 100–149 employees: $39/employee/month
  • 15+: Call for quote
• Plus: Everything in Basic, plus medical, dental, and vision
  • 1–24 employees: $99/employee/month
  • 25–99 employees: $89/employee/month
  • 100–149 employees: $79/employee/month
  • 15+: Call for quote

Justworks Features

• Payroll: Justworks stands out in that it lets you do out-of-cycle pay runs; ADP, by contrast, charges for each pay run. It can also handle payments for contractors and vendors. It handles federal, state, and local tax payments and filings, including year-end tax reporting. However, Justworks pays only via direct deposits and paper checks. For a pay card option, check out ADP TotalSource, XcelHR, and Paychex.
• Employee portal: In addition to viewing pay slips and benefits, the self-service portal makes it easy to onboard new hires. It allows employees to complete online forms, access tax and payroll documents, read company policies, request paid time off (PTO), and more. Its mobile app is for timeclock only; consider either ADP TotalSource, XcelHR, Rippling, Paychex, and Insperity for an employee portal on mobile.
• Benefits: Justworks offers competitive medical plans from top carriers like UnitedHealthcare, Kaiser, and Aetna. It also has enterprise-level options for dental, vision, accidental death, disability, and life insurances, including flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs)—even Teladoc services, gym benefits, and medical advocacy services. This is competitive with the PEO companies on our list, although ADP, TriNet, and Paychex have an employee discount program, and XcelHR has unique options like home insurance and legal assistance.
• Compliance support: In addition to having HR experts who keep you up-to-date on labor laws and compliance, it proactively works to keep you compliant. One way Justworks does this is by providing free sexual harassment training videos that meet state regulations. It even has some state policies pre-loaded into its software. Justworks (along with TriNet, ADP, Paychex, and Insperity) is an IRS- and ESAC-certified PEO.
• Ease of use: Unlike ADP TotalSource and XcelHR, which look dated, Justworks is user-friendly and aesthetically pleasing. Its platform also contains in-app links to articles that explain points of law and compliance, including how to use the software. If you need assistance, its customer support personnel are available 24/7 through email, chat, phone, SMS, and Slack.

Visit Justworks

Rippling: Best for Technical Companies That Need Robust Integrations & IT Hardware Support

Rippling

Overall Score: 4.51 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Excellent integration capabilities with over 400 options
• Can easily turn PEO on and off and still access HR/payroll software
• Intuitive interface
• Can pay international contractors

What's Missing

• Lacks IRS and ESAC certification
• Phone support costs extra; how-to guides are limited
• Gets pricey as you add functions

Rippling Pricing

• Custom pricing
• HR software starts at $8/employee/month, with other modules increasing the cost

We recommend Rippling PEO for companies whose employees need IT onboarding support like issuance and management of company computers and software licenses. Scoring 4.51 out of 5, Rippling offers all the important features of a PEO, from HR support to enterprise-level benefits and compliance advising to payroll tax filing services. Its modular system is unique among PEO software, and makes for an intuitive interface, even with many integrations. Users praised its ease of use and robust integration options.

Unlike Justworks and Papaya Global, not all of Rippling’s pricing details are transparent. Plus, you have to purchase its base employee management platform before you can add other paid solutions like full-service payroll, employee benefits, and COBRA administration. However, what sets Rippling apart from the other providers in this list is that clients can easily turn its PEO services off at any time and use only its HR software.

Rippling Pricing

Rippling does not provide pricing for its PEO services unless you call for a quote. However, the monthly fee for its suite of HR and IT solutions starts at $8 per user. Note that you have to get its core employee management software before you can purchase IT and HR tools that include payroll, employee benefits, and HR support. You can then add modules for

• Payroll
• Employee benefits
• Flex HSA and FSA benefits
• HR Help Desk
• App management
• Device management

If you decide to stop its services later, you still have access to the modules you purchase.

Rippling Features

• Payroll: Rippling offers full-service payroll and handles federal, state, and local taxes, including year-end reporting (W-2s and 1099s). It tracks PTO, handles deductions, and pays garnishments. You can pay employees through direct deposits and checks, but not by pay card. For that option, consider ADP TotalSource, XcelHR, Insperity, and Paychex.
• Reports: Similar to Insperity, Rippling has a pre-built library of payroll reports, and it also lets you create custom ones. It even has a job costing tool that enables you to track where your employees’ time goes and the cost of that on a client, task, and job location basis. However, it isn’t as detailed as Insperity, which calculates the cost of jobs based on the employees’ total wages.
• Benefits: Rippling offers Fortune 500-level medical, dental, and vision insurance. It also has FSA, HSA, commuter benefits, and EPLI coverage and handles Affordable Care Act (ACA) and COBRA administration. It lacks some specialty benefits like employee discount plans like ADP and Paychex, XcelHR’s non-standard legal assistance or pet insurance, or Justworks’ medical advocacy services.
• Compliance support: While Rippling doesn’t have an ESAC or IRS certification, it nonetheless offers tools and advice to help you stay compliant with payroll, safety standards, and labor laws. However, if you need strong compliance support to conduct safety audits and meet OSHA requirements, we recommend you partner with either ADP TotalSource, Paychex, or XcelHR.
• IT support: For technical companies that use a lot of different software, Rippling is the best for onboarding. In addition to the usual new hire documents, it lets you assign computers and software licenses to employees. Rippling can even provide the computers with software preloaded and helps with the return of hardware at termination.
• Integrations: Rippling leads the pack with integrations, offering over 400 apps that include accounting, expense management, HR, sales, communication, and productivity tools. Of the PEO companies that we reviewed, only Rippling offers IT tools with a wide selection of third-party software integrations.
• PEO service on/off switch: If you no longer require PEO services, you can quickly switch Rippling’s PEO off and use its HR platform. This differs from all the others on our list, which don’t have an easy on/off option and a seamless transition to HR software.
• Ease of use: Despite the modularity of the software and the extreme number of integrations, Rippling is very user-friendly with helpful menus and icons for both in-app and third-party tools. All of its solutions “talk” to one another, so you don’t have to enter any information twice. However, while it has an online help center, its how-to articles are a bit limited.

Visit Rippling

XcelHR: Best for Businesses Needing Diverse Benefit Options

XcelHR

Overall Score: 4.47 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Wide range of benefits, including pet insurance
• Workers’ comp team includes inspections and policy help
• Flexible pricing; charges either by employee or a percentage of gross payroll
• Dedicated representative; live support available

What's Missing

• Interface looks dated
• Pricing isn’t transparent
• Lacks ESAC certification (which is the gold standard for PEOs); no longer on IRS certified PEO list

XcelHR Pricing

• Call for quote
• Can charge by employee or by percentage of payroll

XcelHR is another excellent PEO with custom pricing and a wide range of services. Scoring 4.47 out of 5, it has efficient payroll and HR tools. We were impressed by the range of benefits XcelHR offers, which is more varied than PEO companies like Paychex, Insperity, and ADP TotalSource. Although XcelHR offers custom pricing, it has flexible options that charge either by a percentage of your total payroll or a flat rate per employee monthly.

Similar to ADP TotalSource and Paychex, it provides robust compliance help that includes safety audits and inspections to ensure that your workplace complies with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations. While the software looks dated, XcelHR’s online tools are generally easy to use.

XcelHR Pricing

XcelHR doesn’t publish its fees on its website; you have to call the provider to request a quote. A third-party site claims that its monthly fees run $49–$99 per employee.

In addition to charging a flat rate per employee monthly, it can also charge by a percentage of total payroll. Of the eight PEO companies in this guide, only XcelHR has flexible pricing. Further, the provider lets you add or subtract services as needed, instead of bundling features per a contract.

XcelHR Features

• Payroll: XcelHR automates payroll, integrating benefits and deductions in its calculations. Like Paychex and ADP, it pays employees either by check, direct deposit, or pay card. It handles federal, state, and local taxes, including all the required tax forms. It files end-of-year paperwork and maintains IRS compliances. Xcel is not on ESAC or IRS certification lists. (It was IRS-certified in the past.)
• Job costing: It also does job costing that computes employee wages per job or department, something not many PEOs handle naturally. Rippling, for example, has job costing tools but the calculations are based on the employees’ work hours instead of total wages (which includes additional earnings like bonuses and allowances).
• Benefits: It uses MetLife’s Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) plans for dental and runs a 401(k) option through Slavic. In addition to FSAs, it has disability, critical illness, and group accident insurance plans. However, if you want HSA options, we recommend partnering with Justworks, ADP Total Source, Insperity, or Rippling.
• Non-standard benefits: XcelHR’s wide selection of non-standard benefits are what sets it apart from the other PEO companies on our list. You can select legal assistance plans, auto and home insurances, telehealth services, hospital indemnity insurance, pet insurance, and access to exclusive travel and entertainment discounts.
• HR support: You can get assistance on job description writing, resume reviews, drug testing, and background checks, and even pre-employment testing and phone interviews. Advisers can help craft policies and assist in performance management. Unlike Justworks, XcelHR can help create specific reports if the options provided in the software don’t meet your needs.
• Compliance support: XcelHR advises you on all aspects of compliance—from fair hiring practices to how to terminate an employee. It excels in safety, with workers’ compensation teams that help you develop OSHA-compliant programs, conduct safety audits, keep a safety training library, and more. Paychex offers safety assessments as well.

Visit XcelHR

ADP: Best for Growing Businesses Wanting the Expertise of a Big PEO

ADP

Overall Score: 4.29 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Highly experienced PEO that’s IRS and ESAC certified
• Dedicated reps are helpful
• Global payroll available
• Access to enterprise-level benefits

What's Missing

• Pricing isn’t transparent
• Software looks dated
• Customer service isn’t always easy to contact

ADP Pricing

• Call for a Quote
• No free trial
• May get three to five months free

ADP TotalSource is a goliath among PEOs both in size and range. Similar to Paychex and Insperity, it offers decades of HR expertise and experience (30+ years) and a greater set of features and products to choose from. It’s great for a growing business that may want to start with simple payroll and HR, then transition into full PEO services when they have over five employees. Able to handle even thousands of employees, ADP TotalSource is a great choice for businesses that expect to grow. Overall, it earned a score of 4.29 out of 5.

Many users complained about ADP’s pricing complexity, including having received confusing billings. Others mentioned that while its support team is generally reliable, they sometimes experienced difficulties contacting a customer representative.

ADP Pricing

Like most of the PEO companies in this guide, ADP TotalSource does not provide pricing information on its website. It offers custom pricing, wherein fees are based on the features selected, including the business’ geographic location, something only a few PEOs do. The representative we spoke to said that its fees start at $85 per employee, per month. It also charges a setup fee but sometimes offers your first few months free.

ADP Features

• Payroll and tax filing: With ADP TotalSource, pay processing takes minutes to calculate, and its system flags potential errors. In addition to payroll tax filing (federal, state, and local taxes) and year-end reporting (W-2s/1099s), it manages withholdings and benefits. Plus, if you have questions, you can call a payroll expert 24/7.
• Variety of pay methods: ADP TotalSource supports employee payments via direct deposits, checks, and the Wisely pay card. Similar to Paychex, it also offers check signing and stuffing services. For employers with preferred payment options of only direct deposits and checks, then Justworks and Rippling are good alternatives.
• Benefits: ADP TotalSource leverages the power of over 500,000 client employees under its PEO to get Fortune 500-level healthcare options for your business. It also does an annual comparison against your competition to ensure you offer the best benefits to your employees. Benefits include COBRA administration, commuter benefits, medical, 401(k) plans, life and accident insurances, FSA and HSA accounts, health advocacy services, a work-life employee assistance program, and even a discount program. Nonetheless, XcelHR’s benefits selection is more diverse with general legal services and even an insurance option for your employees’ pets.
• HR support: ADP provides hire-to-retire support to recruit and track applicants, onboard new hires, manage employee information (including performance reviews), and offboard or terminate employees. It even has training and development programs, employee survey management, and more. However, you have to pay extra for employee engagement tools and full-service recruitment. This is unlike Insperity’s services, which include a complete HR solution with strong employee development tools.
• Compliance support: ADP TotalSource’s HR experts have decades of experience and are constantly learning. They can advise you on compliances in everything from COVID-19 legislation to terminating employees. Its compliance services can help you avoid potential legal issues. Further, it may provide legal assistance if an employee sues your company—provided you followed its recommended processes. ADP TotalSource is the only PEO that we reviewed that has this feature.
• Employee portal: Employees can onboard through the portal and enroll in benefits. They can also use the portal to raise PTO requests, clock in/out, create time sheets, view pay stubs and benefits, and contact colleagues. Not every PEO service includes time clocks. Unlike Justworks, it has an employee mobile app (for iOS and Android devices) with intuitive controls.

Visit ADP

Insperity HR: Best for Midsize Businesses Wanting Complete PEO Services Focused on Training

Insperity HR

Overall Score: 4.24 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Employees can directly contact Insperity for a wide range of concerns
• Excellent training tools and LMS for employees
• Access to 50 pre-built reports

What's Missing

• Pricing isn’t transparent
• Has a bit of a learning curve
• Help section is hard to find and isn’t in-depth

Insperity HR Pricing

• Call for a quote

With over 30 years of experience, Insperity is another big PEO company like ADP and Paychex. It has 70 offices across the US, so its specialists know their regions well. It is best for midsize businesses that want a strong HR partner and robust training tools. Of the eight PEOs in this guide, Insperity is the only provider that offers 5,000+ self-paced learning courses, 2,000+ audiobooks, and 30,000+ online books. Overall, it earned a score of 4.24 out of 5.

Although Insperity generally has a user-friendly interface, learning how to navigate through all of its features may take some time. Several users even complained about its somewhat steep learning curve. It has extensive training options for employees and managers. If you want a PEO service with an intuitive platform, we recommend Justworks or Rippling.

Insperity HR Pricing

Insperity does not list its pricing on its website because it offers custom pricing to clients. Getting a quote also requires a Zoom meeting and a client evaluation. According to a third-party site, its fees start at $230 per employee, per month. It also has a standard set of HR features for the plan, and you can add on other paid services—from hiring assistance to expense management. By contrast, Justworks and Papaya both list their pricing information online.

Insperity HR Features

• Payroll: Insperity pays by direct deposit, pay card, and checks. Unlike Paychex, you don’t need to pay extra for check processing. Insperity comes with 50 pre-built payroll-related reports (including job costing), and you can request a customized report. However, it doesn’t support global payroll, so we recommend you use either ADP, Papaya Global, or Rippling if you have international workers.
• Benefits: Apart from an employee assistance program, you get access to enterprise-level health, dental, and vision plans, including FSA/HSA, life and accident insurance, and basic disability insurance. You can use an Insperity-run 401(k) plan or sponsor your own Insperity Customized 401(k) designed for your specific situation that includes various options for eligibility, enrollment, vesting, and more. It lacks a health reimbursement arrangement (HRA) program like Paychex has. For non-standard benefits, XcelHR has a diverse range of options that include automobile, home, and pet insurance plans.
• HR support: Compared to Justworks and Xcel HR, Insperity’s employee engagement and training tools are more robust. In addition to the usual HR support (such as handbooks and onboarding), Insperity provides excellent employee development and engagement tools. It assists with conducting culture surveys, crafting mission statements, and customizing a rewards program for your staff. Plus, it helps keep employees learning with over 30,000 online books, 2,000+ audiobooks, and more than 5,000 self-paced courses in business, technology, and compliances, among others.
• Compliance support: Its reps can help keep you compliant with various regulations, such as hiring, tax, payroll, and termination rules. It also supplies labor law posters and even has an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) hotline for employee grievances. However, it doesn’t have ADP TotalSource’s legal defense benefit nor Paychex’s cyber liability insurance coverage.
• Employee support: Insperity’s self-service solutions let your staff view and make changes to their benefits from a computer or mobile device. In case your employees have questions about a plan’s coverage, they can contact Insperity’s benefits specialists 24/7.
• Ease of use: Insperity grants you access to dedicated reps and a team of HR specialists. While it has how-to articles, the guides are basic and difficult to find online.

Visit Insperity HR

Paychex PEO: Best for Businesses Seeking Highly Customized PEO Plans

Paychex PEO

Overall Score: 4.23 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Customizable PEO plans with a wide range of benefits options
• Access to an HR team with various specialties
• IRS and ESAC certified

What's Missing

• Pricing isn’t transparent
• Can get pricey as you add features
• Fees can change each year

Paychex PEO Pricing

• Call for a quote
• May offer free months
• May waive the setup fee

Paychex PEO offers hundreds of functions in HR, payroll, and compliance support, including a wide variety of employee benefits. If you have specific needs, it can create a highly customized PEO package, allowing you to select online tools and benefits options that best meet your company’s needs. Overall, it earned a score of 4.23 out of 5.

While Paychex’s Flex product gets good user reviews, Paychex itself has a lot of negative reviews. Most complaints concern non-transparent pricing and being billed for functions the user did not want. (This is also a common complaint with ADP TotalSource.) Of more concern are the complaints of incorrect tax withholdings—and Paychex not honoring its guarantee. It should be noted that where those complaints are seen, Paychex has responded, offering to resolve the issue.

Paychex PEO Pricing

Paychex does not publish its pricing information on its website—you have to contact its sales team to request a quote. The representative we spoke to said that it has 350+ different products and services that it mixes and matches to create a package that meets your PEO needs. It charges a flat rate per employee monthly and breaks up the cost by pay period. For example, if you are charged $100 per month and process payroll once a week, then you pay around $20 to $25 per employee, per pay period.

In addition to its monthly per-employee fees, it has a one-time setup fee. If you want to avoid paying this, you can try negotiating with the provider to waive the cost. Justworks, XcelHR, Rippling, and Papaya Global don’t charge setup fees.

Paychex PEO Features

• Payroll: If your payroll doesn’t change, Paychex lets you run payroll in as few as two clicks. It can pay via direct deposit and pay card; Not all the PEO companies on our list offer a pay card option, which is becoming more popular with GenZ workers. Like ADP, it also supports paper checks and offers check stuffing services. However, you have to pay extra for check mailing services.
• International payroll: Paychex offers international payroll through its partner vendor FMP Global. For global payroll services, we recommend ADP TotalSource, Rippling, or Papaya Global. These all made our list of best international payroll services.
• Benefits: Paychex offers several benefits options, such as dental, vision, dependent care FSA, financial benefits, and a Paychex-run 401(k). It has enterprise-level insurance that includes health maintenance organization (HMO) coverage, PPO options, and high deductible plans. Like ADP, it has an employee discount program, but for non-standard benefits like pet insurance, you need to go to XcelHR.
• HR support: You get a team of experts, with each member specializing in an area of your PEO plan, plus an HR generalist. Not every PEO on our list offers a team setup like this. In addition to onboarding and offboarding tools, you can get other HR solutions like an AI-powered learning management system (LMS) that recommends courses based on the employee’s position and goals. Other PEO providers, like Rippling, may have similar LMS functionalities.
• Compliances: Paychex offers employment practices liability insurance (EPLI) and cyber liability insurance. The HR team provides proactive updates on legislation changes, and a Paychex safety rep can even help you assess and mediate risks and meet OSHA requirements. XCEL HR also offers safety reps through its workers’ comp programs.
• Ease of use: Paychex PEO is managed with the Paychex Flex software, which is easy to set up and use. Aside from granting you access to a team of HR experts, it offers 24/7 phone support.

Visit Paychex PEO

TriNet: Best for Businesses With Industry-Specific Needs

TriNet

Overall Score: 4.22 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Tailors your plan to your industry
• Prices decrease when employees meet social security or unemployment rate maximums
• Highly rated mobile app for iOS (also on Android)

What's Missing

• Dedicated reps for larger businesses only
• Pricing not transparent

TriNet Pricing

• Call for a quote
• Price per employee
• Prices go down as employees reach certain payroll milestones

The TriNet PEO offerings are highly competitive compared to those on our list. With a score of 4.22 out of 5, it comes just behind ADP. It offers solid payroll, including handling your federal, state, and local taxes, and has a wide range of HR offerings. Unlike Papaya and Justworks, it requires you to call for a quote. It charges by employee but reduces the price for certain payroll milestones—something no other PEO on our list does.

TriNet’s other claim to fame is that it will customize your PEO plan according to your industry, i.e., if companies in your line of work require certain insurances or offer certain benefits to remain competitive. It also says it has experts on hand that can advise you on the regulations and compliances of your industry and general employment and payroll law. The overall cost seems higher based on the quote we got, and the software was not as intuitive as others on our list.

TriNet Pricing

Like most of the PEO companies on our list, TriNet requires you to call to get a quote. We were given a quote of $150–$165 per employee, per month, for a company of 25 employees. Like ADP, it depends on geographic location as well.

One thing TriNet does that we have not seen with any other PEO service is that its prices will decrease as employees either max out their Social Security deductions or unemployment taxes. It also reduces your rates if employees elect for a pretax medical deduction.

TriNet Features

• Payroll: TriNet covers payroll from onboarding through offboarding. It offers paperless W-2, manages payroll including raises and other needs, and takes care of federal, state, and local taxes. One thing that sets it apart is that it allows employees to import W-2s directly into TurboTax. TriNet even handles unemployment claims for you.
• Time and attendance: Unlike most of the software on our list, which either don’t have time clock software or charge extra for it, TriNet includes time and attendance features. It offers scheduling software that can generate schedules with your policies in mind and optimize staff mix. The time clock software lets you set client, department, and location if desired.
• Benefits: Like most PEOs, TriNet leverages the power of all its small business customers to get excellent rates on major medical insurance. Unlike some, however, it offers plans from a variety of providers, including Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, UnitedHealth, MetLife, and Aflac. It has retirement plans, as well. Like Paychex and ADP, it offers a discount plan but also invites its customers to add products to the program, giving them a marketing boost as well.
• HR support: You’ll have access to HR advisers, performance management tools, and learning management programs that include professional courses for online learning and certifications. Like Insperity, it offers leadership training. It has employee culture surveys and a team engagement tool to help you develop better employees and working groups. Like with Paychex, some of these may increase the price of your overall plan.
• Compliance support: TriNet can provide industry-specific guidance on compliances and rules and keep you up to date on the latest employment laws and regulations. Like Paychex, it has a team that can assess your workplace for hazards and violations. In addition, it can provide active management of claims against you for employment practices, including pre-negotiated legal fees and caps with external counsels if needed.
• Mobile employee portal: Like most of the services, it has an employee portal where employees can access pay stubs, review benefits, and more. What impressed us was the rating for iOS: 4.8 out of 5 at the time of this writing. This is very high for this type of app. (Sorry, Android users: It only earned 3.2 there.)

Visit TriNet

Papaya Global: Best for Global Businesses Needing International Payroll & Compliance Support

Papaya Global

Overall Score: 4.05 OUT OF 5

What We Like

• Handles payroll, HR, and compliances for over 100 nations
• Transparent pricing
• Employer of Record (EoR) in 140+ countries; lets you hire without assistance from a local entity

What's Missing

• Can get expensive depending on the services you require
• Lacks 24/7 customer support
• Doesn’t have IRS and ESAC certifications

Papaya Global Pricing

• Payroll Only: $20–$100/employee/month
• Global EoR: $770–$1,000/employee/month
• Contractor Management & IC Compliance: $25+/employee/pay cycle
• No free trial

Add-on: Payroll Intelligence Suite: $250–$320/month

Papaya Global tops our list for the best payroll services for global businesses. It can even help you with hiring international employees and managing benefits. In addition to immigration law compliance support, Papaya Global acts as the EoR in over 140 countries, taking on payroll and HR liabilities so that you can concentrate on work. Overall, it earned a score of 4.05 out of 5.

What’s great about Papaya Global is that its pricing is fully transparent. It also has an intuitive interface with tools that are easy to learn and use and is praised by real-world users. However, unlike ADP TotalSource, Paychex, Insperity, and Justworks, Papaya Global isn’t IRS- and ESAC-certified. Plus, it doesn’t offer employee development tools that PEOs like ADP TotalSource and Insperity have.

Papaya Global Pricing

Similar to Justworks, Papaya Global’s pricing information is readily available on its website. It has three plans that follow a flat-rate pricing per employee either on a monthly or by pay period basis. The Payroll Plan runs from $20 to $100 per employee, per month, whereas the Global EOR Plan costs anywhere from $770 to $1,000 per month, per employee. Its contractor and IC Compliance plan is $25 per person, per pay cycle.

If you’d like to add the Payroll Intelligence Suite, it is $250 per year, per location, or $320 per quarter, per location. Also, unlike the other providers, Papaya Global offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you are unsatisfied with its performance.

Papaya Global Features

• EoR function: With Papaya Global acting as the EoR, it can hire and pay international employees on your behalf. It also provides benefits and workforce management through its network of partners located across 140 countries. WHO can also do this.
• Payroll: Aside from calculating withholdings and deductions, it can handle payroll for both employees and contractors. Papaya Global pays your employees (via direct deposits and bank transfers) in their local currency with pay stubs in their own language. Its platform also lets you view payroll information in one location, by country, and as a whole business. Papaya Global handles payroll taxes, from documentation to payments and year-end filings, for wherever you have employees.
• Benefits: Papaya Global analyzes your benefits plans by country to help you come up with attractive packages. In addition to standard benefits, it can help you create incentives for executives or equity rewards for workers. Not every PEO offers this high-level focus. It works between you and the EoR to deliver the plan.
• HR support: In addition to managing payroll, Papaya Global provides access to HR documents, sends monthly reports of employee status, and reminds you of birthdays and work anniversaries. However, it doesn’t have 24/7 support. This is unlike ADP TotalSource that offers round-the-clock support through Globalization Partners for international clients.
• Compliances: As Employer of Record for foreign businesses, it provides local expertise to ensure compliance with local regulations and laws. Papaya Global also monitors global tax laws to keep you compliant. It even tracks work permits, residence permits, and family permits. Other PEOs (like Rippling and ADP TotalSource) don’t offer immigration-related services.
• Ease of use: You get a dedicated onboarding manager to get you started and access to in-country experts for questions. It also integrates with your existing HRIS, ERP expense management, and time and attendance systems. However, its integration options aren’t as robust as Rippling’s 400+ partners.

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How We Chose the Top PEO Companies

We examined 12 top-of-the-line PEOs for the most important needs for small businesses, weighing attributes accordingly. We considered size, special features, user feedback, and more. Overall, Justworks ranked highest among small business PEOs.

To see our full evaluation criteria, click through the tabs in the box below.

Bottom Line

PEO companies invariably say that the biggest benefits their clients get are relief from HR administrative tasks and protection from noncompliance issues. Both of these save their client businesses time and money—sometimes thousands of dollars. Studies, in fact, have shown that employers using a PEO see an average ROI of 27% and a retention improvement of 10% and better.

If you want to remove some of the headaches of HR and doing payroll on your own, contact a PEO and see how it can help you. We recommend Justworks as it has efficient HR, compliance, and payroll tools with enterprise-level benefits that small businesses normally don’t have access to. Its plans are also reasonably priced with monthly fees that become more affordable as you grow your workforce. Sign up for a Justworks plan today.

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