Insperity PEO Reviews: Is It Right for Your Business?
Charlette has over 10 years of experience in accounting and finance and 2 years of partnering with HR leaders on freelance projects. She uses this extensive experience to answer your questions about payroll.
Juvy has over 10 years of content writing experience and was a licensed teacher. She has evaluated and written about dozens of payroll and HR software solutions for small business to provide the best answers to your software questions.
This article is part of a larger series on Payroll Services.
Insperity is a comprehensive PEO service with HR, payroll, benefits, training, and employee education packages, plus much more. It does not quote prices until it has a full HR team evaluate your business, but reviews and other sources indicate it may be pricier than other services. Nonetheless, it has high customer satisfaction and a lot to offer businesses needing to outsource their HR.
What We Like
- Employees can contact Insperity about HR issues directly
- Excellent training opportunities for employees
- 50 pre-built reports, including job costing
- 70 offices across the US
What's Missing
- Getting a quote requires a Zoom meeting and evaluation
- Help section hard to find, not in-depth
- Too many features can be overwhelming for users
Deciding Factors
Pricing
- Requires a minimum of five employees
- Charges per employee
Implementation
- Takes around a month and a half to set up and implement
Accreditations
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC)
- Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation
What We Recommend Insperity For
I’ve researched dozens of PEOs and payroll services, and Insperity impressed me with its customer service, focus on employee engagement and learning, and enterprise-level benefits. Its pricing is not posted on its site and the provider isn’t able to provide estimates on the phone as pricing is customized. The prices on third-party websites were on the high side, but the software got great reviews from employers and employees. Plus, it ranked in our top PEO services guide.
In short, Insperity is best for:
- Midsize businesses focused on employee development: From employee rewards programs to self-paced courses, Insperity excels in engagement, productivity, and employee learning programs.
- Small businesses in high-margin industries: Based on user feedback, Insperity may be more expensive than other PEOs, but it offers a lot of benefits. Businesses with high profit margins and a small workforce, like tech companies, may find the solution cheaper than hiring an in-house HR professional and usually enjoy getting enterprise-level benefits packages regardless of their size.
- Businesses wanting qualified HR contacts and strong customer support: User reviews said employees found it easy to contact Insperity with questions. Managers with HR concerns have a direct line to their Insperity HR team, which may include a host of specialists (from benefits to payroll to recruiting).
When Insperity Would Not Be a Good Fit
- Companies that want basic onboarding support and payroll processing: You’ll most likely spend more than necessary hiring a PEO for services you can get from simple software. If you want basic HR and payroll functions without benefits management, consider HR payroll software.
- Microbusinesses with only a few employees: Insperity only works with businesses that have five or more full-time employees. If you have fewer than that check out other options from our best online payroll services for small businesses.
Not quite sure what a PEO is?
We have an in-depth guide on PEOs that explains what they can do for your company.
Insperity Alternatives At-a-Glance
 |  |  | |
Best for | Businesses that expect to grow, internationally or domestically | Small businesses wanting to outsource HR at an affordable rate | Businesses with remote workers or a global workforce |
Monthly fees | Base monthly fee from: $85 | Per-employee fee from: $59 | Modular pricing from: Custom |
Insperity Pricing Paychex Review
Insperity charges per employee and requires a one-year contract, although you may be able to cancel with 30 days’ notice if your business has fewer than 150 employees. It does not list its pricing online, but we found multiple reviews that describe its pricing as “expensive.” If you’re interested in using Insperity, you must contact its sales team to assess your needs and do a full custom pricing model.
In addition to its standard set of HR features, you can add on other services such as pre-employment screening, expense management, and organizational planning. These cost extra.
Insperity Features
To get started, call or fill out the form to get a cost quote.
(Source: Insperity)
Insperity provides custom quotes only, so your first step is to call. The salesperson will take your information and then assign a team to assess your needs. You meet this team on Zoom to discuss your business and develop a specialized package with individual pricing. The sales representative I spoke to said that it can take a couple of weeks from initial contact to contract signature and then another month for implementation.
Performance and learning management are accessible on the site.
(Source: Insperity)
Insperity is an Employer Services Assurance Corporation (ESAC)-certified PEO. ESAC evaluates PEOs for integrity, financial stability, and ethical conduct. It is also certified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
When you enroll with Insperity, you have a team assigned to your account, so it’s like having an on-call HR staff. Your team may include an HR manager, client liaison, HR specialist, payroll specialist, performance specialist, benefits specialist, recruiting specialist, and safety consultant. You get their direct phone numbers and email addresses, and the Insperity rep said that they generally respond to requests within two hours during regular business hours. The team is not only available for questions and support, but they also keep you up-to-date on changes to local, state, and federal HR-related laws and regulations.
Other HR functions include:
- Counseling supervisors on employee relations, from interview tips to tackling workplace problems
- Employee handbook development
- Job descriptions
- Onboarding management
- Performance management, including developing goals and coaching supervisors
- Developing competitive compensation and hiring packages
- Company culture development that includes climate surveys, developing mission statement and company values, and fostering communication
- Custom reward programs
- Workers’ compensation
- Hazard and safety training and compliance
- Unemployment claims assistance
- Labor law posters
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) compliance services, including a hotline for employee grievances
Insperity’s training programs deserve a special callout. You can get assistance in identifying and addressing performance issues, plus leadership development for your supervisors. Further, Insperity can give your employees access to over 5,000 self-paced courses in business, technology, compliances, and more. It offers more than 30,000 online books and 2,000+ audiobooks.
You can also work with its training team to get instructor-led virtual training with professional education units (CPE and PDU) for select courses. If your business relies on having a well-educated workforce, this could be more cost-effective and useful than providing tuition assistance.
Get automated time and attendance for time tracking and PTO management.
(Source: Insperity)
Insperity has a full-service payroll program for wage-earning employees. You can pay by direct deposit, payroll debit card, and checks. Unlike some payroll providers, Insperity does not charge extra for check processing.
If employees have garnishments, it will remit them to the proper government agency. This includes child support, student loans, and levies. It handles all your payroll tax needs, from getting W-2 information at onboarding to issuing the reports and filing employer taxes.
If you need time tracking, it can provide the software. It also tracks paid time off (PTO).
If payroll is your primary need and you don’t need all of the personalized HR support, a payroll solution would work better for you. Check out our top payroll service picks. And if you need help choosing the best one for you, follow our step-by-step guide to choosing a payroll solution.
One of the great advantages of a PEO is that you can qualify for enterprise-level benefits packages not available to small businesses acting alone. Insperity works with major vendors like UnitedHealthcare to provide several choices of plans for your employees. Insperity negotiates the contracts, handles the vendor relationships, and ensures the plans comply with applicable laws. Plus, employees can call Insperity with questions or go online to the employee portal.
In addition to health, vision, and dental benefits, Insperity offers:
- Flexible and health spending accounts (FSA/HSA)
- Life insurance
- Accident insurance
- Basic disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
Insperity also runs a customized 401(k) program that can be designed for your specific situation, including options for eligibility, vesting, employee and employer contributions, enrollment, and loans or in-service withdrawals. It also has other third-party 401(k) programs to choose from.
The mobile app works on Android and iOS.
(Source: Insperity)
Employees can access their information on the employee portal online or via the mobile app (employers can log into the same app). In either, they can see their 401(k), paychecks, FSA, benefits, and more. They can also change information on their profile, like updating an address. If you have time tracking with Insperity, employees can clock in and out using their phones.
Users rate the mobile app at 4.6 out of 5 stars on Android and 4.7 out of 5 stars on iOS. The biggest complaints concerned problems logging in or clocking in with the app. Otherwise, people appreciate the ease of use and the ability to see their information and pull up their insurance cards.
The reporting module includes job costing and custom reports.
(Source: Insperity)
Insperity has 50 pre-made reports, including job costing. The reports include graphics to make the information easier to understand, and there are HR specialists who can help you analyze the data further. You can also get customized reports built into the system.
Insperity Ease of Use
- Intuitive software
- Friendly, helpful staff
- Online guides and instructions hard to find
- How-to articles are illustrated
- Resource articles online
- Learning curve
Insperity’s software is intuitive but has a lot of functions, so it can take longer to learn if you’re not familiar with PEO software or HR and payroll platforms. The online articles are not easily found; I resorted to Google. However, there is a phone number to call, and if you have the time, there are email contacts for specific departments. In addition, the online resources section is full of blogs and videos on important HR events such as the latest on COVID-19 regulations.
What Users Think About Insperity
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Excellent support | Cost structure not transparent, hidden fees |
| Intuitive interface | Tools and functions make interface overwhelming |
The most common complaint about Insperity was cost—not simply the overall expense, but also the lack of transparency. One user said, “After four years, I’m still not exactly sure how [it calculates its] fees.” That said, Insperity got glowing praise as a service. Employees and employers both said that the representatives are friendly and helpful. The benefits also got kudos.
- ConsumerAffairs: 4.6 out of 5 based on 130+ reviews.
- G2: 3.9 out of 5 based on 20+ reviews.
Bottom Line
Based on user reviews, Insperity is not the cheapest PEO on the market—but for busy companies looking for a full-service PEO that can grow with them not only in size but in benefits offered, it’s a choice worth considering. Sign up for a free demo and quote today.
