Updated October 2026 · 15 PEOs
IRS certification (CPEO) makes the PEO solely liable for federal employment taxes on wages it pays, and keeps your wage base from resetting mid-year. These PEOs are on the IRS list dated Aug 7, 2026.
The short answer for each situation, with price, certification and minimum headcount.
| Best for | PEO | Price | Pricing | Certified | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best for transparent pricing | Justworks | $79–$124/employee/mo | Published | CPEOESAC | None |
| Best for industry-specific benefits | TriNet | ~$80–$150/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | Not published |
| Best for hands-on HR support | Insperity | ~$150–$210/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Best for scale and payroll infrastructure | ADP TotalSource | ~$70–$200/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Best for Paychex payroll customers | Paychex PEO | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC | 5 employees |
| Best for service and retention | ExtensisHR | ~$40–$200/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | 10 employees |
| Best for compliance depth | Engage PEO | ~$40–$160/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC | Not published |
| Best for multi-state teams | CoAdvantage | ~$120–$180/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | 10 employees |
| Best for venture-backed startups | Sequoia One | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | 5 employees |
| Best for very small teams | Amplify HR | ~$100–$180/employee/mo | Estimate | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | None |
| Best for workers'-comp-heavy trades in Texas | Questco | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | Not published |
| Best for construction companies | Group Management Services | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | Not published |
| Best for broker-led buying | PrestigePEO | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | Not published |
| CPEO-certified option | DecisionHR | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | Not published |
| CPEO-certified option | Infiniti HR | Quote only | Quote only | CPEOESAC: Not confirmed | Not published |
Compare prices
Filter by certification, headcount and contract terms. Tick up to three to compare them in columns.
PEO admin fee, per employee per month
Bars span the low-to-high range; a dot is a single published price. Admin fees only: benefits, workers' comp and state taxes are extra. Click a row to compare.
Rippling PEO adds a platform fee (about $35 plus $8 per user). Insperity reports an onboarding fee of about $500–$2,000.
Not sure yet?
Question 1 of 6
The list
Who each PEO suits, who should skip it, and what we could verify about price and certification.
Best for transparent pricing
A self-serve PEO with published prices and month-to-month terms.
Who it's for: Startups and small teams that want a known monthly price and no long contract.
Skip it if: Companies over about 100 employees: the per-employee price never drops as you grow.
Best for industry-specific benefits
A PEO organized around industry verticals: tech, life sciences, financial services, nonprofits and more.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–500 that want benefits and compliance built for their industry.
Skip it if: Buyers who need a price before a sales call.
Best for hands-on HR support
A high-touch, consultative PEO with a dedicated HR team and a new Workday-based tier, HRScale.
Who it's for: Companies of 20–200 that want an HR team they can call, not just software.
Skip it if: Cost-first buyers: Insperity is priced as a premium service.
Best for scale and payroll infrastructure
The PEO arm of ADP, the largest payroll brand, with annual benefits benchmarking.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–200 that want a large, established provider.
Skip it if: High-risk industries that may be declined at underwriting, and buyers who want short contracts.
Best for Paychex payroll customers
Paychex's PEO, which absorbed Oasis in 2018; Paychex also closed its Paycor acquisition in 2025.
Who it's for: Businesses already on Paychex Flex that want to move into a PEO without switching systems.
Skip it if: Buyers who want transparent pricing or a modern interface.
Best for service and retention
A service-led PEO from New Jersey, usually sold through benefits brokers, with a 93% reported renewal rate.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–250 that work with a benefits broker and value service.
Skip it if: Buyers who want to see pricing without a broker.
Best for compliance depth
A boutique PEO whose HR consultants are all licensed employment attorneys.
Who it's for: Small and mid-size businesses that want attorney-level HR compliance help.
Skip it if: Buyers who want the scale of a national brand.
Best for multi-state teams
A PE-owned PEO focused on companies with employees in several states.
Who it's for: Companies of 10–150 with staff spread across states.
Skip it if: Buyers who want a long certification track record: CoAdvantage became a CPEO in July 2026.
Best for venture-backed startups
A PEO for VC- and PE-backed tech companies, built around startup benefits and compensation.
Who it's for: Funded startups of 5–250 that compete for talent on benefits.
Skip it if: Companies outside the venture-backed tech world.
Best for very small teams
A regional PEO from Northbrook, Illinois that takes very small teams.
Who it's for: Businesses of 1–25 that most national PEOs won't take or won't prioritize.
Skip it if: Growing companies that want the lower per-employee price of a larger PEO.
Best for workers'-comp-heavy trades in Texas
A Texas PEO founded in 1989 that focuses on workers' comp and safety.
Who it's for: Texas trades and field businesses where workers' comp drives cost.
Skip it if: Companies outside its regional footprint.
Best for construction companies
An Ohio PEO where about a quarter of clients are in construction.
Who it's for: Contractors that need certified payroll, prevailing wage and OSHA support.
Skip it if: Non-construction businesses outside its region.
Best for broker-led buying
A fast-growing, broker-friendly PEO that has made six acquisitions, most recently O2 Employment Services in January 2026.
Who it's for: Small businesses buying through a benefits broker.
Skip it if: Buyers who want published pricing.
CPEO-certified option
An IRS-certified PEO. We're still gathering verifiable pricing and service details.
Who it's for: Buyers comparing certified PEOs who want another quote.
Skip it if: Buyers who need published pricing.
CPEO-certified option
An IRS-certified PEO. We're still gathering verifiable pricing and service details.
Who it's for: Buyers comparing certified PEOs who want another quote.
Skip it if: Buyers who need published pricing.
122 PEOs appear on the IRS active CPEO list dated Aug 7, 2026, out of roughly 500 PEOs NAPEO counts in the US.
Changelog. Oct 27, 2026: list published; CPEO status checked against the IRS list dated Aug 7, 2026.