Guide9 min read
PEO vs. payroll + broker: the honest comparison
Where co-employment wins, where it costs more than it returns, and the four numbers to compare before you sign anything.
Request a copyResources
The things we explain on the phone, written down.
No gated PDFs and no drip campaign. If something here is useful, take it — whether or not you ever become a client.
Library
Guides and explainers
Playbook6 min read
Your renewal arrived at +24%. Now what?
A 90-day sequence for marketing your group, modeling plan changes and communicating cost shifts to employees without a revolt.
Request a copyReference5 min read
State retirement mandates: a status map
Which states require a plan, the headcount thresholds, the deadlines, and how SECURE 2.0 credits change the math.
Request a copyChecklist4 min read
Hiring your first employee in a new state
Registrations, withholding, unemployment accounts, required notices and the sick-leave rules that catch remote employers.
Request a copyGuide7 min read
How to read a PEO proposal
How admin fees get buried, what “bundled” really includes, and the line items to demand before comparing two PEOs.
Request a copyExplainer5 min read
Workers' comp experience mod, explained
How the mod is calculated, why last year's claim follows you for three years, and the levers that actually move it.
Request a copyArticles are summarized here for launch. Ask an advisor for any of them and we will send the current version by email.
Checklist
The renewal timeline that keeps you out of trouble.
Most bad renewals are not pricing failures. They are calendar failures — the market gets worked in the last three weeks, and there is no leverage left.
01
90 days before renewal
- Pull your current census and plan documents
- Request claims data or a loss ratio if the group is 50+
- Confirm the renewal date and the notice window in your contract
02
60 days before renewal
- Market the group to carriers and to the PEO channel
- Model employee contribution changes at 2–3 designs
- Run a network disruption analysis on the leading option
03
30 days before renewal
- Lock the decision and issue carrier paperwork
- Schedule employee meetings and build the enrollment guide
- Confirm payroll deduction changes with your processor
FAQ
Common questions.
No. SMB Benefits is an independent brokerage and referral partner. We hold partner appointments with Paychex and with other national providers. When we place your business with Paychex you become a Paychex client with SMB Benefits as your broker of record — their platform, plus an independent advocate.
Nothing additional. We are compensated through standard broker commissions and partner referral arrangements built into the pricing you would pay anyway. We disclose our compensation in writing on request.
Payroll is a software and tax-filing service under your own EINs. A PEO is a co-employment relationship in which the PEO becomes the employer of record for administrative purposes, which unlocks pooled large-group benefits and their workers' comp program. A PEO costs more per employee and delivers substantially more.
If your renewal is more than 60 days out, yes. Many of our clients came to us mid-contract and we built a plan for the next renewal rather than forcing an immediate switch. We will also tell you when staying put is the right call.
Payroll-only conversions run 2–3 weeks. PEO and full benefits transitions typically run 30–45 days, driven mostly by carrier underwriting and your effective date.
Yes. We support employers in 42 states, and multi-state complexity is one of the most common reasons companies call us in the first place.
Want one of these applied to your actual numbers?
Send your census and current renewal and we will run the analysis rather than describe it.