Types of Professional Employer Organizations: Classic PEO - Co-Employment
|
"Classic"
PEO
|
Subject |
Considerations
for your company
|
|
Employer
of Record Responsibilities |
Employee
taxes reported and deposited under the PEO’s
FEIN. |
Relief from responsibility for making tax deposits
to the government or risk getting fined for incorrect
withholding amounts. 940 and 941 reports are filed by
the PEO. All issues with tax compliance are the PEO's
responsibility. Payroll is done by the PEO. |
|
Workers’
Compensation Insurance |
Coverage
provided under PEO’s master policy.
|
Your employees are covered under the PEO's master policy
and they have responsibility for managing the claims. When
seeking a PEO relationship, most PEOs will want to see a
history of your Workers' compensation claims (risk
underwriting). PEOs want to pool "good risk"
accounts. In most states your modifier rate will follow your
company. By joining a PEO your
company may be able to enjoy significant discounts
or get coverage that is otherwise difficult to obtain.
Employer rules for providing coverage to employees vary by
state. Each PEO will require you to sign a
Client Services Agreement (CSA)
when becoming their client. This is an important
document that defines each party's responsibilities
in the PEO relationship and may affect terms of
coverage. |
|
Safety
and Risk Management |
Claims
management provided by PEO. Safety programs compliance
administered by PEO. |
Since you
are joining the PEO's master Workers' Compensation policy, the
PEO has a strong financial interest in ensuring the claims are
managed. The PEO will work to ensure that the
questionable claims are contested and legitimate claims are
paid promptly. They will work to implement or
improve safety programs in your company. If your
company needs assistance with reducing your
claims each PEO will have a staff to help you. Most
PEOs will terminate clients that fail to follow
recommended safety practices. PEOs work hard to ensure
that their PEO has an attractive policy in place for all of
their members. This means that PEOs will shop insurance
companies (annually) to ensure the PEO group is obtaining
competitive coverage. Be advised that different PEOs
have coverage provided by different carriers. Be sure to ask a
PEO about the carrier providing the coverage. Clients
that need a PEO with a particular AM Best rating for Workers'
Compensation coverage should contact StaffMarket for
assistance. |
|
Health
Plans |
Coverage
offered under PEOs master policy.
|
Many PEOs negotiate master policies
for all of their clients / employees. These policies may
be Health Maintenance Organization (HMO), Preferred Provider
Organization (PPO) or Point Of Service (POS) policies.
Options vary by PEO and by state. Most PEOs require
your company to obtain a "participation rate" that is
calculated by dividing the number of people seeking coverage
divided by the number of people eligible for the plan (less people covered elsewhere like
under a spouse's policy). Participation requirements vary by
PEO. Most PEOs will allow your
company to split premium costs between your company and
the employees. Companies that offer to contribute to the
premium costs are more attractive to a PEO. The PEO
will work to ensure ERISA compliance. Some PEOs may not be
able to offer coverage under a master group policy but
can offer to help you acquire and administer
your own PPO policy. Almost all PEOs will want
to review an "employee census" that shows the age, sex
and level of dependent coverage (single, family, etc)
for the group. StaffMarket will provide a template to attach
to your RFP if required. |
|
Employee Benefits |
Supplemental benefits offered under PEOs master policy. 401K
provided by policy in clients name. |
Employee Benefits covers a large area of services
including, Life Insurance, Short Term Disability, Long Term
Disability, 401K, FSA, etc. PEOs will often have a
master policy in place that will be made available on a
voluntary basis to your company and employees. For 401K
plans, the rules for PEOs have changed recently. PEOs can
assist your company set up a 401K plan that meets your needs
and satisfies governmental regulations.
Types
available may include: Traditional 401K, Simple 401K, Safe
Harbor 401K or profit sharing
. In most cases PEOs will
set up a plan that you can keep (without rolling it over to a new
administrator) if you decide to end the PEO
relationship. |
|
Human
Resources |
Multitude
of services offered in either “a la carte” or bundled pricing.
|
PEOs vary widely in their offerings and pricing for HR
services. Some services like preparation of employee
handbooks are always included while others such as drug testing
may be provided for a fee as required. Be sure to
check your
Client Services Agreement (CSA)
for details about your co-employment
responsibilities. |
|
Regulatory
Compliance |
Provided
by PEO. |
PEOs work to ensure compliance with a
multitude of governmental regulatory areas. If you do not
have a dedicated HR person or department, the PEO will
act as one. Once you are engaged with a PEO you
will be assigned a dedicated HR person to assist with all of
your HR subjects. If you currently have an HR person the PEO
can act as an invaluable advisor to them. The HR
services you expect need to be clearly established with a PEO prior
to signing the CSA. One new and important area to
investigate is Employment Practices and Liability Insurance
(EPLI). This is a special policy that insures your
company in the event of a sexual harassment or discrimination
suit. Ask StaffMarket or your PEO for details about this
coverage. |
Several forms of PEO relationships
are available to most businesses and many PEOs can
offer multiple options. Let StaffMarket help you find
the right option for your company.
StaffMarket Services, LLC
431 12th Street West, Suite 202
Bradenton, Florida 34205
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Phone: 941-750-9450
-
Fax: 877-471-5608
Office hours are 9:00am to 5:00pm EST
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2008
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