If you’re looking to streamline HR, payroll, and employee benefits, you’ve likely come across three common options: a payroll provider, an ASO, and a PEO.
At first glance, they can seem similar. All three help with HR administration and back-office tasks. But the level of support, liability, and cost control behind each model is very different.
Choosing the wrong structure can mean paying for services you don’t need or, worse, missing the protection and savings your business actually requires.
Here’s a simple breakdown to help you understand the differences and decide which solution fits your company.
Payroll Provider: Basic Processing
A payroll company focuses on one core function. Paying employees accurately and on time.
Typical services include:
Payroll processing
Tax calculations and filings
Direct deposit
Basic reporting
That’s generally where the support ends.
Payroll providers do not negotiate benefits, manage workers’ compensation, or provide compliance protection. You are still responsible for HR, employee relations, benefits administration, and employment law risk.
Best fit for small businesses with very simple needs and minimal compliance complexity. If you only need checks cut and taxes filed, payroll software may be enough. But as headcount grows, gaps start to appear.
ASO: HR Support Without Shared Liability
An ASO, or Administrative Services Organization, adds HR services on top of payroll while keeping everything under your company’s structure.
They may provide:
Payroll and tax administration
HR guidance and support
Benefits administration
Compliance help
HR technology tools
The key difference is that you remain the sole employer of record.
Your tax IDs stay the same. Your workers’ comp policy stays separate. Your benefits are still purchased on your own. All liability remains with you.
An ASO gives you assistance and tools, but not buying power or risk sharing.
Best fit for companies with an internal HR team that want administrative help while keeping full control of benefits and insurance decisions.
PEO: Full Service Support and Buying Power
A PEO, or Professional Employer Organization, offers the most comprehensive solution.
Through a co-employment model, the PEO becomes the employer of record for tax and benefits purposes. This allows them to pool your employees with thousands of others, creating leverage that individual businesses typically cannot achieve alone.
This structure provides:
Large group health insurance pricing
Master workers’ comp policies, often pay as you go and audit free
Payroll and tax administration
HR and compliance support
Risk management and claims advocacy
Scalable HR infrastructure
Unlike payroll or ASO models, a PEO does more than process paperwork. It can help lower costs and reduce risk through scale.
Best fit for growing companies, multi-state employers, higher-risk industries, or businesses that want better benefits and stronger HR support without building a large internal department.
So Which Is Right for You?
Think of it in tiers.
If you only need payroll processed, payroll software may be enough.
If you want HR support but prefer to keep everything in house, an ASO may work.
If you want cost control, better benefits, and shared compliance support, a PEO is often the better long-term solution.
As your workforce grows, complexity grows with it. Many companies start with payroll, move to an ASO, and eventually adopt a PEO when costs and risk become harder to manage internally.
The Bottom Line
There is no one size fits all answer, but there is a right fit for your stage of growth.
Curious what you might be missing?
A short PEO cost analysis can show where savings and efficiencies really exist and whether a PEO is the right fit for your business. 📩 Email Sales@BACbenefits.com or call 321-441-9056 to schedule your free PEO cost analysis.
