Why Use a Certified PEO?
What are the benefits of choosing a Certified Professional Employer Organization? As the only locally-based certified PEO, let us tell you...
A certified PEO brings clout.
Burden of Tax Liability
A certified PEO is solely responsible for the payment of federal employment taxes on wages it pays to the worksite employees. After a client has issued payment to the CPEO, the IRS can’t come back to the client to collect.
Tax Credits
With a CPEO, the business owner maintains the ability to retain certain tax credits, that might be lost with a conventional PEO.
Wage-Base Restart
In a non-certified PEO relationship, switching to a different PEO mid-fiscal year comes with tax penalties. The employer may have to pay double taxes. With a CPEO agreement, the employer is not subject to a wage-based reset. No double taxes.
Peace of Mind
Business owners have an added peace of mind knowing the CPEO has met rigorous background, financial and reporting IRS requirements.
Risks of a Non-Certified PEO
- Tax Liability - With a non-certified PEO, the small business is liable for federal employment taxes on wages even if they paid them to the PEO and for any reason they weren’t remitted to the federal government.
- Tax Credits Lost – With a non-certified PEO, the small business owner may lose certain tax credits.
- Double Taxes - In a non-certified PEO relationship, switching to a different PEO mid-fiscal year comes with tax penalties due to a change in the Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). This can result in a smaller employer having to pay double taxes.
- Uncertainty – With a non-certified PEO, the small business owner does not have the added assurance of the IRS and its fiduciary requirements for financial integrity.
A Certified PEO is your Secret Weapon for Success
A knowledgeable CPA, a good banker, a smart lawyer, and a visionary business advisor or two – these are key people small and mid-sized business owners tend to draw on when they are working to grow their companies. Those subject matter experts are important – even critical – to smaller organizations’ success. But company owners can build an even more powerful expansion arsenal by adding an often-overlooked secret weapon: a certified professional employer organization (CPEO).
A CPEO steps in to help handle vital HR tasks a business owner may have neither the time nor the expertise to handle. CPEOs help organizations improve productivity and avoid costly tax and HR compliance mistakes. Smaller companies that work with CPEOs have fewer employment-related headaches and grow 7-9% faster than those that do not.
CPEOs relieve HR headaches
Business owners can devote more time and resources to meeting core business goals when they rely on a CPEO to streamline their employment-related responsibilities. Take payroll, for example, which is one of the most-commonly outsourced HR functions. Third-party administrators, which include certified PEOs, relieve employers of payroll hassles – from calculating deductions to filing unemployment tax reports – but not every third party assumes legal responsibility for an employer’s payroll-related obligations.
In fact, among the kinds of outsourced payroll administrators a small business can hire, only certified professional employer organizations assume sole liability for paying income taxes, unemployment taxes and employee contributions to Social Security and Medicare. So, it’s wise for employers who outsource payroll to understand the protections a CPEO provides that other providers do not.
What is the big deal about being "certified" or not?
The difference between a Certified PEO and a PEO is important to understand.
Companies should know that there is a big difference between a CPEO and a non-certified professional employer organization (PEO). A CPEO has met stringent requirements established by the Internal Revenue Service. Fewer than 10% of the 900 PEOs in the United States are CPEOs – for a reason. The IRS designation entails a rigorous process that requires a certified PEO to annually illustrate organizational integrity, proven experience and financial stability. A CPEO – by virtue of having completed the IRS process – is inherently trustworthy, minimizes employer financial risk and maximizes the benefits of HR outsourcing.
Non-certified PEOs, on the other hand, require more vetting. For example, companies that are considering a relationship with a non-certified PEO should ask for proof that the PEO is in solid financial shape, prioritizes data integrity and has an established industry track record. When PEOs cannot or will not provide this type of information, that is a red flag.
Choosing the “best fit” CPEO
A certified PEO, while providing advantages a non-certified PEO does not, still has to be a good fit if a small business is to benefit fully from the relationship. Employers who are considering working with a CPEO should evaluate its industry experience, approach to customer service and commitment to helping the small business objectively determine which HR services will provide the greatest return on investment.
Asking each prospective CPEO partner the same key questions will help employers compare them and assess which is the right partner, helping to ensure an enduring relationship that enables smaller businesses to achieve greater success without worrying about the complex intricacies of mission-critical HR functions.
Besides payroll services, CPEOs also often provide employee benefits administration. Signing on with a CPEO often gives smaller companies access to better benefits packages, thanks to economies of scale CPEOs create by adding each client’s employees to a “pool” and going to market with a larger group than the small business could bring on its own.
CPEOs offer additional, business-related services that lead to smarter HR decisions, improved employee engagement and better-trained workforces. To maximize the benefits of working with a CPEO, look for one that can help you with such employment matters as ensuring your compensation structure is helping you attract and retain top talent, keeping employees engaged and planning for future success – precisely what smaller companies want and need from a trusted HR business advisor.
Why Axcet?
Let’s face it. When it comes to HR administration, you have choices. So, why choose Axcet?
We believe in trust, relationships and an undying commitment to our clients’ success.
At a time when you need peace of mind and a trusted advisor to help you make tough choices, our experience and expertise as a certified PEO can give you the confidence to focus on growing your business.
We believe that our HR support and expertise can help your business scale and grow in ways you couldn't have imagined. As a trusted advisor, we are dedicated to helping your company succeed and thrive.
Many HR outsourcing companies offer support, but we go above and beyond to ensure that your business has the resources and guidance it needs to reach its full potential by assigning you a dedicated HR consultant.
If we sound like a company you’d like to partner with, let’s talk.
Got PEO Questions? Start a Conversation.
Grow your business 7-9% faster with 10-14% less turnover with a PEO. Axcet has been helping Kansas City businesses for more than 30 years. Grow with us starting today.
Schedule a consultation with the experts at Axcet HR today.
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