Choosing the proper professional employer organization (PEO) to aid in the growth of your company is crucial.
The right PEO will manage human resources and other back-end responsibilities for you, which frees up valuable time and mental energy so that you can focus on all the other tasks that you’re responsible for each day.
The wrong PEO will drain even more time and money from your already tight budget and limited resources, leaving you without the mental energy or cash flow needed to take your company to the next level.
I found the best Michigan PEO service after evaluating more than 900 different PEO services, closely examining the top 15, then rating the top 9.
But before I get into giving you my best Michigan PEO service recommendation, there’s something about PEO services that you should know.
The Best PEO Isn’t Always the Right PEO
I’ve spent more hours than I care to disclose researching 900+ PEO services, and have determined the Michigan PEO service with the greatest average score across a variety of different rating factors. However, the PEO service’s high score isn’t an indicator that it’s the best PEO service for your business.
- Some PEO services are designed to provide industry-specific services, which means they can offer you one-of-a-kind advantages and assistance.
- Some PEO services create strong relationships with insurance companies, so they can offer you better insurance options with additional features (like vision insurance) and lower costs.
- Some PEO services concern themselves primarily with compliance, which means that they ensure that your business will meet federal and state compliance guidelines.
There’s only one way to ensure that you choose the right Michigan PEO for your business, and that’s to discover the specific needs of your company and its employees, then compare those to the offerings of each Michigan PEO service. With this approach, you won’t just get the best-scoring PEO service, but will find the PEO service that scores best for your company based on metrics that are important to you.
If you’d like a free company analysis and personalized Michigan PEO recommendation, then fill out the form below and submit it. I’ll contact you within 24 hours with a company analysis and personalized Michigan PEO recommendation.
If you’d simply like to learn about which Michigan PEO scored highest on my list, here are my recommendations for the best Michigan PEO.
1. Flexible PEO — 9.5/10 (Best Overall PEO)
Flexible is at the top of my list for a reason. It’s an excellent option for any business looking for a Michigan PEO.
Pros
Much the same as the other PEOs on this list, Flexible PEO offers a slew of PEO solutions, such as health insurance and payroll services, HR support, time tracking, and more.
They provide competitive pricing and intuitive software that makes using a PEO service easy.
One area where they really excel is customer service. I ran three separate customer service tests and found that they responded to emails on average within 46 minutes, and to phone calls within two minutes. That's seriously good!
Not only did I find their customer service team to give lightning-fast responses, but they’re also quite friendly and helpful. They were able to answer my questions efficiently and also seemed to understand my business. This is a big bonus, showing they're not just about one size fits all which can be a challenge with some of the larger PEOs.
Cons
Flexible PEO has a great system and competitive prices, but their prices aren’t always quite as good as other PEOs on this list.
I also encountered a few instances in which I was confused by their system and had to call their customer support team (which is stellar, but of course, the contacts could have been avoided if the system wasn’t confusing in the first place).
None of these drawbacks should be considered deal-breakers, and their excellent customer support more than makes up for them. However, they are worth a quick mention.
Overall
Flexible PEO is an excellent PEO service that provides all the basic PEO solutions to meet your business needs. In addition, they also offer competitive prices and a stellar customer service team. They offer great software, but they’re not always as competitively priced as PEO Companies, however, it’s well worth the added expense if you value outstanding customer service.
All PEO companies in Michigan price their services based on the size of your company and your specific needs. To get a quote for your company, click here.
2. PEO Companies – 9.2/10 (Best Range of PEO Services)
If you're looking for a stand-out PEO in Michigan, then PEO Companies is worth a look. They provide all their services with high levels of efficiency and quality. You’ll never run into problems with them, and that’s extremely rare when it comes to PEO services. They offer the broadest range of services on this list and only narrowly missed out on the #1 ranking.
Pros
PEO Companies all the PEO services that you would expect from a quality PEO in Michigan. They also back all of this up with excellent onboarding support and customer service. If you have any questions, their customer support team will contact you through email within 24 hours. If you require a more prompt response, you can call their customer service line.
PEO Companies is geared toward small businesses but has the technological might to support big businesses, too. This means that no matter where you are in your business journey, they can support your company and meet your business needs.
Cons
The only negative thing that I can say is that they don’t provide any unique services, and it can sometimes be tricky to get set-up correctly however their customer service is great, so don't let that put you off.
- While they offer all the basic PEO services which is enough for most businesses, they don’t cover any of the luxurious services that some other professional employer organizations offer, like employee wellness programs, employee management services, vision insurance, or safety compliance services.
- While their customer service team can typically answer any question you may have, they don’t go out of their way to provide you with a unique customer service experience. For instance, they won't send you a yearly birthday card.
Basically, they offer all the services that you would expect from a Michigan PEO company and their overall offering is strong. They should definitely be on the top of your list to research and get a quote.
3. CoAdvantage PEO — 8.5/10 (Best Value PEO)
While CoAdvantage PEO isn’t at the top of my list, they're still a PEO powerhouse and they’ve been in the industry for years, winning awards for their products and services.
Pros
Much the same as PEO Companies, CoAdvantage offers the basic PEO solutions, such as health insurance and payroll services. They provide competitive pricing and good software.
Ranked as one of the fastest growing PEO companies, CoAdvantage is climbing the rankings as a PEO to watch. CoAdvantage is dedicated to improving its service and expanding while ensuring that current clients are a top priority.
CoAdvantage offers some fantastic performance management and hiring tools that put it ahead of the rest of the pack. If CoAdvantage keeps up with the biggest trends in employer needs while maintaining a good overall offering, we can expect them to make further waves in the Michigan PEO market.
Cons
The reason that CoAdvantage is down in third place is that although it has a decent system and competitive prices, their customer support can be pretty average.
I also found that although their systems were good, they could occasionally be awkward to navigate. It wasn't a huge deal for me but it might be if you're not the most technology literate or easily frustrated.
Overall
CoAdvantage is a good PEO that provides all the basic PEO solutions to meet your business needs. In addition, they also offer competitive prices, some solid performance management tools you won't see elsewhere.
They don’t have the most intuitive software, so this might be a drawback for you and your team however they are still going to be worthy of a quote for most companies.
4. Justworks
Justworks is a newcomer to the professional employer organization industry in Michigan, having launched in 2012 and now serving the entire United States.
They supply everything you need, just like the other Michigan PEO companies—health insurance, workers’ compensation, payroll processing, employee benefits management, compliance assistance, and human resources solutions and support. However, Justworks has one advantage over the other Michigan PEO companies on my list: transparency.
Anyone can check the price structure on their website. This is a huge plus in an industry that tries hard to conceal its prices and requires every prospective customer to explain their business needs before they can get a quote.
But the main reason I put Justworks at #4 is because of their age, which is a critical factor in the professional employer organization industry.
Joining a PEO and becoming established in their system is a time-consuming procedure. It’s not something you want to repeat in the event that the start-up Michigan PEO you selected has ceased operations.
Before you entrust your business to Justworks, I’d allow them a few more years to establish themselves and show that they’re in it for the long haul.
If you’d like more information about Justworks and their PEO service in Michigan, you can check out their site here: Justworks.
5. Infiniti HR
In the competitive professional employer organization industry in Michigan, Infiniti HR has managed to stand out.
They provide a full range of human resources solutions and support, as well as health insurance, employee benefits management, payroll services, workers’ compensation, and assistance with compliance and tax filings.
They go above and beyond by aiding with recruitment of employees. If your experience is anything like the rest of the country’s, you’ll understand how valuable good employees can be, so receiving assistance in locating the proper employees is a huge benefit.
The disadvantage of Infiniti, like that of Justworks, is their age. They’re still young in the Michigan PEO world, with just ten years under their belts. They lack the long track records of some of the more established Michigan PEO companies, so it’s best to give them a few years before you join up.
6. TriNet
Trinet is the market’s oldest and most established Michigan PEO. They were founded in 1988 and now have over 16,000 companies and 330,000 employees.
They provide all the Michigan PEO services you need for your company and its employees, like payroll services, insurance, workers’ compensation, employee benefits management, and human resources solutions and support.
While they offer all the services your company needs to foster business growth and check all the boxes, they seem to depend on their big name and reputation in the Michigan PEO industry to attract clients.
They don’t go above and beyond in terms of customer service, they don’t develop and come up with new solutions to issues that already exist, they aren’t eager to impress, and they don’t work hard to earn your business.
While they’re a dependable, consistent, and functioning PEO, TriNet will never surpass the Michigan PEO industry norms or your expectations.
7. Oasis Outsourcing
Oasis is another member of the Michigan PEO’s old guard. PayChex just bought them after they had serviced small businesses for more than 20 years (although they continue to operate using their own name).
Oasis offers a variety of industry-specific Michigan PEO solutions for industries such as hotel, finance, retail, and education (just to name a few) and has all the HR solutions you need. They also provide the PEO services that you and your employees need, such as employee benefits management, workers’ compensation, payroll services, and assistance with both tax filing and compliance.
They ultimately scored badly due to their policy of only permitting 12-month contracts. In a business sector where month-to-month contracts are the norm, locking prospective consumers in for a year is both strange and unnecessary, so Oasis lost points for it.
8. ADP Totalsource
ADP Totalsource is a big name in the PEO industry, and not just in Michigan. They offer PEO services in more than 140 different countries.
They provide a broad variety of services, as well as several industry-specific services, similar to Oasis Outsourcing. This means that you can find workers’ compensation, various types of insurance, payroll management, employee benefits management, and HR solutions among their PEO services.
The great thing about ADP Totalsource is that their customer service team is accessible to you, the company owner, as well as your employees. Instead of phoning you, if any of your employees have questions about their salary or payroll problems, benefits, tax rates, or other HR services, they may call ADP directly. It’s a huge bonus to be able to avoid these time-consuming phone calls.
The disadvantage of ADP Totalsource is the same as that of TriNet. If you own a small business, you’ll find that you’re virtually unimportant in the scheme of ADP’s overall operations, and you won’t receive the attention needed for success and business growth.
9. Insperity
Insperity is a Michigan PEO service that promised much but disappointed me in many areas.
They offer all the PEO services that other Michigan PEO companies provide, like workers’ compensation, payroll management, employee benefits management, insurance, and a number of HR services.
Their potential began with a 30-year track record of earning awards for their Michigan PEO services and customer service. Reading this filled me with hope for a smooth and enjoyable experience with this professional employer organization. When I noticed that you’re able to terminate your subscription at any time (so long as you give 30 days notice), I assumed that this was a Michigan PEO company that prides itself on providing a good product.
One aspect, in particular, persuaded me otherwise: health care.
As you may be aware, health care is a major problem that necessitates a great deal of flexibility in order to meet the unique demands of your employees. Each employee is unique, which means they also have unique health requirements, so you’ll need a variety of health care alternatives to ensure they receive the coverage they need.
Insperity only provides health care plans from one provider, for whatever reason. There’s just one. Why? I’m not sure. They just do.
If you pick Insperity, your employees’ health care choices will be severely restricted, and there’s a significant possibility that your employees won’t receive the help they need.
The Best PEO For Your Business
Finding the proper PEO for your company might be difficult with over 900 different PEO companies currently accessible to Michigan businesses of all sizes.
I’ve spent over 230 hours researching the PEO sector over the previous six years and have identified Vensure, CoAdvantage, and PEO Companies as the top three performers.
While these PEO companies will be dependable solutions for any business, you will require customized and tailored advice based on certain factors:
- The number of employees on your payroll
- What you want the PEO to help with (payroll, HR compliance, workers’ compensation insurance, employee benefits management, etc.)
- The employee benefits you want to offer to your team (such as health insurance and workers’ compensation insurance)
- How much you can afford to spend on employee benefits
- The location of your small business
- The location where you conduct your business (if outside the office)
- How much customer support you will need
- Your technological capabilities
- How large you plan to scale
- Your industry
If you would like to find the right PEO for your company, simply enter your details below and I will provide a free assessment of your company's needs.
The Best PEO Selection Process
My search for the best Michigan PEO company required a lot of time and extensive research. But before I tell you about that, there are a few things you should know about me.
Why You Should Trust Me
You should trust my advice since I know PEO service providers better than almost anybody on earth, thanks to my experience developing small businesses and assisting others.
My own experience with PEO companies began with my health company. I was so preoccupied with learning the fundamentals of everything associated with starting a small business—developing websites, draft articles, and managing my employees—that I just didn’t have time to deal with the HR foolishness and employee benefits management problems that were taking up so much of my time.
At first I tried using a staffing business to manage my employees, but it wasn’t enough, so I hired a fantastic PEO company.
After coping with everything involved with that business, I took a break before launching my second small business—a cafe! It’s an understatement to say that operating a small business online was a little different from owning a cafe.
Despite their major contrasts, there was one thing that remained similar in both small businesses: misery that came from HR and employee benefits management. Once again, I turned to PEO companies to meet my HR requirements and manage my employee benefits. I researched websites, read reviews, and listened to salespeople attempt to sell me services when all I needed were simple answers to easy questions. It was a LOT of work and information. I ultimately found the ideal PEO that helped support my company and allowed for business growth.
I quickly discovered that I lacked the personality required for hospitality, so I closed my cafe and contemplated what I should do next. The answer came unexpectedly when old friends from my website and cafe days sought me out for assistance with their back-end company operations.
The more suggestions I made, the more people approached me, and I ultimately began writing them down. Since those humble beginnings, I’ve helped over 1,200 clients find the right PEO companies to foster growth in their businesses, giving me more expertise in the Michigan PEO industry than almost anybody else.
How I Selected the Best PEO
My method is a four-stage procedure that reduces a list of more than 900 different PEO companies in Michigan down to a short list of candidates. This is how I discovered the best PEO.
Stage 1: Reviews
Reading internet reviews was the initial step in my investigation.
Any Michigan PEO company that has been in operation for more than a year should have amassed a substantial amount of online consumer feedback. This feedback lets me quickly and effectively choose which Michigan PEOs were worth investigating further and which ones I could dismiss.
I went through the popular web review sites to find Michigan PEOs that don’t satisfy basic product, price, or service expectations and cut them from my more in-depth research.
Stage 2: Offering Analysis
Michigan PEO service is not a one-size-fits-all industry. Different Michigan PEOs provide a variety of goods and services at different pricing ranges.
The second part of my investigation is to look at which Michigan PEOs provide what goods and services at what pricing points. This helps me to rule out Michigan PEOs who either don’t provide a comprehensive range of services or do so at an exorbitant price.
Stage 3: Speaking with Real Customers
Online reviews are a terrific method to get an overall sense of a business, but they have two major drawbacks.
The first constraint is that individuals are more likely to post a review if they have had either an extraordinarily favorable or bad experience. This implies that basing your judgment solely on online customer reviews will give you a skewed image of how the business functions.
The second constraint is one of space. Most online reviews are about 200 characters or fewer, which is inadequate to determine if a Michigan PEO is worthwhile to use.
To get around these limitations, I spoke to actual customers in the next round of my research. I solicited input from genuine Michigan PEO customers using my website and existing ties. I asked probing questions, received thoughtful responses regarding employee benefits, payroll management, costs, and other various aspects of professional employer organization services, and was able to piece together a thorough picture of what it’s like to deal with various Michigan PEOs.
Stage 4: Speaking with Their Sales Teams
But, most significantly, I examined how they manage criticism and feedback in order to gauge how it would be to work with them in the long term. Are they fixed in their ways or do they change constantly? Do they attempt to place blame on the client or do they own up to their mistakes? The best Michigan PEOs are distinguished from the rest on the field by these qualities and values.
Ranking Factors
When choosing the best PEO, I considered five factors to rate each Michigan PEO.
Factor 1: Offerings
The first is a list of their existing product options.
It’s pointless to partner with a Michigan PEO if they don’t offer the health insurance, payroll, or employee benefits that you need. Therefore, I established a thorough database of available goods and services to ensure you get the finest Michigan PEO for your particular circumstance.
Factor 2: Price
The price of a Michigan PEO was the second criterion I used to evaluate it.
Because the costs of various goods and services may fluctuate significantly among Michigan PEOS (and this information is only accessible by engaging in a sales call, which is sneaky), I assessed Michigan PEOs based on how much value for the money they offer.
Factor 3: Ease of Sign-up
The third factor I used to evaluate each Michigan PEO was how simple it is to join up for their services.
Some Michigan PEOs may need you to search through drawers for obscure bits of information that you don’t require, while others focus on automation and may get huge volumes of information from government websites and require little effort on your end.
I evaluated each Michigan PEO based on how efficient and automated their onboarding process is to ensure that you don’t choose a PEO that wastes your time.
Factor 4: Ease of Use
The ease of use of each PEO’s system was the fourth factor I evaluated.
Some PEOs have spent millions of dollars on automating their systems while emphasizing user experience, while others have simply added functionality to old systems and then created enormous manuals to explain their complicated navigation methods.
Clearly, working with a customer-centered, simple-to-use system is preferable to being trapped with an obsolete system. So that you make the best decision possible, I evaluated each PEO based on how simple their system is to navigate and use.
Factor 5: Customer Service
There will always be questions, no matter how much effort or money is spent developing the most intuitive system. This is when the vital role of customer service comes into play.
Some PEOs will put you on hold for hours until you finally speak to an inexperienced agent who can’t do anything except promise to raise your issue with management (which they never do). Other PEO services will take your call within a matter of minutes and address your issue in even less time, allowing you to get on with your day and focus on other important tasks.
The Best PEO For Your Business
While Vensure is likely to be a good match for many Michigan businesses, it may not be the greatest option for yours.
Without understanding the size of your business and how many employees you have, your normal payroll expenditures, the sort of insurance and benefits you hope to offer your employees, and the compliance requirements of your business, it’s hard for anybody to provide a suggestion for the ideal PEO for you.
Fill out the form below for a customized suggestion for a fantastic PEO to assist your company and manage payroll and employee benefits, cut insurance costs, and leave you with less paperwork.
This is a no-cost service, and after you’ve completed the form, I’ll provide you with a suggestion for the best PEO for your business.
Meanwhile, another part of your Michigan business that you should think about is its structure. There are various possibilities, including a corporation, a sole proprietorship, or an LLC. Read my post on how to start an LLC in Michigan to learn more about how to create an LLC.
If you’d like to take some of the burden out of the LLC formation process, you should consider choosing an LLC formation service. They can help with many of the forms and applications needed to form an LLC. To learn more about LLC formation services, check out my article about the best LLC services in Michigan.
While you’re looking at PEOs you should also look into registered agent services. A registered agent is a person or business entity that receives mail, service of process, and legal documents on your behalf. Read my post on the best Michigan registered agents for additional information about what a good registered agent can do for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to use a PEO?
The cost of a PEO may vary greatly based on a variety of criteria. This might include the PEO you choose, your choice of services, the employee benefits you choose, and the amount of employees you have. However, a monthly payment of $1,000–$2,000 per employee is a good baseline number.
How does a PEO charge?
PEO service providers typically use one of two price structures: a flat fee or a percentage of payroll fee.
You are charged a predetermined sum per employee under the flat fee system. This is a wonderful choice for any company that needs a lot of predictability in their monthly invoicing.
The PEO charges you a portion of the wages you pay your employees each month under a percentage of payroll arrangement. Employers in low-wage sectors should consider this alternative.
How long does it take to get set up with a PEO?
It takes time to set up a PEO service provider for any small business and get things like payroll and employee benefits established. They’ll require a lot of documentation from you, and then they’ll have to submit a lot more to the government to get you up and running.
This procedure may take anywhere from three to six weeks, although it normally takes four weeks on average.
Does it cost to change PEOs?
There are no exit costs connected with any of the PEOs I’ve listed in this article. However, every PEO charges a start-up fee owing to the lengthy setup procedure. This implies that if you wish to switch PEOs, you will not be charged anything to leave, but you will have to pay the new PEO’s start-up cost.
