Buying guide
The PEO scorecard: 12 questions that expose the real differences
A disciplined way to compare service, benefits economics, implementation, technology, and contract terms.
By Maya Chen, SPHR · Editorial Director · 8 min readIndependent HR partner intelligence
Find the help behind the work.
Clear guidance and a trusted directory for choosing PEOs, fractional HR leaders, contractors, and specialists, with no hype and no mystery rankings.
Buyer field noteChoose the operating model before the vendor.
Find your fitSearch HR partners
Essential reads
Make the decision before the demo.
Practical editorial guidance for the choices that shape your company’s people operations. No listicles dressed up as advice.
Team design
Do you need a first HR hire or a different kind of help?
Separate leadership, employee support, administration, and project work before opening a role.
By Maya Chen, SPHR · Editorial Director · 6 min readPartner models
PEO or ASO? Choose the relationship before the vendor
A plain-English decision framework for co-employment, benefits, control, and administrative depth.
By Jon Bell, SHRM-SCP · Contributing Editor · 7 min readCompliance operations
Before the offer letter: a multi-state hiring checklist
The registrations, payroll, policy, leave, and operating questions to resolve before day one.
By Jon Bell, SHRM-SCP · Contributing Editor · 9 min readHow matching works
A shortlist you can explain.
We start with business requirements, filter the catalog, and show the reason behind every recommendation.
01
Describe the work
Tell us your size, footprint, priorities, timeline, and preferred service model.
02
Apply the constraints
We remove models that do not fit and score the remaining catalog against your needs.
03
Compare with context
See grounded fit reasons, tradeoffs, full profiles, and questions to ask next.
Browse by model
There is more than one way to get HR done.
The right answer depends on the work, the level of judgment required, and what your team should continue to own.
01
Professional employer organizations
Payroll, benefits, HR support, and shared employment administration.
Explore PEO →02Administrative services organizations
Outsourced HR administration without co-employment.
Explore ASO →03Fractional HR leadership
Part-time strategic HR leadership for a growing team.
Explore Fractional HR →04HR contractors
Flexible operators for projects, coverage, or embedded support.
Explore HR Contractor →05Specialists
Focused benefits, compliance, payroll, and people-ops expertise.
Explore Specialist →Editorial, not advertorial
Trust is an operating standard.
Providers cannot pay for a higher match score. Profiles distinguish verified editorial review from incomplete placeholders, and every guide names its author and review method.
See our editorial process ↗MC
Meet the editor
Maya Chen, SPHR · Editorial Director
Maya writes about the operating decisions behind practical, durable people programs. Her work focuses on helping buyers ask better questions.