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A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a firm that provides payroll, benefits, HR administration, workers' compensation, and compliance support to small and mid-sized businesses through a co-employment relationship. You continue to run your business and manage your employees; the PEO handles employer-of-record functions on the HR and payroll side. It's a practical way for smaller employers to access benefits and HR infrastructure that normally require an internal team.

In Florida, PEOs operate as licensed Employee Leasing Companies regulated by the state. Through co-employment, the PEO becomes the administrative employer of record while you remain the worksite employer. You direct day-to-day work; the PEO handles payroll processing, payroll tax filings, workers' compensation, benefits administration, and HR compliance. Florida has one of the most mature PEO markets in the country, with many national and regional providers competing for local business.

PEO pricing varies based on employee count, industry, workers' comp classification, benefits selection, and whether fees are structured per-employee-per-month (PEPM) or as a percentage of payroll. Admin fees typically range from roughly $40–$160 per employee per month, but the bigger drivers of total cost are workers' comp placement and the benefits plan you select. For a Florida-specific estimate, request a quote and compare options side by side.

In Florida, the terms are closely related — state licensing refers to 'Employee Leasing Companies' (ELCs), which is the regulatory category PEOs fall into. Informally, employee leasing has historically referred to a broader category that can include traditional staffing arrangements. Today, most Florida employers using the term 'employee leasing' are in fact working with a PEO.

Yes — in fact, workers' comp is often the largest reason Florida employers consider a PEO. Most PEOs offer workers' comp through a master program with pay-as-you-go billing, which eliminates large upfront deposits and year-end audits. For construction, manufacturing, and staffing employers especially, the workers' comp component is often the single biggest savings lever.

Switching PEOs is a structured process typically completed in 30–60 days. It involves data export from your current provider, year-to-date payroll loading into the new PEO, benefits mapping or re-enrollment, workers' comp re-placement, and a clean cutover payroll cycle. The best time to switch is usually January 1, but mid-year transitions are very common and manageable with proper planning.