01 WHY NOW
PEO before W-2 hiring
LEVR needs an employer infrastructure before hiring employees: payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefit eligibility, state compliance, onboarding docs, and HR support.
00 LEVR OPERATING DECISION
Pick the PEO that lets LEVR hire cleanly without building HR too early.
The near-term decision is not "which PEO is best on the internet." It is which partner can get payroll, taxes, workers' comp, benefits, and compliance in place before LEVR starts W-2 hiring.
02 TEAM SHAPE
Employees plus contractor channel
The first likely employees are technical/product hires. Facilitators look more like 1099 revenue-share partners unless that model changes.
03 BUDGET REALITY
Admin fee is only one line
Every quote should separate admin fees from benefits premiums, payroll taxes, workers' comp, EPLI, add-ons, implementation, and termination terms.
04 SELECTOR
Change the priority, then compare the top match.
05 DECISION PATH
The practical LEVR sequence.
Run three calls
Insperity, TriNet, and Justworks. Ask all three to price the same 3, 6, and 12 employee scenarios.
Normalize invoices
Build a side-by-side view of admin fee, benefits, employer taxes, workers' comp, EPLI, setup, minimums, and exit terms.
Only widen if needed
Add Sequoia One if board-ready comp strategy matters. Add Rippling if LEVR wants one HR, IT, finance platform. Add Deel or Remote if global hiring becomes immediate.
06 ADMIN FEE MODEL
Published-price and range estimator.
Admin fee estimate only. Benefits premiums, employer taxes, workers' comp, EPLI, and add-ons are outside this model.
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07 COMPARISON MATRIX
Fit signals by provider.
| Provider | Best fit | Pricing signal | LEVR read | Watchout |
|---|
08 VENDOR CALL PACKET
Use the same questions on every call.
Quote structure
- Send a sample invoice with every line item labeled.
- Price 3, 6, 12, and 20 employee scenarios.
- Separate admin fees from benefits, taxes, workers' comp, EPLI, and add-ons.
- Disclose minimum headcount, contract length, implementation fees, and termination fees.
Compliance proof
- Show current IRS CPEO status and ESAC accreditation status where applicable.
- Describe multi-state registration support and timing.
- Confirm workers' comp coverage and claims handling.
- Clarify handbook, posters, state leave, and payroll tax responsibilities.
LEVR operating needs
- Confirm 1099 contractor support for facilitator payments and documentation.
- Confirm benefit options for early technical hires and founder payroll.
- Confirm integrations with accounting, banking, and onboarding tools.
- Explain offboarding and what happens when LEVR later leaves the PEO model.
09 SOURCE BASIS