For Arizona healthcare employers
Payroll only, benefits, or a PEO?
There are three common ways to get help with payroll and staff. Here's what each one generally covers, what you would still handle, and what to ask during your introductory call.
Every provider and agreement is different. This page describes how these arrangements generally work. The specifics for your organization, including services, responsibilities, and pricing, are confirmed with the provider before you sign anything.
At a glance
| Payroll only | Standalone benefits | Payroll with broader HR support (PEO) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What changes | Who runs your payroll | The benefits you can offer | Certain employer tasks are shared with the provider |
| What stays the same | Your benefits and HR setup | Your payroll setup | You run your organization and direct your team |
| Worth a look if | You want help running payroll and keeping up with filings | You want to offer benefits without changing payroll | You want payroll, benefits, and other employee tasks handled together |
Payroll only
An outside provider runs payroll for your business. You remain the only employer.
Generally covers
- Running payroll on your schedule
- Paychecks or direct deposit
- Calculating tax withholdings
- Payroll tax deposits and filings, depending on the service
- Year-end wage forms such as W-2s
You still handle
- Hiring, scheduling, and managing your staff
- Tracking and approving hours
- Employee benefits, unless set up separately
- Workers' compensation coverage
- HR policies and employee questions
Questions to ask
- Do you support our pay schedule, such as weekly?
- How do hours from our scheduling or timekeeping system get to payroll?
- Which tax filings are included?
- Can you handle shift differentials, on-call pay, and staff paid more than one rate?
- How is pricing structured?
Confirm with the provider: exactly which filings are included, who is responsible if a filing is late or incorrect, pricing, and how shift and on-call pay are handled.
Standalone employee benefits
Benefit options for your employees, set up on their own. You don't have to change how you run payroll.
Generally covers
- Access to employee benefit plans, such as health coverage
- Other options that may be available, such as dental, vision, or retirement plans
- Help with enrollment, depending on the provider
You still handle
- Your payroll, including benefit deductions
- Hiring and managing your staff
- Deciding how much your business contributes
Questions to ask
- Which plans are available for a business our size?
- Are there eligibility or participation requirements?
- What would the business be expected to contribute?
- How do deductions connect to our current payroll?
- When can employees enroll?
Confirm with the provider: plan availability for your business, eligibility and participation rules, costs, and renewal terms.
Payroll with broader HR support
Often arranged through a professional employer organization, or PEO.
What's a PEO? A professional employer organization is a company that enters a shared-employment arrangement with your business, often called co-employment. In general, the PEO takes on certain employer tasks, such as running payroll and administering benefits, while you keep directing the work and managing your team. Which responsibilities are shared is set by the agreement you sign.
Generally covers
- Payroll processing and payroll tax filings
- Access to employee benefit plans
- HR support, such as onboarding paperwork and help with policies
- In some arrangements, workers' compensation coverage
You still handle
- Running your organization and its day-to-day operations
- Hiring, scheduling, and directing your staff
- Patient care, workplace safety, and day-to-day supervision
- Reporting and approving hours
- Decisions about pay and what you contribute to benefits
Questions to ask
- Which responsibilities does the agreement give the PEO, and which stay with us?
- Is workers' compensation included, and how are our employees' job duties classified?
- Which benefit plans are available?
- How is pricing structured?
- What does it take to end the agreement?
- Who is our day-to-day contact?
Confirm with the provider: how responsibilities are divided under the agreement, whether workers' compensation is included and what it covers, pricing, and the term and cancellation conditions.
Smaller practice or agency?
Smaller practices and agencies are welcome to reach out. Which arrangements are available depends on the provider and your situation, so we'll explain what's open to you after we learn about your organization.
Reviewing a proposal? Our guide to choosing a payroll service covers how hours get into payroll, connecting your existing software, the full cost, switching, and a checklist to use before you sign.
Common questions
What happens if there's a payroll mistake or a tax notice?
Before choosing a provider, ask who handles corrections and tax notices, how to report a problem, and what response times you can expect. Confirm whether corrections or amended filings cost extra and how responsibility for any penalties or interest is addressed in the agreement. The answer depends on the service and the circumstances; don't assume every issue is covered.
What payroll tasks will the provider handle, and what will I still need to do?
The division of work depends on the service you choose. Confirm who enters employee information, submits and approves hours, processes payroll, and handles tax deposits and filings. Also ask who manages benefits deductions and employee questions. You continue running your organization and directing your team; the provider's responsibilities should be clearly described in your agreement.
Not sure which fits?
That's what the introductory call is for: a free 15-minute conversation about your organization. No payroll documents needed, no obligation to switch. Prefer a callback?