What does co-employment mean?

Co-employment is the relationship between a business and a PEO where the PEO handles HR functions while the business retains control of day-to-day operations.

What’s the difference between a PEO and an ASO?

An ASO provides HR services without a co-employment relationship, while a PEO shares employer responsibilities and can sponsor benefits and process payroll under its own FEIN.

Outsource HR
With a Comprehensive PEO

Our professional employer organization (PEO) helps you do more meaningful work—and less HR admin—with a complete HR solution including access to benefits, payroll processing and risk mitigation that’s powered by expert support and leading technology.

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A Proven PEO

30+

years in business, founded in 1988 in the San Francisco Bay Area

$73B

payroll processed in 2024^*

^*This reflects the amount across TriNet PEO and HR Plus solutions

~338,900

worksite employees as of 06/30/25

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What Can a PEO Do for You?

Transform your HR into a powerful business asset. Our PEO solution does more than processing payroll and providing access to benefits—it gives you peace of mind and the freedom to innovate.

More time? Better business.

Less time on HR admin, payroll processing and benefits means more time on what matters.

Quality health coverage? Check.

Offer employees access to big-company benefits—no matter your company size.

HR compliance? Handled.

We help you comply with local, state and federal employment rules and requirements.

HR Expertise

Rely on our team of expert HR professionals to help you through even your most complex HR responsibilities.

Explore Our HR Expertise

Access to Big-Company Benefits

Seamlessly manage – and give employees access to – comprehensive benefits.

Explore Our Benefit Options

Headache-Free Payroll

Take care of all aspects of payroll processing helping to ensure timely, accurate payment and payroll tax compliance.

Explore Our Payroll Options

Risk Mitigation and Up-to-Date HR Compliance

Navigate the complexities of employment-related compliance concerns, staying current with federal and local requirements.

Explore Our HR Compliance

All-in-one HR Platform

A comprehensive platform to help automate processes for the entire employee lifecycle from onboarding to payroll to offboarding.

Explore Our HR Technology

Go Global

International payroll, benefits, compliance—managed with ease through a single experience.

Explore Global

Why TriNet PEO

Explore how our full-service HR solution can support the growth and success of your organization, while delivering a great experience to your employees.

Narrator:
"Running a small business can be challenging. From managing payroll to navigating compliance with employment-related rules and requirements, the responsibilities can quickly add up. That's where a Professional Employer Organization, or PEO, comes in. So, what are PEOs?"

Narrator:
"A PEO is an organization that provides comprehensive human resources services for small and medium-size businesses. PEOs can help process payroll and administer payroll taxes provide best practices guidance on HR compliance, and access to big-company benefits. This relationship between the client and the PEO is often referred to as 'co-employment” relationship. But what does that mean?"

Narrator:
"In a co-employment relationship, the PEO and the business allocates certain responsibilities as spelled out in the service agreement. The business owner retains control over the day-to-day operations and management of its employees. Meanwhile, the PEO provides services to help handle HR functions like payroll processing, benefits administration, and HR expertise."

Narrator:
"By outsourcing these tasks, business owners can focus on growing their company while HR functions are handled by experts."

Narrator:
"PEOs can also help businesses save time, which can lead to cost savings. The business can access cost-effective employee benefits and PEO-sponsored retirement plans for their employees."

Narrator:
"Moreover, PEOs with their expertise help companies comply with ever-changing rules and mitigate risks."

Narrator:
"In short, a PEO allows business owners to streamline HR operations, access premium employee benefits, and navigate HR compliance, all while optimizing costs, and that can lead to a more efficient and successful business."

Narrator:
"Consider working with a PEO today to focus on what matters most—growing your business."

Working with TriNet allows us to set a standard of expectation for who we are. Being able to demonstrate that we can offer competitive benefit packages in a way that is still manageable and cost-effective for the organization is important.

José A. Quiñonez

CEO & Founder, Mission Asset Fund

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Get HR expertise you can trust

The acceleration of change to the workplace over the past couple years has been staggering. With TriNet, you get an HR team that’s there for you and your employees, so you’re prepared for the unexpected.

Handle your toughest HR needs: From recruiting and onboarding best practices to benefits and payroll compliance, we offer expertise on the issues that affect your people.

Make better personnel decisions: With a team of HR professionals on your side, you’ll have access to industry-specialized expertise and insights to help make informed decisions more efficiently.

Gain peace of mind: Stay on top of employment rules and requirements and get help with employee relations issues with an experienced HR team that helps you look out for your business.

Explore Our HR Expertise

Payroll

Our online payroll software includes payroll processing with direct deposit and debiting, plus we make it easy to go paperless with e-pay stubs, pay cards and electronic W-2 preparation and delivery. Our platform also lets your employees view pay stubs and request time off conveniently from our mobile app.

Additionally, you can integrate with your favorite accounting systems, like Quickbooks^® Online, allowing a convenient sync to your general ledger.

Explore Our Payroll

Big-company benefits for attracting top talent

You’re competing with companies big and small for the right talent—and in order to do so you need the right benefits. With TriNet, you gain from our scale by accessing benefits normally out of reach for small businesses.

Comprehensive healthcare: Offer great benefits to your employees by accessing our range of leading medical, dental and vision carriers and plans.

Retirement plans: TriNet’s 401(k) is fully managed making it easy for you to help your employees save for their future.

Benefits administration: Offload much of the compliance and admin to TriNet—from COBRA to open enrollment and payroll deductions.

Explore Our Benefit Options

Help keep your business HR compliant

Being an employer is risky—whether it’s paying employer taxes or something unexpected like workplace discrimination lawsuits. TriNet provides peace of mind by helping companies stay compliant with regulatory changes and providing expert guidance when complex HR situations arise.

Compliance support: Expertise to help your business comply with federal, state and local employment laws.

Workers’ compensation: Manage insurance processes from policy start to claims handling.

Risk mitigation: Expert guidance to help with claims prevention and EPLI for claims coverage.

Explore Our Risk Mitigation and Compliance

Save time and costs

Finding time to grow your business shouldn’t be a nice to have—it’s critical for success. Your time is a precious resource and navigating payroll, benefits and compliance measures distracts from growth-generating activities.  Allow TriNet to help you grow stronger and smarter with our modern HR and payroll technology and on-demand expertise that’s there for you when and how you need it.

Payroll administration: Payroll task administration from processing paychecks to year-end tax forms.

HR technology: An all-in-one HR platform to help streamline HR tasks for you and your employees.

Time and attendance: System to track time and schedules that integrates with payroll.

Recruiting and onboarding: Help throughout the recruiting process from job postings to new hire onboarding.

Explore Our HR Technology

Go Global

Effortlessly manage your global workforce:

Unified experience for managing U.S. and international workers in one place
Hire, onboard and offboard talent in 150+ countries
Run payroll across 120+ currencies

Explore Global

Tangible benefits, real satisfaction

of surveyed clients agree they were able to deliver a better overall employee experience after moving to TriNet.

Source: 2024 TechValidate survey of 175 TrINet user

average annual return on investment seen by PEO clients.*

^*National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, September 2019. Individual business results may vary, including results of TriNet clients.

$22,000

average savings per employee per year reported by PEO clients*

^*National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, 2019, Individual business results may vary, including results of TriNet clients. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI Inflation Calculator

We want happy employees. We want them to have the right benefits. And we want to do it in the easiest way, both for the employee and for the company—and TriNet allows us to do that. It allows us to stay focused on our customers."

Ben Weintraub

Founder & CEO, Kajeet, Inc.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a professional employer organization (PEO)?

A PEO provides small and medium-size businesses with HR admin support and services, including payroll, access to benefits, workers' compensation, and risk mitigation services.

Learn more about PEOs

What is co-employment?

Co-employment is the business relationship between a small business and a PEO, where business owners retain control over day-to-day operations while allocating certain employer responsibilities to the PEO through a detailed service agreement.

Download the eGuide, Top 5 Reasons SMBs Choose PEOs.

Get eGuide

Why should my business work with a PEO?

Working with a PEO gives you access to big-company benefits, helps mitigate employment-related risk, and frees up time you can spend growing your business instead of managing HR administration.

Download the eGuide, Six Key HR Strategies for Scaling Your Business.

Get eGuide

What is the difference between a PEO and an ASO?

With a PEO, there is a co-employment relationship, payroll is generally processed under the PEO’s tax ID, and the PEO may sponsor certain benefits for your employees, while an ASO does not involve co-employment, uses the client’s tax ID for payroll, and does not sponsor benefits.

Read our blog for more details on the differences between a PEO and an ASO.

Will I lose control of my business if I work with TriNet?

No, business owners retain complete control over their workforce, company culture, and brand when working with TriNet.

What HR services does TriNet's PEO solution include?

TriNet's PEO solution covers payroll processing, access to big-company benefits, HR compliance support, risk mitigation, workers' compensation, and an all-in-one HR technology platform.

Can TriNet help my business offer competitive employee benefits?

Yes, TriNet gives small businesses access to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, as well as a fully managed 401(k) plan, that would typically be out of reach without a PEO sponsoring the benefits.

Does TriNet support global workforce management?

Yes, U.S. clients can access global workforce support through TriNet, including hiring, onboarding, payroll, and compliance for global workers in 150+ countries and across 120+ currencies through a single unified experience. TriNet Global is available only as an add-on to the TriNet PEO offering and is not sold as a standalone solution.

How is TriNet PEO pricing determined?

TriNet's pricing depends on factors including your company size, and tailored quotes are available through their pricing page. There is a per employee per month (PEPM) fee for services and a separate cost for employee benefits, workers’ compensation, payroll taxes, and add-ons.

How established is TriNet as a PEO?

TriNet was founded in 1988, has maintained ESAC accreditation since 1995, and its subsidiary holds IRS Certified PEO status, and processed $70 billion in payroll for its solutions in 2025.

Learn More About PEOs

Ready to take a deeper dive? We’ve got you covered with these helpful resources.

Top 5 Reasons SMBs Choose PEOs

If you need an HR function up and running quickly without a huge outlay of cash, a professional employer organization (PEO) is a great option. It can help save you time and money, so you can focus on your people and growing your business.

Get eGuide

Do I Need a PEO for My Business?

A professional employer organization (PEO) can help with your HR needs, making it easier to stay on top of the ever-changing world of HR rules and requirements, while freeing you to concentrate on the many other aspects of running a small business.