HR Outsourcing · Alternatives
BEG HR outsourcing, powered by isolved, gives you certified HR professionals, a custom handbook, and full compliance support while your company stays the sole employer. No co-employment, ever.
Your monthly estimate on screen - no call required
Credit Where Due
ADP TotalSource is one of the largest professional employer organizations in the country and an IRS-certified PEO. It sits on top of ADP's payroll infrastructure, which is about as battle-tested as payroll infrastructure gets, and it wraps HR support, benefits access, and workers compensation into a single co-employment arrangement.
For companies that specifically want to hand over employer-side administration, TotalSource is a serious, credible option. The CPEO certification matters: it means the IRS holds TotalSource solely liable for the federal employment taxes it collects, which removes a real risk that exists with uncertified PEOs. The benefits access is real too, since a large PEO can offer plan options a 40-person company would struggle to source alone.
None of that is in dispute. The question worth asking before you sign is a different one: do you actually want the co-employment structure that all of it is built on?
The Trade-Off
These are characteristics of the PEO model itself, not knocks on ADP. Every PEO works this way; it is the structure you are agreeing to. The full picture is on our PEO vs. HR outsourcing guide.
In a PEO arrangement, the PEO becomes the employer of record for tax and benefits purposes. Your people are reported under its structure, and the employment relationship is legally shared.
The bundled benefits value comes from moving your team onto the PEO master plans. Carrier relationships, plan designs, and broker arrangements you have built typically do not come with you.
Leaving a PEO means unwinding co-employment: new tax accounts, new benefits placement, mid-year W-2 considerations, and a transition project on top of running the business.
TotalSource pricing is quote-gated. You talk to sales, share your census, and wait for a proposal. That is normal for large PEOs; it just means you cannot see a number before the conversation.
Side by Side
| Factor | BEG HR Outsourcing | ADP TotalSource |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs your staff | You do, always | Co-employment: shared with the PEO |
| Benefits plans | Yours stay yours | Their master plans replace yours |
| Pricing visibility | Instant estimate on screen | Quote-gated |
| Depth of service | Certified HR team, three plan tiers | Deep, bundled into the PEO relationship |
| Platform | isolved | ADP proprietary stack |
| Scope | HR support; payroll optional and separate | HR, payroll, and benefits bundled together |
| Exit friction | Stop the service; nothing to unwind | Unwind co-employment and replace benefits |
Honest Answer
If your top priority is benefits leverage and you genuinely want to stop being the employer of record for administrative purposes, a certified PEO is the right tool, and TotalSource is one of the strongest versions of that tool. Companies with thin back offices that want one vendor legally on the hook for employment tax remittance get real value from the CPEO structure.
Stay put, too, if you are mid-plan-year on PEO benefits your team loves and a disruption would cost you more in goodwill than the model costs you in flexibility. The time to reconsider is at renewal, with your broker in the room.
The BEG Alternative
BEG HR outsourcing, powered by isolved, puts certified HR professionals behind your company in three plans. Essential is live HR answers on demand. Expert adds the done-for-you assets: custom handbook, posters, new hire packets, and leave administration guidance. Elite adds a dedicated HR Business Partner with proactive compliance alerts. All of it for a fraction of the $60K-$100K an in-house HR hire runs, and none of it requires changing who employs your team. Full detail on the HR outsourcing overview.
Your monthly estimate on screen - no call required
Comparing more than one PEO? See how BEG stacks up against Insperity and TriNet as well.
PEO certification status is verifiable through the IRS Certified Professional Employer Organization program.
Questions
No. BEG is HR outsourcing, powered by isolved. There is no co-employment and no employer-of-record change. Your company remains the sole employer, on your own EIN, with your own benefits plans.
A PEO becomes a co-employer of your workforce and typically moves your team onto its benefits plans. HR outsourcing gives you certified HR professionals, a handbook, and compliance support while your legal employment structure stays exactly as it is. The full breakdown is on our PEO vs. HR outsourcing page.
For the HR side, yes: certified HR professionals, a custom handbook maintained as laws change, leave administration, and proactive compliance alerts on the top plan, covering all 50 states. What BEG does not do is take over employment of your staff, because it does not need to.
TotalSource pricing is quote-gated, so a sales conversation comes first. BEG shows you a monthly estimate on screen after six questions, in about 90 seconds, and confirms exact pricing on a 15-minute call. We never quote competitor prices; theirs come from them.
Nothing has to happen, and that is the point. Because BEG is not a co-employer, your benefits plans, carriers, and broker relationships stay yours. If you are currently on PEO master plans, plan the transition timing with your broker before you exit.
Ready?
Answer a few questions, get your exact number in about 90 seconds. No call required, no commitment.
Your monthly estimate on screen - no call required
