Health benefits for a business of one
One owner, no employees, and a real group health plan.
You will need three things: what you earn, what you pay yourself, and the state you work in. About a minute.
The estimate appears on screen first. Contact details come after, and only if you want them to.
The owner problem
The market treats you like an individual. Your business may not have to.
The PEO path exists because the owner can be placed inside a larger employment platform when the case fits.
That does not mean giving up control of the business. It means the payroll, filing, coverage and administration path has to be clean enough to support the structure.
Household tiers
Owner only, spouse, children and family paths can be reviewed.
National access
The goal is better access than shopping alone.
Payroll discipline
The structure depends on payroll and paperwork being done correctly.
Timing clarity
Clean cases can discuss timing once paperwork is provided.
Are you a fit
The floor is straightforward.
Three facts decide whether the structure is worth pricing at all.
One owner
No employees on the payroll yet.
$80,000 and up
Income earned through the business.
A cost worth beating
What you pay for coverage now sets the bar.
Below that floor, shopping alone is usually the better answer, and this page will not pretend otherwise.
What you get
What a large employer's staff gets, handled for you.
The health plan leads. The back office comes with it, and it runs whether or not you ever think about it again.
Group health plan
A group plan through the PEO, built for a business with one owner. Not the retail individual market.
Dental and vision
Both, on the same group terms as the health plan.
Retirement
A 401(k) you do not have to set up, run or file for.
Legal support
Access to legal support for employment and HR questions.
Payroll and tax
Pay runs, filings and deposits handled for you, on schedule.
Compliance
Federal and state employment rules tracked and handled. Nothing for you to read.
Where the search starts
A business of one, under a dozen different names.
A fractional CFO, a contractor, an LLC owner and an S-corp owner may all be businesses of one. Find the description that matches how you file, then run your own numbers above.
Self-employed owners
For owners earning directly through their business.
Single-owner cost
Owner household facts and setups get compared the same way.
LLC owners
Entity treatment affects the PEO path.
1099 contractors
For contractors who need a business-grade answer.
Fractional executives
For CFOs, CISOs, COOs, CPOs, CEOs, CTOs, CMOs and CROs.
A sudden cost jump
If the monthly increase started the search, this is the usual starting point.
Your first hire
The day you hire someone, the HR department is already there.
Most solo owners hire eventually, and the year they do is the year the admin arrives. Onboarding, the handbook, pay runs, benefits enrolment, the paperwork the state wants.
None of it needs building. It already exists the day you need it, and your first employee joins the plan you are already on.
Why a PEO at all
A business of one, inside a large group.
NAPEO compares businesses that use a PEO with similar businesses that do not.
Faster growth
Businesses that use a PEO grow faster than comparable businesses that do not.
Lower turnover
They keep the people they hire for longer.
More resilient
They are less likely to go out of business.
Findings published by NAPEO, the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations.
What co-employment means
You stay the owner. You decide who works for you, what they do and what they are paid.
The employer of record for payroll, tax and benefits sits with the PEO, and that is what lets a business of one join a large group. The split of responsibilities is written into a service agreement you read before you sign.
Questions
The ones owners actually ask.
- What does the PEO cost on top of coverage?
- A monthly administrative fee for your business. The estimate shows it separately from the cost of coverage, so you can see both.
- Am I locked in?
- No. The service agreement sets the term and how to end it, and you read it before you sign. Ownership and control of the business stay with you.
- What happens when I hire someone?
- Onboarding, payroll and benefits enrolment run through the account that already exists. Nothing new to set up.
- Does how I pay myself matter?
- Yes. Entity type and owner pay affect what a group plan can be built on, which is why the estimate asks.
- Where does my information go?
- It is used to price your coverage and to request a formal price from carriers. Nothing else.
A business of one can still deserve a serious group-plan path.
If you earn strong income and your monthly coverage cost is already painful, shopping alone may be the wrong problem. The first question is whether your business facts can support a PEO structure, and the estimate at the top of this page answers it.