Compare PEO Services and HR Software by Responsibility
Distinguish a PEO service relationship, an operational HRIS/payroll software plan, and drafting or question help — with a fictional responsibility worksheet and a blank log.
A service relationship is not the same as a software plan or a drafting tool
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a service relationship that may include co-employment, payroll, benefits, and HR support. Operational software supports records and payroll workflows; who operates it and which services accompany it depend on the exact plan and contract. Drafting and question help outputs require human review. These categories may overlap in providers — a brand or product name alone does not establish which duty is whose responsibility. Confirm the exact legal entity, plan, contract, and exclusions before relying on any service.
This page is published by HR Co-Pilot and is a public buyer worksheet, not a PEO service, not a contract, and not a tax or legal review. The fictional case (Cedar Workshop) is written for this page only — no real employee data, no benefit or payroll amounts, and no employment, eligibility, or worker-status decision. An open item is an open question with a named owner, not a pass/fail vendor score.
The text below is selectable — copy the worksheet labels into your own document. This worksheet has no data-entry controls.
- 1.Name the must-do task: a drafting task, an operating task, or a service responsibility.
- 2.Read the exact legal entity, plan, contract, and exclusions — a name is not a duty.
- 3.Record what the provider commits to and what stays with the client.
- 4.Route employment, benefit, and worker-status questions to a qualified adviser.
Examples from official product pages
These are attributed descriptions of official product pages, not an independent test or a guarantee of current entitlements. Confirm the exact legal entity, plan, and contract before relying on any service.
ADP describes a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) as a co-employment relationship for payroll, benefits, and HR support, with clients handling day-to-day workplace decisions. Confirm the exact legal entity, contract, and offering; this is a vendor description, not a certification of a named vendor or a guarantee of every service.
Paychex describes a PEO service relationship and co-employment alongside its HR and benefits technology, distinguishing the service from the software and its responsibilities. Confirm which duties a specific plan and contract cover; this is a vendor description, not a savings claim or a guarantee of benefit eligibility.
A PEO is not automatically a CPEO
A Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) is a specific IRS-certified category with conditional federal employment-tax consequences. Confirm the exact entity, contract, and worker facts with a qualified tax or legal adviser — this is a narrow federal note, not a statement about every PEO or every employer duty.
The IRS defines a Certified Professional Employer Organization (CPEO) as a specific IRS-certified category with conditional federal employment-tax consequences. It distinguishes worksite and nonworksite remuneration and requires the exact CPEO legal entity name and EIN in the contract. A PEO is not automatically a CPEO; confirm exact entity, contract, and worker facts with a qualified tax or legal adviser. State and local duties vary.
Cedar Workshop — drafting, operating, and service questions
The case is written for this page only. Cedar Workshop (fictional) needs an orientation welcome-contact draft, an ongoing record owner, and benefit and payroll administration answers. The first draft was reviewed by the client; the record owner is unconfirmed; provider commitments and exclusions are not documented; and the PEO decision stays OPEN. No real benefit, payroll, eligibility, or worker-status outcome is asserted — these are drafting, operating, and service questions, not a vendor score.
Observed: Cedar Workshop (fictional) needs an orientation welcome-contact draft; the first draft was reviewed by the client. A drafting starting point is an HR Co-Pilot role — not a PEO service or an operational record.
Fictional illustration — written for this page, not a live product result. An undocumented duty or an unconfirmed owner is an open question, not a vendor verdict.
One entry per task you evaluate
The field labels below are selectable — copy them into a spreadsheet or document. There are no input fields and this worksheet has no data-entry controls. Leave any field open until the authorized owner confirms it.
Responsibility worksheet entry
Task
[The must-do task this entry evaluates]
A drafting task, an operating task, or a service responsibility.
Exact legal entity and offering
[Named entity, plan, and contract scope]
The specific entity and contract — a brand or product name alone does not establish responsibility.
Client owner
[Who at the client owns this task]
The person accountable for the client-side decision.
Provider written commitment
[What the contract says the provider performs]
Record only what is in the written quote and contract.
Exclusions
[What is outside this contract or plan]
Duties the provider does not perform under this offering.
Evidence
[What the provider arranged or documented]
A description or reference — not a verdict.
Qualified review
[Questions routed to a qualified adviser]
Employment, benefit, tax, or worker-status questions.
Open question
[Unresolved item with a named owner]
What stays open, who owns it, and the next decision.
Next step
[Next decision and date to confirm]
The next action with the provider or a qualified adviser.
A PEO decision with the owner unconfirmed
The following describes a fictional case written for this page. It contains no real employee data, no benefit or payroll amounts, and no employment, eligibility, or worker-status decision. The entry stays OPEN — not a pass/fail vendor score — until the exact entity, contract scope, and exclusions are confirmed with the provider and, where relevant, a qualified tax or legal adviser.
Task
Cedar Workshop (fictional) needs an orientation welcome-contact draft, an ongoing record owner, and benefit/payroll administration answers.
Exact legal entity and offering
[Named PEO entity, plan, and contract scope — unconfirmed.] A brand or product name alone does not establish responsibility.
Client owner
Operations lead (fictional).
Provider written commitment
[Not documented in this entry.] Commitments and exclusions must be read from the written quote and contract.
Exclusions
[Not documented in this entry.] Confirm which duties the contract excludes.
Evidence
First orientation welcome-contact draft reviewed by the client (fictional). No operational payroll run demonstrated.
Qualified review
Employment, benefit, and worker-status questions routed to a qualified tax or legal adviser (not answered here).
Open question
Record owner unconfirmed; provider commitments and exclusions not documented; PEO decision OPEN. Operations lead (fictional) owns the next step.
Next step
Confirm the exact entity, contract scope, and exclusions with the provider and a qualified adviser before relying on the service. Status: Open — not a vendor score.
Status
Open — record owner unconfirmed; provider commitments and exclusions not documented; PEO decision OPEN. An open question with a named owner is the useful outcome — not a product verdict.
Five questions to verify before relying on a service relationship
These are questions to confirm with the provider — not contract acceptance and not instructions to change providers or stop an existing service.
- 1What is the exact legal entity named in the contract, and what offering, plan, and add-ons does that specific contract cover?
- 2Which day-to-day workplace decisions and duties stay with the client, and which does the provider perform under the service relationship?
- 3Where does the provider's responsibility stop, and what is excluded — including benefit eligibility, payroll administration, and record ownership?
- 4What happens at onboarding, renewal, and any end of the service relationship, and who owns the records if the relationship ends?
- 5Which questions need a qualified tax or legal adviser before we rely on the service for employment, benefit, or worker-status decisions?
HR Co-Pilot offers plain-English HR question help and policy, handbook, and letter draft starting points that require human review. This public worksheet is not a PEO service and not a contract. A PEO or operational HRIS/payroll provider may fit broader administration needs. Confirm exact services and responsibility boundaries with the provider.
Related resources
Pair this checklist with the comparison hub, the ADP and Paychex head-to-heads, and the quote comparison worksheet.
Common questions about PEO and HR software responsibilities
This is a public buyer worksheet, not legal or tax advice, not a PEO service, and not a contract. Employment, benefit, payroll, and worker-status questions — and any state or local variation — require a qualified adviser and the exact contract with your provider.
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