Practicing since 1987.

On your side of the table.

Big 8 training, CPA judgment, and decades of PEO industry experience help you make smarter decisions and protect your business.

For CEOs, CFOs, and HR directors of 20–500 employee companies: get a CPA-level consultation of your PEO proposal so you do not over-pay or under-protect.

Start Your Free PEO Assessment

Discover Your True Costs

Establish your true HR cost and risk baseline before making a PEO decision.

Review Your PEO Proposal

Examine payroll-tax markups, benefit-load assumptions, renewal escalators, and contract risks.

Negotiate Better Terms

Strengthen contract terms, define service levels, and reduce renewal risks.

Maintain Ongoing Oversight

Stay in control through onboarding, ongoing monitoring, and renewal reviews.

OUR APPROACH

How the Engagement Works

A clear, structured process to help you understand your PEO costs, strengthen your contract, and stay in control.

Discovery Review

Review your cost structure, benefits, and compliance.

Proposal Review

Identify cost factors and contract terms that need attention.

Negotiation

Strengthen terms, define SLAs, and reduce renewal risk.

Oversight

Maintain control through data-driven monitoring.

Independent guidance. Clearer decisions. Greater control.

A CLOSER LOOK AT PEO COSTS

Most PEO contracts embed 5–25% hidden markups. Renewal increases above the market median often arrive without a claims explanation.

Based on proposals reviewed in this practice. Actual costs and renewal increases vary by provider and contract.

What Should You Check in a PEO Proposal?

Know what to question before you commit.

Undisclosed Payroll-Tax Markups

Check how payroll taxes are calculated and whether additional markups are included in the quoted price.

Inflated Benefit-Load Assumptions

Review the assumptions behind benefit costs and how they affect your total HR spending.

Ambiguous Renewal Clauses

Understand renewal dates, rate adjustments, notice periods, and the terms for ending an agreement.

Missing Audit or Termination Rights

Check whether your contract gives you appropriate access to records and clear exit options.

Unexplained Pass-Through Fees

Ask for a clear breakdown of additional fees and the services or costs they cover.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Mark J. Burger, CPA

Practicing since 1987

Mark J. Burger, CPA, has been in practice since 1987. His professional background includes experience with Arthur Young & Company, a Big 8 accounting firm and predecessor of Ernst & Young.

He has served as a partner at one of South Florida’s largest CPA and advisory practices and has also operated an independent accounting and advisory practice. His experience includes advising business clients on tax matters, business operations, and Professional Employer Organization (PEO) arrangements.

His areas of expertise include reviewing PEO fee structures, renewal terms, service agreements, and contract provisions, helping employers understand the financial and operational implications of their PEO decisions.

TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY

How I am paid

I am compensated by the PEO you select. Rates differ between PEO partners, and in some cases they differ substantially — those differences generally track the level of service and support each PEO provides. I will tell you what I am paid on any PEO I put in front of you. Ask me. I would rather you did.

What you are buying here is not a neutral referral. It is a CPA reading the contract line by line, negotiating the terms, and still being here when the renewal arrives. Most brokers are gone after placement.

Read our full compensation disclosure

YOUR BUSINESS DESERVES CLARITY

Ready to Get Clarity?

Understand your PEO costs, contract terms, and potential risks before you commit. Get an independent perspective from a CPA with decades of experience.