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PEO for media & agencies
Find a PEO built for
agencies and media companies.
For marketing and creative agencies, video production companies, publishers and digital media teams with 5–500 employees. Compare 40+ vetted PEOs on benefits that keep creative talent, freelancer classification, multi-state payroll for remote teams and pricing that fits a salaried staff, then onboard to the best fit without becoming a PEO expert. Free comparison, no obligation.
Built for:
Marketing & creative agencies
Video & production
Publishers & digital media
PR & communications
Your PEO shortlist
42-person agency · fully remote · 9 states
Illustrative example
PEO A
Best fit
Match
92%
Benefits tier
Top-tier PPO
Contractor guidance
Included
Multi-state payroll
All 50 states
All-in / employee / mo
$1,214
Exit fee
None
PEO B
Shortlisted
Match
81%
Benefits tier
Mid-tier only
Contractor guidance
Included
Multi-state payroll
All 50 states
All-in / employee / mo
$1,163
Exit fee
$3,000
PEO C
Shortlisted
Match
75%
Benefits tier
Top-tier PPO
Contractor guidance
Not offered
Multi-state payroll
All 50 states
All-in / employee / mo
$1,198
Exit fee
None
Every fee decoded by P.A.U.L. · Gaps and exit terms flagged before you sign
Compare leading PEOs with confidence, including
Sound familiar?
You make the work.
HR shouldn't eat into it.
Agencies and media companies run on talent, utilization and client wins that can change headcount overnight. Here's what founders and agency operators tell us most, and where the right PEO fits.
“Holding-company agencies keep poaching our best creatives.”
Bigger shops lure designers, strategists and producers with richer benefits. A PEO's large-group buying power gives an independent agency benefits that can hold their own, so your best people stay.
“Half our work runs through freelancers.”
Freelance designers, editors and writers keep you flexible, but misclassification risk grows as they start working like staff. A PEO helps you classify correctly and convert freelancers to W-2 when it's time.
“We won a big account and need eight hires next month.”
Account wins and losses swing headcount fast. A PEO scales onboarding up, handles offboarding cleanly when an account ends, and keeps benefits and payroll steady through both.
“Our team is remote across nine states.”
Remote creatives mean registering and running payroll everywhere they live, each state with its own leave and pay rules. A PEO handles multi-state payroll tax and compliance on one platform.
“Every hour on HR is an hour we can't bill.”
When founders and ops leads run payroll, benefits and compliance, utilization drops. A PEO takes that administration off their plate so senior talent stays on client work.
“Our shoots bring in day-rate crews.”
Short-term crews, day rates, kit fees and shoot-day overtime make payroll tricky, and union productions often need specialty entertainment payroll. A PEO covers your core staff, and we show you which PEOs can support your production setup.
Why agencies use a PEO
Think of a PEO as your agency
of record for HR.
Brands hire an agency of record to bring scale and expertise while keeping the brand and the final say. A PEO (Professional Employer Organization) does that for your people: it pools your team with thousands of other employees for large-group benefits, workers' comp and HR expertise, while you keep every hiring, creative and client decision.
18%
average annual turnover at North American agencies in 2024
28%
of U.S. skilled knowledge workers now freelance or work independently
$26,993
average annual employer family health premium in 2025, up 6% in one year
12%
lower employee turnover for businesses that use a PEO
Sources: Campaign US Agency Performance Review (April 2025), Upwork (April 2025), KFF 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey and NAPEO.
What you get
Holding-company benefits, indie-agency overhead.
Benefits that keep creative talent, with large-group pricing
Freelancer classification help and W-2 conversions
Multi-state payroll for remote teams
Onboarding and offboarding that scale with account wins and losses
401(k) and retirement options for founders and staff
HR compliance, handbooks and EPLI support
Free for agencies
See which PEOs fit your agency.
Share your headcount, states and freelancer mix. We'll line up vetted PEOs side by side, every fee decoded, before your next big hire.
Why compare here first
Run your PEO search
like an agency review.
Clients don't pick an agency without a review. Your PEO deserves the same: benefits, contractor guidance, multi-state coverage, pricing and contract terms vary widely. PEO Marketplace does the discovery, evaluation and onboarding work, so you land on the best-fit PEO without becoming a PEO expert.
Discover
PEOs that understand agencies
P.A.U.L., our AI PEO assistant, screens 40+ vetted PEOs by headcount, states, freelancer mix and benefit goals, so you only evaluate PEOs built for teams like yours.
Evaluate
Every proposal, reviewed like a pitch
Admin fees, benefits, work comp and setup costs decoded line by line in one standardized format, so you see the real all-in cost per employee.
Onboard
Switch without dropping a deliverable
We guide census, plan selection and go-live timing around your payroll cycle, fiscal year and open enrollment, and flag auto-renewals and exit terms before you sign.
Free for agencies
Paid by the PEO you ultimately choose
Like a recruiter, our fee comes from the PEO you ultimately pick. Our team's side-by-side comparison costs you nothing, and the first 50 businesses get free beta access to the platform.
What it looks like
A 42-person remote agency in nine states
A common picture: an independent creative agency with 42 employees across nine states, a bench of freelancers, a holding-company competitor poaching senior talent and an ops lead running payroll on the side. Here's how the founders' year changes once the right PEO is in place. More real outcomes in our case studies.
Illustrative example based on common agency setups.
Before
Senior creatives leaving for bigger shops
Freelancers working like staff
Payroll registrations in nine states
Ops lead running HR on the side
After
Large-group benefits that help retain talent
Clear classification and W-2 conversions
Multi-state payroll handled by the PEO
HR administration off the ops lead's plate
Before you sign anything
6 questions every agency should ask a PEO
We check every one of these for you, and lay the answers out side by side.
How do your benefits compare with what holding-company agencies offer?
How do you help us classify freelancers and convert them to W-2?
Can you run payroll in every state where our remote team lives?
How fast can you onboard a wave of hires after a big account win?
Can you support production staff and day-rate crews, or just core staff?
What are the all-in costs per employee, and what are the exit terms?
Your options
Three ways to buy PEO services.
Only one compares them all for you.
Going direct to a PEO
Traditional broker
PEO Marketplace
PEOs you compare
One by one
The few they work with
40+ vetted PEOs, side by side
Your time
Slowest
Faster
Fastest
Proposals
Their format
Each PEO's own format
Standardized format, decoded line by line
Quote paperwork
You gather it
You gather it
Done for you, or guided DIY if you prefer
Cost to your business
Free
Usually free
Free, paid by the PEO you choose
Contract review
On your own
Varies
Before you sign
After you sign
The PEO's service team
Varies
Quarterly advocacy check-ins
Platform launch · December
Pre-register for the PEO Marketplace platform.
Everything the PEO market has been missing, from A to Z: smart shopping, side-by-side comparisons and contract signing on one platform, taking the whole PEO process from weeks to hours. Pre-register today as a business, a partner or a PEO. The first 50 businesses get free access to the beta launch.
✓ Free beta access for the first 50 businesses
✓ First in line when the platform opens in December
✓ Launch updates only. No spam, unsubscribe anytime
Need a PEO right now? Our team can run the comparison for you today →
Early access
Reserve your spot
Who's registering?
For employers
Shopping for a PEO or reviewing the one you have? The first 50 businesses to pre-register get free access to the beta launch of the marketplace.
Free beta access is limited to the first 50 businesses that pre-register.
Agency & media FAQ
PEO for agencies:
what founders ask first.
Reviewed by PEO Marketplace, a licensed Florida insurance agency (#L129491). Last updated October 2026.
What is the best PEO for marketing agencies?
There isn't one best PEO for every agency. The right fit depends on your headcount, states, freelancer mix, production work and benefit goals. We screen 40+ vetted PEOs on those factors and compare the best fits side by side. Building software too? See PEOs for tech companies.
Why do agencies use a PEO?
To compete with bigger shops for talent and keep founders billable. A PEO gives an agency large-group benefits, multi-state payroll, classification help and HR compliance support. It works like an agency of record: scale and expertise, while you keep the final say. Under 50 people? See PEOs for small business.
Can a PEO help with freelancers and independent contractors?
A PEO covers your W-2 employees, and many offer guidance on classifying freelancers and converting them to W-2 when they work like staff. Some also offer contractor payment tools. Classification rules vary by state, so get guidance before you scale a freelance bench.
Can a PEO handle union production crews?
Usually not. Union productions under IATSE, SAG-AFTRA or similar agreements typically use specialty entertainment payroll companies for fringe and residual reporting. A PEO can cover your full-time staff while production payroll stays with a specialist.
Does a PEO work for fully remote agencies?
Yes. A PEO registers and runs payroll, tax filings and HR compliance in every state where your team lives, on one platform. Growing past 100 people? See PEOs for mid-market companies.
How does a PEO handle headcount swings from account wins and losses?
A PEO scales onboarding when you win business and handles offboarding, final pay and COBRA notices when an account ends, so headcount changes don't overwhelm your ops team.
Do we keep control of hiring and client work?
Yes. You keep hiring, compensation, creative direction and every client decision. The PEO handles payroll, benefits, tax filings and HR administration as a co-employer.
How much does a PEO cost for an agency?
Expect an admin fee per employee or a percentage of payroll, plus benefits and workers' comp. With salaried creative staff, percent-of-payroll pricing can cost more than per-employee pricing, so compare all-in cost side by side. For a quick estimate, try our PEO cost calculator.
Can a PEO help an agency keep its best people?
It can help. Stronger benefits, smoother onboarding and consistent HR practices give creatives, strategists and producers more reasons to stay. NAPEO research finds businesses that use a PEO have 12% lower employee turnover.
Is PEO Marketplace free for agencies?
Yes. Comparing PEOs with our team is free for agencies and media companies. Like a recruiter, we're paid by the PEO you choose. The platform itself is free for the first 50 businesses during the beta, with paid plans announced at launch. Businesses on a full-service PEO (PEO, health and workers' comp) are backed by our $500 per employee per year savings guarantee.
Keep exploring
Your next step.
Proof
See real results
Case studies with the before-and-after numbers, line by line.
Read the case studies →
Free tool
Estimate your PEO savings
Run your own numbers in the free PEO Calculator.
Open the calculator →
PEO 101
What is a PEO?
A plain-English guide to how a PEO works and what it costs.
Read the guide →
peo-marketplace
Get back to the work that wins accounts.
Compare vetted PEOs side by side, see every fee, and onboard to the best fit without becoming a PEO expert. Free for agencies and media companies.
Need a PEO now?
Book a free comparison with our team. We'll review your current setup and what a better PEO could look like.
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