1. Negotiate the renewal you have
Sometimes the right answer. We’ll tell you if the increase is in line with the market or if there’s room, and what to ask your current carrier or PEO for. No charge either way.
Renewal season · January 1 · Decide before you sign
Your January renewal came in high. Here’s what to do before you sign it.
Most small employers sign the renewal because nobody showed them an alternative in time. The window to do something about a January 1 increase is October through early December. You’re in it.
Two renewals we replaced: a 29-employee clinic facing an 80% medical increase landed at 12%; a 69-employee ambulance service on its fifth straight ~12% increase saved $125,657 moving to a PEO. Both are on the case studies page →
80% → 12%
Medical renewal we replaced for a 29-employee clinic
$125,657
Saved by a 69-employee non-profit after five straight ~12% increases
Under 2 weeks
Typical time from your renewal and census to a side-by-side
Your three real options
2. Move to a PEO
If medical or workers’ comp is the expensive line, a PEO’s pooled plans and master comp policy are the one structural way to change the number instead of shaving it. We quote 3–5 PEOs on identical assumptions.
3. ASO, or stay put
If cost is fine and the pain is service, an ASO may fit; if everything is priced well, we say stay. How we decide →
What it costs you
Nothing. The PEO you choose pays our fee, and it’s the same fee whichever one you pick — so there’s no reason for us to steer you.
What to send, and what happens next
- The renewal letter or proposal you just received (medical, and workers’ comp if that renewed too)
- A census: employee count, states, and roughly who’s enrolled
- Your last two or three invoices from the current provider — the real numbers, not list rates
- We price 3–5 PEOs and the alternatives on identical assumptions and walk you through it on a 20-minute call
- Most comparisons are ready in under two weeks. Send it in November and you decide in December with the numbers in front of you
Why the renewal is the moment
A renewal is the one time a year the whole picture is on the table: what you pay, what employees pay, what’s covered, what the comp modifier did. It’s also when every provider assumes you’ll sign because switching sounds hard. It isn’t — a PEO transition is a few weeks of paperwork we handle, and your employees see a better plan on January 1 instead of a worse one at the same price.
Nobody switches for the fun of it. They switch because the renewal letter made the decision for them. Our job is to make sure it was a decision and not a surrender.Jeff Gibson, SHRM-CP · Founder & PEO Advisor
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
How late is too late for a January 1 change?
For a PEO move, early December is usually the practical cutoff for a January 1 start; some PEOs can go later. For negotiating your current renewal, the deadline is whatever your carrier set. Either way, send it now and we’ll tell you honestly what’s still possible.
Can you look at a workers’ comp renewal, not just medical?
Yes. Texas is the only state where comp is optional, and a PEO master policy often changes the comp number more than the medical number. Send both.
What if the comparison shows my renewal is actually fair?
Then we tell you to sign it, and you’ve lost nothing but twenty minutes. That happens, and we’d rather say so than place you somewhere that isn’t better.
Does this work outside Texas?
Yes. We’re headquartered in San Antonio and work with employers nationwide; every PEO we compare operates nationally.