Service
Fractional Payroll and HR Services Without the Full-Time Hire
Businesses shouldn’t have to stretch one person across payroll, compliance, and HR just to keep things running. Fractional support brings in senior-level expertise without the full-time hire.
At a glance
Embedded in your team and leadership meetings
Runs the payroll software you already have
Compliance monitored: FLSA, state sick leave, ACA reporting
Former ADP payroll professionals, decades of combined experience
Works inside any major payroll system.
Definition
What fractional payroll and HR means
Fractional payroll and HR gives you part of a senior payroll and HR department, without the full-time hire.
The software you already have gets run the right way. Filings, garnishments, and employee paycheck questions are all handled on your behalf. On the HR side, we build compliant employee handbooks, performance review cycles, and hiring and onboarding infrastructure.
The usual alternative is a full-time HR hire: a full salary, plus benefits, onboarding time and training.
The problem
Are you suffering from “The Hat Problem”?
When the CFO is also the HR manager and the payroll specialist, things get missed. The more hats one person wears, the greater the risk to your business.
The cost of doing it yourself
You spend an average of 8 or more hours per pay period on payroll alone. That is time taken directly away from your sales and strategy.
The risk of in-house errors
One missed state tax registration or misclassified 1099 can cost thousands in penalties. Errors made in-house are often discovered too late to avoid the damage.
Compare
Outsourcing vs. fractional: what’s the difference?
Most payroll companies are transactional; they just push buttons. A fractional partner is transformational, joining leadership meetings, understanding your culture, and proactively building your people strategy.
Traditional outsourcing compared with fractional payroll and HR
Traditional outsourcing
Fractional payroll & HR
Involvement
No involvement in business decisions
Embedded in your team and leadership meetings
Approach
Reactive; only acts when you reach out
Proactively builds your people strategy
Culture
No understanding of your culture or goals
Understands your culture and growth goals
Scope
Processes payroll and nothing more
Scales with your business as it evolves
What you get
What you get
Four areas where fractional support makes the biggest difference.
Fractional payroll management
The software you already have gets run the right way. Filings, garnishments, and employee paycheck questions are all handled on your behalf.
See payroll processingStrategic HR oversight
From building compliant employee handbooks to designing performance review cycles that actually drive results.
See HR consultingCompliance as a service
Changing FLSA rules, state-specific sick leave laws, and ACA reporting are monitored and managed so nothing falls through the cracks. Need benefit deductions reconciled to payroll too?
See employee benefits administrationScale-up support
Hiring and onboarding infrastructure gets built before you need it, so doubling your headcount does not slow your business down.
Your system
The systems we work in
No platform switch. We run payroll in any major payroll system you already use.
We’ll learn your system, work with it, and show you how to make it better based on what actually works.
No system overhauls, no new software to learn
We work directly with brokers, retirement plan sponsors, and benefits administrators on your behalf
Keep your current system. Seriously.
How it works
How it starts
Four steps, from the first call to ongoing support.
Get started
We start with a free call to understand your business and your challenges.
Assessment
An HR assessment identifies risks and gaps.
Custom plan
You get a plan outlining the support we recommend.
Ongoing support
We support you when issues come up.
Not sure where to start?
Whether you are dealing with a specific issue or need more structure, we will help you get clarity quickly.
Get startedCommon starting points
No employee handbook or written policies
Unsure whether you are compliant with labor laws
HR questions interrupting daily work
An employee situation you are not sure how to handle
Growing, but not sure how to scale HR
Is this you?
Signs you’re ready for fractional support
Fractional support is built for small and mid-sized businesses nationwide. If these sound familiar, start with a call.
The CFO is also the HR manager and the payroll specialist.
You spend 8 or more hours per pay period on payroll alone.
You are growing across states.
You are growing but not quite ready for in-house payroll and HR staff.
You want a partner in leadership meetings, not a vendor who just pushes buttons.
Growing across states means new state registrations. We handle payroll tax registration for employers in all 50 states. For example, Texas has no state income tax withholding obligation, while California registration covers EDD withholding, SDI and CA PFML.
See tax filing and state registrationOur team
Why PayAdvisors
PayAdvisors is staffed by former ADP payroll professionals: 25+ payroll and HR specialists. Businesses bring us in when payroll has outgrown one person, and we become their payroll department.
With decades of combined experience, we’ve processed payroll for just about every scenario you can imagine. Today we run payroll for businesses in every industry and in all 50 states.
Read about PayAdvisorsWhat you can count on
A dedicated Client Success Manager and a dual audit on every payroll
Real people who answer the phone, Monday through Friday
We work inside the system you already have
Three support levels: about 5, 10 or 20 hours a week
Client words
Read client testimonialsWhat our clients say
“Nothing but praise for the team at Pay Advisors.”
“They came in and supported our 6x Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company at just the right time and helped us bridge the gap between a patchwork quilt of outside vendors to eventual in house staff when it comes to payroll, HR, benefits, etc. Couldn’t recommend them enough for a company growing into its shoes and not quite needing in house staff, but trying to minimize the number of outside companies that it needs from a back office perspective.”
Josh Funk
CEO, Rehab2Perform
“It’s been great to see how PayAdvisors was able to quickly adapt to meet our needs. They have been super responsive.”
Rachel M.
Vice President, Human Resources
Delano Jones
President, North Compass Consulting
Melanie T.
President, The Hopkins Group
Questions
Fractional payroll and HR questions
What is fractional payroll and HR?
Fractional payroll and HR is senior-level payroll and HR support embedded in your team, without the full-time hire.
How is it different from outsourcing payroll?
A fractional partner joins your leadership meetings, understands your culture, and proactively builds your people strategy, while traditional outsourcing processes payroll and nothing more.
Do we have to switch payroll systems?
No. The software you already have gets run the right way, whatever major payroll system that is.
Is this a PEO?
No, PayAdvisors is not a PEO, and there is no co-employment. You remain the only employer and stay in full control of your business and team, while we support payroll and HR alongside your existing payroll setup.
How does an engagement start, and what does it cost?
It starts with a call. Ongoing support is a monthly retainer for a defined level of team support, at roughly 5, 10 or 20 hours a week. Work beyond your level is billed hourly or moved up a level, and single projects, like building an employee handbook, are possible too. For comparison, a full-time HR hire costs a full salary, plus benefits, onboarding time and training.
Keep reading
All servicesRelated
HR consulting
PayAdvisors acts as your dedicated HR department, without the full-time overhead.
Payroll processing
Full end-to-end payroll processing handled inside the system you already use, every pay run.
Payroll for HR consulting firms
Add payroll to your client offering without adding headcount. We do the work, you keep the relationship.
Talk to us
Tell us about your payroll and HR
You talk to real people, Monday through Friday.
What happens next
1.
You send the form with your name, email, phone, company and company website.
2.
We contact you soon.
3.
We talk about what’s not working and how we can take it off your hands.
Other ways to reach us
Prefer to pick a time?
Send your details
Next step
Don’t let payroll and HR fall behind your growth
Whether you are dealing with a specific issue or need more structure, we will help you get clarity quickly.