It is my understanding that in order to get those lower price Trinet becomes the employer to your employees, therefore they can get a huge discount on group rates. However, your employees technically now work for Trinet, not your company. While perhaps ok at a small scale, as you grow, that's not exactly a great position to be in.
Previous company had the following in their contract:
TriNet Group, Inc. (“TriNet”): The Company’s payroll and other human resource management services are provided through TriNet, a
professional employer organization. This arrangement between the Company and TriNet means that TriNet will be considered your
employer of record for payroll and human resource management purposes and your managers here at the Company will be responsible for
directing your work, reviewing your performance, setting your schedule, and otherwise directing your work at the Company. This means
that the Company and TriNet are co-employers, and you are technically a “co-employee”. As a “co-employee” of TriNet, you will be
required to accept the policies and procedures set forth in TriNet’s Terms and Conditions Agreement (“TCA”).
More or less: income came from TriNet, insurance/benifits all came from TriNet, but I technically worked for $company.
Through this co-employment, TriNet becomes the employer of record for the 314,000+ employees of its 12,000+ clients (as of 9/30/15).
Because this co-employment gives a PEO significant scale, the PEO can offer its clients services/rates that a smaller company with less employees can never access.
In addition, through the co-employment model, a PEO also has 'skin in the game' with compliance issues, because everything is reported under their FEIN number.
Hope this helps. Happy to explain more or give you additional (independent) resources. jock.breitwieser AT trinet DOT com
However they spin it, technically you worked for TriNet. TriNet probably has some professional services agreement with your company that pays what it costs to employ you (salary, taxes, benefits), but your W2 says TriNet.
