Justworks Review 2027: Pros, Cons and Verdict

What a PEO is, and why it matters here

Justworks is mainly a PEO, a professional employer organization. In Justworks' words, "PEO organizations operate under a co-employment model where the PEO is listed as a co-employer" of your staff. You keep "full control over hiring decisions, running your team, and handling business operations," per its PEO page.

The practical change is in taxes. On its PEO plans, Justworks files federal, state and local payroll taxes under its own EIN, in aggregate. You don't get your own filings; you get your tax data from Justworks' reports. Justworks says it has been an IRS Certified PEO (CPEO) since 2017 and is ESAC-accredited.

Justworks also sells a payroll-only plan without co-employment, at $50/mo plus $8 per employee. This review covers both. It is based on Justworks' pricing, payroll and PEO pages and its help center, checked November 12, 2026.

Who Justworks suits

The PEO plans fit a small team that wants HR support and, on PEO Plus, health insurance administration bundled with payroll at one per-employee price. PEO Basic is $79 and PEO Plus $124 per employee per month, with no base fee. Both add co-employment, employment practices liability insurance (EPLI), 24/7 support, standard HR consulting, 401(k) and applicant tracking. PEO Plus adds medical, dental, vision, HSA/FSA and COBRA administration.

Who should skip it

Skip the PEO if you have fewer than two W-2 employees, since it requires at least two. Payroll has no minimum.

Teams with many part-time or seasonal staff should also be careful. Part-time employees cost the full $79 on PEO and aren't eligible for benefits. PEO bills every employee with active status, including staff on leave and seasonal workers who aren't working but haven't been terminated.

If you only need payroll, the non-PEO plan is pricier than the leaders. OnPay is $79/mo for 5 employees against $90 on Justworks Payroll.

What it costs at 5, 20 and 50 employees

Regular published prices, employees only. Every plan includes multi-state payroll.

Plan	5 employees	20 employees	50 employees
Payroll ($50 + $8 per employee)	$90	$210	$450
PEO Basic ($79 per employee)	$395	$1,580	$3,950
PEO Plus ($124 per employee)	$620	$2,480	$6,200

The PEO prices cover payroll, HR and the extras listed above, so they aren't directly comparable with payroll-only plans.

What it files and what it leaves to you

Every plan includes employer payroll tax filings and W-2 and 1099 filings. On PEO, Justworks files under its own EIN. On Payroll, Justworks still handles employer payroll tax filings, but you must register in each state where remote staff work.

Getting onto PEO takes an extra step. Workers' comp is required, sign-up starts with a workers' comp application, and enrollment completes only once it's approved.

Fees and traps

• Time tracking is $8 per employee per month.
• Dedicated HR consulting is $30 per employee per month.
• US contractors are $8 per paid contractor per month, charged only in months you pay them. International contractors are $39 per paid contractor per month plus exchange-rate fees.
• The CHOICE health reimbursement is $25 per enrolled employee per month.
• The Payroll plan can add medical, dental, vision and COBRA admin for $8 per benefits-eligible employee per month.
• No volume discounts are listed, and there is no free trial.

Justworks charges no setup fee and bills monthly. Phone, chat and email support is on every plan, with 24/7 support on PEO only. Its Trustpilot score is 2.2/5 from 40 reviews.

Verdict

Justworks ranks eighth with a score of 7.3. Its PEO prices are published, with no base fee, and on PEO it files your payroll taxes under its own EIN. It ranks low on our list because total cost carries the most weight in our scoring: as a payroll-only service it costs more than the leaders, and the PEO costs far more per head because it bundles HR and benefits. Choose Justworks PEO if you have at least two W-2 employees and want co-employment, HR support and benefits administration in one bill. If you only need payroll, look higher on this list.