PEO companies in New York: registration, costs and the DBL and PFL rules

Look the PEO up on the NYS DOL list

The NYS DOL publishes a 65-page PEO list with each company's name, address, registration date and expiration date. Registration renews every year, so the expiration date is the field to read. Search for the entity named in your proposal; brands often contract through subsidiaries with similar names, a point the IRS makes about its own certified PEO list.

Registration with New York and certification by the IRS are different tests. New York checks that a PEO may operate in the state. IRS certification decides who is liable for federal employment taxes: for wages a CPEO pays, the CPEO is treated as the employer. Check both, using our IRS-certified PEO list for the second.

Workers' comp, DBL and Paid Family Leave

New York requires three kinds of coverage, and a PEO proposal should show where each one comes from:

• Workers' comp: required for for-profit employers with any employee, including part-time, temporary, leased and family workers. There is no headcount minimum.
• Disability Benefits (DBL): employees pay 0.5% of wages up to $0.60 a week; the employer funds the rest through its insurer.
• Paid Family Leave: employees pay 0.432% of wages, up to $411.91 in 2026. We found no 2027 rate decision as of October 16, 2026.

If the PEO covers you under its own policies, ask what happens to coverage on the day you leave, and line up replacement policies before that date.

What 10 New York employees cost

The New York unemployment line is nearly three times the Texas figure for the same 10 people, because the wage base is nearly double and the rate is higher. Assumptions: $50,000 salaries, a new UI account.

Experienced New York rates run from 2.025% to 9.825%, before the 0.075% Re-employment Service Fund. How PEO pricing works breaks down the rest of the invoice.

How the PEOs score

Justworks scores 67 out of 100, with prices published and a weak complaint record (Trustpilot 2.1 from 37 reviews, October 16, 2026). TriNet scores 50 and ADP TotalSource 44.

The Justworks review covers its support complaints; the TriNet review covers yearly price rises reported on Capterra.

New York City, Yonkers and pay rules

New York City residents owe city income tax, withheld with state tax under the NYS-50-T-NYC tables. Yonkers residents owe a surcharge of 16.75% of the computed state withholding, and nonresidents who work in Yonkers pay a 0.50% earnings tax. A PEO needs each employee's home address to get these right; confirm it collects them at onboarding.

• Minimum wage: $17.00 in NYC, Long Island and Westchester; $16.00 elsewhere. No change on January 1, 2027.
• Manual workers are paid weekly unless the state approves semi-monthly pay; clerical and other staff at least semi-monthly.
• Final pay is due by the regular payday for the period in which the job ended.
• Supplemental withholding for bonuses is 11.70%.

The New York payroll tax page has the full table.

Renewal increases

The most expensive surprise is usually year two. ADP TotalSource reviewers on Capterra reported "+8% in 2025 without justification" (April 2025) and an 18% renewal in a second year (May 2024); both reviews are more than a year old. TriNet reviewers describe prices that "continue to go up year after year." Ask for the last three years of renewal changes for clients your size, and whether health premiums and the admin fee renew on the same date.

Questions for a New York PEO

1. When does your NYS DOL registration expire, and under which entity?
2. Do you provide DBL and Paid Family Leave, or do we buy them?
3. Whose UI account do our New York wages report under?
4. How do you handle NYC and Yonkers withholding for remote staff?
5. What were your average renewal increases in each of the last three years?
6. What notice and fees apply if we leave, and do our policies end that day?

Not sure co-employment fits? Our PEO vs payroll comparison covers the alternative, and the national PEO ranking covers all 15 providers.