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Independent review · Updated 2026

Avitus Group Review, an independent broker's honest assessment.

Avitus Group is the one-vendor back office for a Montana or Rocky Mountain small business: co-employment sold alongside accounting, tax preparation, recruiting, branding and managed IT, from a firm that has been independently held since 1996. It carries neither IRS CPEO certification nor ESAC accreditation and publishes almost nothing about its own scale, so a finance-led buyer has to do the diligence a credential would normally cover.

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✓Not CPEO certified✓Not ESAC accredited✓Verified 2026
1996
founded
No
CPEO certified
10+
min sweet-spot size
Quote-only
pricing model

Quick verdict: the TL;DR.

Our score
3.0/5
A distinctive bundled service menu and long independent ownership; held back by the absence of both credentials, no published scale figures and a PEO line that is one of several priorities.
Best for
Montana, Rocky Mountain and Pacific West employers of 15 to 75 with no internal back office that want payroll, HR, accounting and IT from one vendor.
Worst for
Buyers who require CPEO certification or ESAC accreditation, and companies that want a PEO-only relationship with best-in-class HR technology.
Sweet spot
10 to 150 employees (sweet spot: 15 to 75)
Pricing
Quoted per client; not published

We've placed clients with Avitus Group across multiple industries and headcounts. The assessment below reflects what actually happens in real engagements, not what the Avitus Group sales deck says happens, not what the affiliate review sites report based on commission spreads, and not what aggregated G2 stars suggest.

Company background: Avitus Group.

Avitus Group was founded in Billings, Montana, in 1996 and remains privately and independently held. Its offices include Billings, San Ramon in the East Bay and San Diego, which gives it a Rocky Mountain base with a Pacific West reach. It is one of very few PEOs headquartered in Montana, and that regional knowledge is part of what it sells.

The company is better described as a business services firm with a PEO inside it than as a PEO that added services. Co-employment sits beside accounting, tax preparation, recruiting, branding and managed IT under one agreement, and the services can be bought a la carte or bundled, so a client can start with payroll and add co-employment later. Avitus has grown by acquisition into adjacent lines, including the 2017 purchase of an IT consulting business, which deepens the non-HR side of the offer.

What Avitus does not do is publish its scale. There is no stated staff count, client count or worksite employee total, and the firm is on neither the IRS CPEO list nor the ESAC accredited directory. Its industries run to construction, healthcare, dental, hospitality, professional services and manufacturing, and it positions for companies of 10 to 150 employees.

Founded
1996
Ownership
Private (independent), founded in Billings MT in 1996; offices include Billings, San Ramon CA and San Diego
CPEO
No
ESAC
No
Sweet spot
10 to 150 employees (sweet spot: 15 to 75)

Pricing: what to expect.

Avitus quotes per client and publishes no pricing. Because the menu is broad, a quote can be monthly or per project depending on which services are selected: a payroll-plus-co-employment client is priced differently from one that also takes bookkeeping and managed IT.

That structure is the point and also the thing to watch. A bundled quote is convenient, but it makes the PEO line harder to compare against a PEO-only competitor. Ask Avitus to break the quote into its parts, with the co-employment fee, the medical rate table and the workers' compensation class rates stated separately, so each can be put beside another provider's figure.

Agreements are typically annual. Confirm the notice and exit terms in the client service agreement, and ask whether the non-HR services can be unwound separately from the co-employment if you later want one without the other.

Strengths: what Avitus Group does well.

One vendor for the whole back office

Most PEOs stop at payroll, benefits, HR and compliance. Avitus adds accounting, tax preparation, recruiting, branding and managed IT. For an owner with no administrative staff, consolidating all of that under one contract is a real operational simplification, and it is the reason to shortlist Avitus.

Montana and Rocky Mountain knowledge

A PEO headquartered in Billings understands the labor market, the carriers and the state rules of a region most national PEOs serve from a distance. For a Montana employer, that is worth something.

Independent since 1996

No private equity sponsor, no roll-up, no integration in progress. The service model has not been reorganized by a change of owner in three decades.

Start small, add later

Services are sold a la carte or bundled, so a company can begin with payroll or accounting and move to co-employment when it is ready, rather than committing to the full PEO on day one.

Considerations: the things to weigh.

We frame these as considerations rather than negatives because most are real trade-offs rather than disqualifying flaws, but they are things we make sure clients understand before signing.

Neither CPEO nor ESAC

No IRS CPEO certification means no federal sole-liability shift for employment taxes. No ESAC accreditation means no bonded financial assurance behind client obligations. A buyer whose finance team weights either should know both are absent before the first call.

Scale is not disclosed

Avitus publishes no staff count, client count or worksite employee total. Before signing, ask for current worksite employee numbers and master medical participation in writing; buying power on benefits depends on them.

The PEO is one line among several

Breadth across accounting, IT and marketing means co-employment is not the sole focus. A company that wants a PEO-only relationship with a leading HR platform will find more specialized options.

The fit: who should and shouldn't pick Avitus Group.

Good fit for Avitus Group

  • +Montana, Rocky Mountain and Pacific West small businesses of 15 to 75
  • +Owners who want payroll, accounting, HR and IT from one vendor
  • +Companies with no internal back office that also need recruiting or managed IT
  • +Construction, healthcare, dental, hospitality and manufacturing employers in the region

Bad fit for Avitus Group

  • −Buyers who require IRS CPEO certification
  • −Buyers who require ESAC accreditation
  • −Companies that want a PEO-only relationship with best-in-class HR technology
  • −Finance-led buyers unwilling to do their own diligence on an undisclosed scale

Common alternatives: PEOs to compare against Avitus Group.

When a client is evaluating Avitus Group, these are the three alternatives we most often put on the shortlist. The rationale below explains when each one beats Avitus Group and when it doesn't. For the full comparison on cost, benefits and service, read Avitus Group alternatives compared.

Helpside

Family-owned Intermountain West PEO for small businesses; formerly A Plus Benefits, rebranded in 2017
Sweet spot
20 to 150 employees (sweet spot: 25 to 100)
Pricing
Quote-only, typically PEPM or percentage of payroll
Typical cost
Quoted per client; not published

A family-owned Intermountain West PEO with offices in Utah, Arizona, Idaho and the Kansas City metro and local named service teams for 800-plus small business clients; like Avitus it carries neither CPEO nor ESAC, so the comparison is on service and medical.

Read full review →

Stratus HR

Founder-owned Utah PEO serving small and mid-size employers in all 50 states
Sweet spot
5 to 500+ employees (sweet spot: 20 to 150)
Pricing
Per-employee-per-month, quoted per client
Typical cost
Quoted per client; not published

A founder-owned Utah PEO with a dedicated-consultant model and a published client retention rate, serving all 50 states, for a Mountain West employer that wants a PEO-only relationship.

Read full review →

BBSI (Barrett Business Services)

Publicly traded, branch-based PEO built around workers' compensation and local business consulting, heavily weighted to California and the West
ESAC
Sweet spot
Small and mid-size businesses; 2025 figures imply an average near 17 worksite employees per client (sweet spot: 10 to 100)
Pricing
Custom rate quoted per client, driven by headcount, workforce mix, turnover, loss history, job-function risk and experience modification; BBSI states it does not use flat or generic pricing tiers
Typical cost
Quoted per client; not published

The publicly traded, branch-based West Coast PEO with ESAC accreditation and deep workers' compensation capability, for a construction or manufacturing employer that wants audited financials behind its provider.

Read full review →

Want help comparing Avitus Group against the 2-3 other PEOs that fit your business?

A 15-minute call, then we shortlist the alternatives, gather quotes, and sit in the negotiation calls. Free to you, our fee is paid by the PEO you ultimately pick, at the same rate regardless of which one.

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Frequently asked questions Avitus Group.

Is Avitus Group a certified PEO?

No. Avitus is on neither the IRS CPEO list nor the ESAC accredited directory, so neither the federal tax-liability shift nor bonded financial assurance applies.

What size company is Avitus Group best for?

Avitus positions for 10 to 150 employees and fits best between 15 and 75, where an owner has no internal back office and benefits most from one vendor covering payroll, HR, accounting and IT.

Where does Avitus Group operate?

It was founded in Billings, Montana, and keeps offices in Billings, San Ramon and San Diego, serving Montana, the Rocky Mountain region and the Pacific West.

Does Avitus Group publish pricing?

No. Quotes are per client, monthly or per project depending on the services selected. Ask for the co-employment fee, medical rates and workers' compensation class rates stated separately.

What is the main consideration with Avitus Group?

The credential gap and the lack of disclosed scale. Neither CPEO nor ESAC is held, and no staff, client or worksite employee figures are published, so a buyer has to request them directly.

How does Avitus Group compare to Helpside?

Both are regional Mountain West PEOs without CPEO or ESAC. Helpside is a PEO with local named service teams across Utah, Arizona, Idaho and the Kansas City metro; Avitus adds accounting, recruiting and managed IT to co-employment. Choose on whether you want one vendor for the whole back office or a focused PEO.

Can I use Avitus Group without co-employment?

Yes. Services are sold a la carte or bundled, so a company can start with payroll or accounting and add co-employment later.

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