FrankCrum is the PEO we look at first when a client's workers' compensation is the hard part of the deal: it underwrites comp through its own affiliated carrier, Frank Winston Crum Insurance, offers pay-as-you-go premiums with no large deposit, and has a real appetite for the construction and trades classes that tech-oriented PEOs decline. The trade-off is credentials, and it is a large one: FrankCrum holds neither IRS CPEO certification nor ESAC accreditation, which we surface to every CFO who treats those as a screening requirement.
We've placed clients with FrankCrum across multiple industries and headcounts. The assessment below reflects what actually happens in real engagements, not what the FrankCrum sales deck says happens, not what the affiliate review sites report based on commission spreads, and not what aggregated G2 stars suggest.
FrankCrum was founded in 1981, is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and is family-owned in its third generation. It is one of the longer-running PEOs in the country and a founding member of NAPEO, the industry association. The company reports more than 500 of its own staff and more than 90,000 worksite employees across more than 4,800 client businesses.
What sets FrankCrum apart structurally is that it owns its workers' compensation carrier, Frank Winston Crum Insurance. Most PEOs place comp through a third-party carrier and act as the policyholder; FrankCrum underwrites it in house, so pricing, underwriting appetite and claims handling sit under one roof. That is why it can write blue-collar risk classes that a brokered PEO program cannot price competitively, and why it can offer pay-as-you-go premiums without the large down payment that sinks many small contractors.
On credentials, FrankCrum does not appear on the IRS Certified PEO list and is not ESAC accredited. CPEO is the credential that makes the PEO solely liable for federal employment taxes on reported wages; ESAC is the industry's independent financial-assurance program with a surety behind the PEO's obligations. FrankCrum carries neither. Its footprint is concentrated in Florida and the Southeast, with newer expansion into California, Texas, Arizona and Georgia.
FrankCrum quotes per client and does not publish pricing. Its model is a bundled administrative fee driven by payroll size, headcount and workers' compensation risk class, covering payroll, HR support, workers' comp, compliance and EPLI in one rate. For a contractor comparing it against a PEO that itemizes comp separately, the comparison has to be rebuilt line by line before the fees are read side by side.
The economics that decide a FrankCrum comparison are in workers' compensation. Pay-as-you-go means premium is collected with each payroll rather than as an annual deposit, and the company says that structure produces fewer year-end audit surprises. For a roofing contractor, an electrical subcontractor or a franchise group with hourly staff, the cash-flow effect of no deposit can be as important as the rate itself.
Annual agreements are typical. Confirm the notice period and exit terms in the client service agreement, and ask specifically how the comp policy and any open claims are handled if the relationship ends.
Owning Frank Winston Crum Insurance means FrankCrum prices comp on its own underwriting rather than a broker's. For construction and skilled trades that is the difference between a quote and a decline, and in our comparisons it has carried the decision on its own for higher-risk employers.
Premium rides each payroll. A small contractor does not have to find a large down payment to bind coverage, and the year-end audit is less likely to produce a surprise bill.
Payroll, HR support, workers' comp, compliance and EPLI in one fee. For an owner-operator who does not want to manage five vendors, the simplicity is part of the value, and EPLI in the bundle is not universal in this tier.
Operating since 1981 under three generations of one family, with no private equity recapitalization in progress. The service model is not about to be reorganized by a new owner.
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.
This is the consideration that removes FrankCrum from some shortlists before pricing. Without CPEO certification, federal employment tax liability does not shift to the PEO; without ESAC, there is no third-party surety behind its obligations. A finance-led buyer who requires either should look at a credentialed PEO. For a Florida contractor whose comp is the problem, we think the economics usually outweigh the gap, but it has to be a conscious decision.
The core service is in Florida and the Southeast. Expansion into California, Texas, Arizona and Georgia is newer, so an employer in those states should ask how long FrankCrum has served clients there and who the local team is.
FrankCrum's technology does the job. A tech-first company that expects a modern all-in-one HR platform will notice the difference against the national and tech-first PEOs; a construction crew will not.
When a client is evaluating FrankCrum, these are the three alternatives we most often put on the shortlist. The rationale below explains when each one beats FrankCrum and when it doesn't. For the full comparison on cost, benefits and service, read FrankCrum alternatives compared.
The other Florida PEO with strong workers' comp pooling for higher-risk classes, and it carries both CPEO certification and ESAC accreditation; its PrimePay merger integration is the thing to diligence.
Read full review →The closest structural match: a workers' comp-led PEO writing high-hazard construction, transportation and marine classes through its affiliated carrier, Lion Insurance Company. Like FrankCrum it holds neither CPEO certification nor ESAC accreditation.
Read full review →A St. Petersburg PEO with three entities on the IRS CPEO list, for a Florida employer who wants certification and a bundled comp program placed through an A rated carrier rather than an in-house one.
Read full review →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.
No. FrankCrum does not appear on the IRS Certified PEO list and is not ESAC accredited. Buyers who require either credential should compare a certified PEO.
FrankCrum positions for 10 to 500 or more employees, with its sweet spot between 10 and 150, and its strongest fit is construction, skilled trades, franchises and multi-location small employers.
FrankCrum is headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, and its footprint is concentrated in Florida and the Southeast, with newer expansion into California, Texas, Arizona and Georgia.
No. FrankCrum quotes a bundled administrative fee per client, driven by payroll size, headcount and workers' comp risk class.
Credentials. It holds neither CPEO certification nor ESAC accreditation, so federal employment tax liability does not shift to the PEO and there is no third-party financial assurance. For many trades employers the comp economics outweigh that; for a finance-led buyer it is often disqualifying.
Both are Florida PEOs with strong workers' comp for higher-risk classes. FrankCrum underwrites comp through its own carrier and offers pay-as-you-go premiums but holds no CPEO or ESAC credential; CoAdvantage pools clients on a master policy and holds both credentials, with a merger integration in progress. Run both on the same census.
FrankCrum owns its carrier, Frank Winston Crum Insurance, so comp is underwritten in house rather than brokered. Premiums are collected pay-as-you-go with each payroll, with no large down payment and fewer year-end audit surprises.
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