Stratum PEO review
Broad PEO operations coverage with self-hosted flexibility, but a high starting price.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Nov 2026
Stratum PEO is a workforce-management platform for professional employer organizations, administrative services organizations, domestic EORs, staffing agencies, and CPA firms. Its scope spans payroll and tax processing, benefits administration, leave compliance, onboarding, compliance reporting, workers’ compensation, operational CRM, and employee self-service. Deployments can run in the cloud or on the customer’s infrastructure, with modules independently deployable or usable alongside an existing stack during a pilot.
Pricing centers on a PEO perpetual platform license: a self-hosted license with no per-employee or seat fees. The listed starting price is $150,000. An optional annual subscription keeps tax tables and compliance rules current, making that subscription important for organizations that need maintained tax and compliance content. There is no free plan. The deployment model gives larger operators control over infrastructure and allows staged adoption, while the upfront license creates a substantial commitment before implementation work begins.
Operational breadth is the main differentiator. Payroll supports all 50 states and D.C., multi-state worker allocation, local tax resolution, ACH export, and garnishments. Benefits workflows include open enrollment, qualifying-life-event processing, and EDI 834 generation; compliance coverage includes EEO-1, WARN Act, state new-hire reports, and ACA forms. Workers’ compensation connects policies and claims to payroll-linked premium calculations, while CRM features add case management, SLA tracking, escalation rules, and a sales pipeline. Integrations include BambooHR, Greenhouse, Lever, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Slack, Deputy, Clockify, and Twilio, with SSO/SAML and two-factor authentication available. Large PEOs needing deep compliance operations should consider Stratum; smaller or narrowly focused operators may prefer a lower-commitment system.
Questions about Stratum PEO
What does Stratum PEO run on? Web, iOS and Android. It runs self-hosted and in the cloud.
What does Stratum PEO integrate with? 9 integrations, including BambooHR, Greenhouse, Lever, QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Who is Stratum PEO built for? Small businesses, mid-market companies and enterprises (our editorial estimate).
Stratum PEO pros and cons
- Where it wins
- 50-state and D.C. payroll tax engine with local tax resolution
- Benefits, leave, onboarding, compliance, workers’ compensation, and CRM modules
- Self-hosted perpetual license with no per-employee or seat fees
- Where it doesn't
- Starting price of $150,000 raises the entry barrier
- Current tax tables and compliance rules require an annual subscription
- Broad module coverage may exceed the needs of narrowly focused operators
Stratum PEO fact sheet, pricing and score →
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