Apply for Accreditation

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Any PEO or PEO Group is eligible to apply for accreditation. ESAC will hold information submitted by an applicant and the fact that an applicant has applied in strict confidence as provided by ESAC's procedures and agreements.

ESAC's step-by-step online application along with ongoing staff assistance will help make your accreditation process convenient and efficient.

Here's how to get your application underway

Step 1		Contact Jane McCoggins for an overview of services and the application process. We'll schedule a conversation with your PEO's management team to ensure everyone is familiar with ESAC's services and requirements.
Step 2		Submit a list of responsible persons and required financial information for a confidential evaluation. We’ll discuss what is needed during our initial call.
Step 3		Sign an application agreement and submit it to ESAC along with your $5,000 application fee, which will be credited to your first-year accreditation/bond fees upon accreditation.
Step 4		Work with your independent CPA to provide the required online verification of your PEO's tax and benefits payments for the most recent calendar quarter. During our call, we can discuss the agreed-upon procedures to be provided to your CPA for this verification process.
Step 5		Complete ESAC's online accreditation application and upload the required supporting documents. ESAC’s team will guide and support you throughout the entire process. ESAC's review and approval process will take about 4-6 weeks once your application has been fully completed.

What does accreditation cost?

ESAC’s accreditation fee covers the cost of accreditation and regulatory compliance services and is based on each PEO’s annual gross wages as shown in the below table.

Bond Fee

As backing for ESAC's Client Assurance Program, ESAC purchases annually a $15 million aggregate surety bond for accredited PEOs.

An underlying individual surety bond, ranging from $250,000 to $1 million, is purchased annually by each accredited PEO from ESAC’s surety broker for 1% of the bond amount. (This bond amount is calculated as 5% of the PEO's total federal and state employment tax liability for the preceding calendar year, rounded up to the nearest $250,000.)

These individual bonds and the $15 million aggregate bond are held in trust at a national bank on behalf of accredited PEO clients, employees, insurers and taxing authorities.

Accreditation Fee and Calculator

Calculate your annual accreditation fee by entering your PEO’s annual estimated wages in the below box:

Amount of Annual Gross Wages	Annual Accreditation Fee (effective 1/1/2020)
$0 to $50 million	$7,500 plus $185 per million over $10 million
$50 to $100 million	$15,000 plus $200 per million over $50 million
$100 to $250 million	$25,000 plus $80 per million over $100 million
$250 to $500 million	$37,000 plus $30 per million over $250 million
$500 million to $1 billion	$44,500 plus $15 per million over $500 million
$1 billion to $5 billion	$52,000 plus $5 per million over $1 billion
$5 billion and above	$72,000 plus $2 per million over $5 billion

Estimated Annual Wages:

Contact us for the ESAC Edge

In a recent study, accreditation was described as an important factor in over 80% of accredited PEO sales. Prospects required accreditation in 15% of those sales!

Let us know if you'd like to discuss the benefits of accreditation for your PEO:

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