International PEO Services, your business sets in minutes
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) lets you employ people in countries where you don’t have a legal entity. We become the in-country employer of record on your behalf — payroll, tax, statutory benefits, and employment compliance handled — while you direct the day-to-day work.
International PEO Services, your business sets in minutes
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) lets you employ people in countries where you don’t have a legal entity. We become the in-country employer of record on your behalf — payroll, tax, statutory benefits, and employment compliance handled — while you direct the day-to-day work.
PEO vs EOR vs Setting up an Entity — Which One Do You Need?
The three options solve the same problem in different ways. The right answer depends on how many people you plan to hire, how long you plan to stay, and how much control you need over the employment relationship.
| Feature | PEO | EOR | Entity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal employer | PEO (co-employer) | The EOR | Your subsidiary |
| Setup time | 2–4 weeks | 1–2 weeks | 3–6 months |
| Setup cost | ~£500–1,500 | ~£200–500 | £15k–50k+ |
| Monthly / employee | £400–700 | £450–700 | £400–1,000+ |
| Best for | Multi-country, 2+ staff | 1–5 per country | 10+ per country |
| HR strategy | Shared | Mostly EOR | You |
| Equity / options | Easier | Country-specific | Easiest |
| Exit cost | Low | Low | High (6–18 mo) |
The Bradford Jacobs view: Most companies should start with EOR for 1-3 employees in a country, move to a PEO arrangement once they have 5+ employees with a longer-term plan, and only set up a local entity once they have 10+ employees, a customer-facing brand they want in-market, or specific tax/IP reasons. We can advise honestly on this because we offer all three — most providers only offer one and will recommend whatever they sell.
What is a PEO and How Does it Work?
A Professional Employer Organization (PEO) is a third-party firm that becomes the legal employer of your international workforce, so you don’t have to set up a legal entity in every country where you want to hire.
What’s Included in Bradford Jacobs’ PEO Service
Countries We Cover
Our PEO service operates in 120+ countries across Europe, North America, South America, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.
For each country, our local team provides guidance on statutory minimums, mandatory benefits, tax filing cadence, cultural norms, and visa pathways where relevant.
How Fast Can We Onboard a New Hire?
Typical timeline once you’ve selected a candidate:
In several markets (UK, Ireland, USA, Australia) we can onboard within 5-7 days for straightforward cases. Markets with mandatory health insurance enrolment (Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland) or work permit requirements typically take the full 3 weeks.
How Much Does a PEO Cost?
Transparent per-employee pricing with no hidden fees. Costs vary by country, headcount, and service scope.
For comparison, setting up your own entity in a single Tier 1 market (Germany, France, UK) typically runs £20,000-50,000 in the first year before you’ve paid a single salary. The break-even point is usually around 8-12 employees per country.
We publish ranges rather than fixed prices because the variance is real — your PEO bill for a senior engineer in Switzerland will be very different to a junior recruiter in Romania. We’ll quote a precise figure for your specific scenario within 48 hours of an initial call.