Stratum PEO

Stratum PEO is a payroll, HR and CRM platform for firms that administer services for clients. It is best suited to PEOs, ASOs, staffing agencies and CPA firms prepared to run software on their own infrastructure. Its broad operational toolkit is compelling, but on-premises deployment and hourly support costs make it a deliberate operational commitment.

Overview

Stratum brings client and employee administration, payroll, HR workflows and CRM into one self-hosted system. Customers run it on their own infrastructure, making it a better fit for organizations that need control over deployment than for teams seeking a hosted service without infrastructure responsibilities.

Its architecture comprises 16 FastAPI microservices behind one API gateway, with Next.js frontends; modules can be deployed independently. That modularity can support staged adoption, though it does not remove the work of operating the underlying environment.

Key features

Payroll and HR operations

The in-house tax engine handles federal, state and local withholding across all 50 states and D.C., including multi-state allocation and NACHA ACH export. That coverage suits providers administering payroll across jurisdictions. Employee and client onboarding checklists include LLM-assisted I-9 extraction and E-Verify, while offboarding workflows cover separation notices in 21 states.

Client company portals, employee self-service, benefits enrollment, compliance tools and payroll and tax administration cover core service workflows. Case management adds SLA tracking, escalation rules, AI-assisted triage and Twilio CTI call logging, alongside a sales CRM. Together, these features make Stratum relevant to service firms managing both client relationships and operational cases, rather than just payroll processing.

Integrations, migration and security

Native connectors include BambooHR, Greenhouse, Lever, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Slack, Deputy and Clockify. Migration adapters cover ADP, Paychex, Gusto, Workday, Rippling, QuickBooks and BambooHR, which may ease transitions from those systems.

Security measures include schema-per-tenant PostgreSQL isolation, AES-256/Fernet encryption for PII at rest, bcrypt password hashing, mandatory MFA for privileged roles, SAML 2.0 SSO and append-only audit logging. Stratum describes its controls as SOC 2 CC6-aligned; formal certification is planned, not completed. That distinction matters to buyers whose procurement requires a current SOC 2 certification.

Pricing

Stratum is paid software with annual plans priced by customer type and operating scale. The entry tiers are not interchangeable: CPA channel limits are based on employees administered, while staffing limits use trailing-12-month placements.

• CPA channel — Starter: $9,000 a year, billed $9,000 annually, for up to 100 employees administered.
• Staffing — Starter: $11,000 a year, billed $11,000 annually, for up to 100 trailing-12mo placements.
• CPA channel — Growth: $12,000 a year, billed $12,000 annually, for 101–500 employees administered.
• Staffing — Growth: $14,000 a year, billed $14,000 annually, for 101–500 trailing-12mo placements.
• CPA channel — Established: $15,000 a year, billed $15,000 annually, for 501–1,000 employees administered; it is capped and graduates to ASO pricing beyond that range.
• Staffing — Established: $18,000 a year, billed $18,000 annually, for 501+ trailing-12mo placements.
• ASO — Starter: $19,000 a year, billed $19,000 annually, for up to 1,000 administered employees.
• ASO — Growth: $23,000 a year, billed $23,000 annually, for 1,001–2,500 administered employees.
• ASO — Established: $27,000 a year, billed $27,000 annually, for 2,501+ administered employees.
• PEO — Starter: $25,000 a year, billed $25,000 annually, for up to 1,000 covered employees.

The cheaper CPA and staffing tiers give up capacity, not a stated set of features; the CPA Established tier also has a firm ceiling before ASO pricing applies. ASO Starter covers up to 1,000 administered employees, while PEO Starter is priced separately for up to 1,000 covered employees. Tier prices are flat within each tier and reviewed at renewal. Temporary mid-cycle overages trigger neither retroactive billing nor a penalty, a useful cushion for short-term fluctuations.

Individual microservices can be purchased à la carte with custom pricing. Implementation and support cost $150/hr; break-fixes are covered by a 90-day warranty after signed go-live acceptance. Buyers should include both the self-hosted operating commitment and paid support in their budget.

Platforms

Stratum supports Android, iOS, web, API and self-hosted deployment. Its self-hosted model is the defining platform choice: teams gain control over where it runs, but must be ready to manage their own infrastructure.

Who it's for

Stratum is aimed at PEOs, ASOs, domestic EORs, staffing agencies and CPA firms running payroll for clients. It is especially suited to operators that want client-facing administration, payroll, HR workflows and service case management in a modular system they host themselves. Teams seeking a managed hosted product, or buyers that require an existing SOC 2 certification, should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

• Pros: The tax engine spans all 50 states and D.C. and supports multi-state allocation and NACHA ACH export, useful for providers administering payroll across jurisdictions.
• Pros: Independently deployable services and a broad set of native connectors and migration adapters offer flexibility for staged adoption and system transitions.
• Pros: Tier pricing is flat within each band, and temporary overages do not trigger retroactive billing or penalties.
• Cons: Customers must run the platform on their own infrastructure, adding operational responsibility that hosted-software buyers may not want.
• Cons: Implementation and support are billed at $150/hr, with only break-fixes covered by the 90-day post-acceptance warranty.
• Cons: SOC 2 CC6 alignment is not the same as formal certification, which is only planned.

Alternatives

Choose PrismHR HCM Benefits Enrollment if you want highly customizable options that scale as needs change. Consider Paychex PEO for tailored services with a company approval process and consultation-based custom pricing. PEOAdmin is another paid alternative.

VensureONE is a paid alternative available on Android, iOS and web. TriNet PEO Technology Platform offers a customized estimate based on company size, industry, geographic footprint and services needed, with Android, iOS, web and API platforms. Consider PHRBO PEO Software if per-active-worker pricing and no feature gates for 100 or fewer active workers suit your needs; its Package 1 is $8 a month per active worker. PRO Software is a paid web option priced by quote request. Browse more options in PEO Software.

Verdict

Stratum PEO is a strong fit for client-service firms that need broad payroll and HR operations, modular deployment and control of their hosting environment. Its multi-state tax handling and service-management tools are substantial strengths, but the self-hosted model, $150/hr implementation and support, and lack of completed SOC 2 certification may outweigh them for teams seeking managed hosting or certified compliance.