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The Vantage Payroll practice

Payroll, run with discipline — built for the businesses that build everything else.

Payroll, 401(k), workers comp, and wellness for 1–500 employee businesses. Multi-state filings handled, performance-based fees, one specialist on the file from first payroll to the quarterly review.

Who this is for

Operators of 1–500 employee businesses.

Construction, specialty trades, healthcare practices, distribution, professional services, hospitality — the operators who carry crews, contractors, mixed hourly, piece-rate, and salaried rosters, and operate across more than one state.

01
Crew-based operations.
Construction, landscaping, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, roofing, specialty contractors. Hourly, piece-rate, certified prevailing wage, and per-diem payroll all on one ledger.
02
Mixed rosters.
Hourly crews, salaried leads, 1099 contractors, and part-time staff. The same ledger absorbs every pay class without a separate system per worker type.
03
Multi-state operators.
Filings in two or more states, reciprocal agreements handled, withholding tracked per jurisdiction. The quarterly review walks it line by line.
Diagnostic

Payroll ROI Qualifier.

Five questions, a directional read on whether you’re underpaying the operation, sitting at market, or overpaying the provider. Same specialist owns the follow-up call.

Payroll ROI qualifier
Where does your payroll land today?
Five-question read on your current provider, 401(k), workers comp, and biggest cost pressure — no vendor pitch.
Question 1 of 5
Number of W-2 employees on payroll
Question 2 of 5
What hurts most about your current payroll provider?
Question 3 of 5
Retirement plan status for the team
Question 4 of 5
How is workers comp covered today?
Question 5 of 5
Your biggest cost pressure right now?

One step before the result.

Tell us where to send the read.

Tools are directional reads only — not vendor recommendations or binding assessments. The call lays out the math against your actual payroll register.

What’s included

Four lines, one specialist, one ledger.

The payroll practice runs four service lines from a single point of ownership. The same specialist who sets up payroll also runs the 401(k) review, the workers comp renewal, and the wellness enrollment.

01 · Payroll Run cleanly Hourly, salaried, piece-rate, and 1099 contractors on one ledger. Multi-state filings, garnishments, and reciprocal agreements handled.
  • Direct deposit & paper checks
  • Federal, state, local filings
  • Quarterly reconciliation with your bookkeeper
  • W-2 / 1099 year-end packet
02 · 401(k) Match-ready plans Plans priced for the small-business ledger — not enterprise flat fees. Match-safe-for-all-401(k) testing, ERISA filings, employee onboarding.
  • Traditional, safe-harbor, and Roth options
  • 3(16) fiduciary support
  • Auto-enrollment & auto-escalation
  • Quarterly investment review
03 · Workers comp Renewed on merits Renewals run on actual payroll class codes — not a state-fund rolled rate. Audit support at year-end. Experience mods reviewed annually.
  • Class-code audit at intake
  • Pay-as-you-go options
  • State-fund & private-carrier sourcing
  • Certificate-of-insurance tracking
04 · Wellness Benefit cards & stipends Section 125 cafeteria plans, FSA / HSA, and lifestyle-benefit cards configured to the ledger. No carrier pitch — just the card design that maps your operation.
  • FSA, HSA, HRA setup
  • Section 125 cafeteria plans
  • Lifestyle / wellness benefits
  • COBRA administration
Operating model

One specialist, one ledger, all four lines.

Practice-built payroll is not an HR-portal subscription. It is a relationship — a specialist who reads your operations, sets up the ledger against your actual class codes, and shows up for the quarterly reconciliation. The 401(k) plan, the workers comp policy, and the wellness card all flow through the same specialist, so the math is consistent across every line.

You will not get a sales call, a PEO pitch, or a call-center handoff. The specialist owns the file — the same name on the first payroll setup, the same name on the 401(k) match contribution, the same name at the workers comp renewal, and the same signature on the annual disclosure.

Performance-based fees. Pay for the operations that actually run.

How it works

Three steps, one specialist on the file.

The work happens in three passes — read the file, run the operation, and reconcile at quarter close. The same specialist owns every pass against your actual ledger, not a handoff to a call-center queue.

01
Read the file.
Class-code audit, prior-provider transition, state-by-state withholding map, and ledger setup against the operations your business actually runs — not a templated intake.
02
Run the operation.
First payroll, federal / state / local filings, multi-state reciprocity, garnishments, and the W-2 / 1099 year-end packet. The specialist owns each step end to end.
03
Quarterly review.
Class-code and experience-mod refresh, 401(k) match testing against actual payroll, workers comp renewal on its merits, and wellness re-enrollment walked line by line.
Comparison

Vantage Payroll vs. a generic payroll provider.

The differences that show up at quarter close — ownership, class-code accuracy, multi-state handling, and how fees line up against the operations that actually run.

Capability Vantage Payroll Generic payroll provider
Pricing model Performance-based, quoted after a read of the file Per-payroll processing fee or percent-of-payroll
Class-code audit at intake Audited against your actual operations and roster Default codes applied, reviewed only at claim
Multi-state filings at setup Part of intake — reciprocal agreements handled per jurisdiction Add-on or per-state surcharge layered on after the fact
401(k) match-safe-for-all testing Runs against actual payroll each cycle, ERISA filings included Annual ADP/ACP test only, no match-safe-for-all design
Workers comp renewal source Sourced across state fund and private carriers on actual loss history Rolled state-fund rate or a single carrier relationship
Specialist ownership of the ledger One named specialist owns payroll, 401(k), WC, wellness Call-center handoffs, separate teams per service line
Fee basis Performance-based — tied to the operations that run Per-payroll or percent-of-payroll, baked into every cycle

A generic provider prices the platform; Vantage prices the work. Same specialist, same ledger, four service lines billed against the actual operations that run.

FAQ

What operators ask first.

What size operation is the practice built for?

1–500 W-2 employees. Across construction, specialty trades, healthcare practices, distribution, professional services, and hospitality. Multi-state filings are part of the setup, not an add-on.

Are the fees performance-based?

Like the funding practice — fees are against the actual operations that run, not headcount, not a percentage of payroll. Quoted and disclosed on the call, after a read of the file.

Do you sell PEO bundles?

No. PEOs come with co-employment, a fixed percentage of payroll, and a carrier leash. The practice sources each — payroll, 401(k), workers comp, wellness — on its own merits, against your actual ledger and your state’s eligibility.

How does the workers comp renewal work?

Class codes are audited at intake and at every renewal. Experience mods reviewed annually. The renewal conversation is on the merits of your actual loss history — not a state-fund default.

Can you take over a 401(k) plan in place today?

Yes — the same specialist handles the transition and the new comparability testing. Existing participant balances move without taxable events.

From the file

What operators say after the first quarter.

01 · Industry A Client — Industry A “Quote placeholder — replace when the first round of named-attribution publishes.”
  • Mid-Atlantic crew of 38, multi-state
02 · Industry B Client — Industry B “Quote placeholder — replace when the first round of named-attribution publishes.”
  • Gulf-coast 92 employees, four states active
03 · Industry C Client — Industry C “Quote placeholder — replace when the first round of named-attribution publishes.”
  • Pacific-NW 24-person specialty practice
Switching

Why teams switch to Vantage Payroll.

The talking points a CFO brings into a switch conversation — framed as the gaps that surface in the first quarter on a new provider.

01 · Provider A Provider A “Placeholder drawback line — sync delays in the multi-state ledger.”
  • Drawback one — placeholder
  • Drawback two — placeholder
  • Drawback three — placeholder
Talk to a specialist — book a call
02 · Provider B Provider B “Placeholder drawback line — support-tier gate at scale.”
  • Drawback one — placeholder
  • Drawback two — placeholder
  • Drawback three — placeholder
Talk to a specialist — book a call
03 · Provider C Provider C “Placeholder drawback line — pricing tiers locked at headcount gates.”
  • Drawback one — placeholder
  • Drawback two — placeholder
  • Drawback three — placeholder
Talk to a specialist — book a call

Bring these into the CFO conversation — the call maps them against the operations your file actually runs, not against a templated provider pitch.

Common questions

The six operators ask first.

What does the pricing model look like?

Fees are performance-based — quoted only after a read of the file, not against headcount, not against a per-payroll percentage. The number is on the call, itemized against the operations that actually run.

How do you handle switching from a current provider?

Parallel-run through the first payroll against your existing provider, no dual billing, and existing balances move without taxable events where the line allows it. The specialist owns the cutover, end to end.

Who handles the payroll tax filings?

The practice runs federal, state, and local filings, quarterly reconciliation against your bookkeeper, and the year-end W-2 packet. Tax notices that surface after a transfer are owned by the specialist until closed.

Is multi-state payroll part of the setup or an add-on?

Multi-state is part of intake — reciprocal agreements handled, withholding tracked per jurisdiction, and setup priced against the states your operation actually runs. No per-state surcharge layered on after the fact.

Can one ledger handle a W-2 and 1099 mix?

Yes — the same ledger absorbs hourly, salaried, piece-rate, certified prevailing-wage employees, and 1099 contractors. Mixed rosters without separate systems per worker class.

What are the cancellation terms?

Cancel anytime. Performance-based fees mean no long-term contract and no early-termination penalty. The last-paid-payroll close-out is on the specialist — W-2s and 1099s go out on schedule.

Talk to a payroll specialist.

One conversation. Four service lines. One ledger against your actual operations.

Book a Call