HR advisory for professional firms · nationwide from Charlotte, NC
HR compliance you can prove, at a fixed price.
For law, CPA, engineering, and medical firms of 10 to 150. A fixed-price HR audit, then the fixes.
Free. 20 minutes. No pitch deck. You leave with a scope, a price, and a date.
- Fixed fees, quoted before work starts
- Every state you employ in, included
- Independent: not a PEO, no software to sell
- Founder-led · Charlotte HQ, clients nationwide
What you get
The Load ReportSound familiar?
Three sentences we hear every week.
Each one has a service behind it, with a price you get on the first call.
“A partner asked if we’re compliant, and nobody could answer.”
You need a document, not an opinion. Nine areas checked against the federal rules and the rules of every state you employ in.
HR Auditfrom $2,500 · 2–3 weeks
“We just hired someone in another state.”
One remote hire makes you an employer there: registrations, wage notices, E-Verify, final-pay timing. We set it up properly the first time.
HR Project$1,500–$7,500 · fixed scope
“The PEO renewal came in high and we don’t know if it’s fair.”
We compare the full market, normalize the quotes so they’re actually comparable, and negotiate the renewal.
PEO comparisonfree to you · provider-paid, disclosed
Twenty minutes with Caleb. You leave with a scope, a price, and a date.
Who we work with
Firms whose product is their people.
The risk changes by industry. The document doesn’t: the same nine areas, checked against the rules that actually apply to you.
Not on this list? Say so on the call and we will tell you whether the audit fits.
The offer ladder
Four steps, from a free call to a PEO you didn’t overpay for.
Most firms stop at step two. Every price below is fixed and quoted before work starts.
Start here
Scope call
Headcount, states, systems, and what keeps you up. You get the fixed price on the call, not in a proposal next week.
Free · 20 minutes
Book a free 20-min callThe entry product
HR Audit
Nine areas, 41 checks, in every state you employ in. You get the Load Report and a 90-day fix plan.
From $2,500 · 2–3 weeks
See the HR AuditFix what it found
Projects & fractional HR
Handbook, FLSA classification, I-9 remediation, comp benchmarking — or a senior HR lead on your team by the month.
$1,500–$7,500 · or $2,000–$6,000 a month
Price a project on the callOnly if it fits
PEO brokerage & transitions
Full-market comparison, quotes normalized line for line, then the cutover run end to end if you move.
Comparison free · move $3,000–$10,000
Ask for the comparisonHow the PEO comparison is paid: you pay us nothing; the PEO does.
Full-market comparison, quotes normalized so they can be compared line for line, and our written recommendation. The provider you choose pays us, and the commission is disclosed in the engagement letter. If a PEO is the wrong answer for you, we say so.
Your audit fee is identical whether you buy a PEO, keep the one you have, or buy nothing.
How it works
Three steps, and you know the price at step one.
Scope call
Twenty minutes with Caleb. Headcount, states, systems, and what keeps you up. You get the fixed price on the call, not in a proposal next week.
Audit and Load Report
Secure document upload, four short interviews, then a 90-minute walkthrough of the findings with the people who own them.
Fix it, together
Every finding has a fix, an owner, and a week. You can run the plan yourself, hand us the projects, or keep us on as fractional HR.
Free · 20 minutes · nothing to prepare. Next open times are on the booking page.
The deliverable
You get a Load Report, not a slide deck.
One document. Nine areas, each marked pass, watch, or fail, with the rule it was checked against in each state you employ in, and the fix, the owner, and the week it should be done by.
- Every finding cites the rule (state code, FLSA, IRCA, ACA) so your counsel can verify it in minutes.
- Fixes are sized: do it yourself, hand it to us as a project, or put it on a retainer.
- If a PEO is the right fix, we say so and run the comparison free. If it isn’t, we say that too.
The report lands 2–3 weeks after the scope call, with a 90-minute findings walkthrough included.
Subject: 42-person CPA firm · Charlotte HQ · Fort Mill, SC office · 2 remote in GA. Sample, anonymized.
+5 more areas · handbook, leave, records, safety, offboarding90-day plan attached
Why Pillar
The founder paid the fines himself.
“I ran a company and paid the payroll fines myself. A late deposit, a misfiled form, an employee we called exempt because everyone did. Pillar is the firm I needed then: someone independent who checks the whole structure and tells you what it costs to fix, before you sign anything.”
Caleb Sherrill · Founder & CEO · Charlotte, NC
- Firms served: law, CPA, engineering and architecture, medical and dental, RIAs, and nonprofits, from 10 to 150 employees.
- Where: Charlotte, NC headquarters; audits cover every state you employ in, with no per-state add-on.
- Who does the work: Josiah Sherrill runs your first call, Caleb runs the audit, Emily Snooks runs delivery.
- Not a law firm. Findings are written to be reviewed with your counsel, and they cite the rule so counsel can verify them.
Free · 20 minutes · no pitch deck. Caleb takes the call himself.
What we put in writing
Three promises you can hold us to.
Each one is in the engagement letter, and each one is checkable against the report you receive.
Process guarantee
Fixed fee quoted on the scope call, never changed mid-engagement.
- $2,500, $4,000, or $6,000 by headcount band
- Every state you employ in, no per-state add-on
- Written Load Report and a 90-minute findings call, both included
Emily SnooksChief Operating Officer · owns deliveryWhat the document does
Every finding cites the rule, so your counsel can verify it in minutes.
- Nine areas, 41 checks, each scored pass, watch, or fail
- Rules named: 29 CFR 541, 8 USC 1324a, IRC 4980H, plus each state’s code
- Every finding carries a fix, an owner, and a week
Caleb SherrillFounder & CEO · runs the auditWho you deal with
You talk to the founders, not a rep.
- Independent: not a PEO, no software licence to sell you
- PEO comparison is free to you and paid by the provider, disclosed in writing
- If we are not the right fit we say so on the call and point you elsewhere
Josiah SherrillFounding Account Executive · your first callClient quotes are being collected now. Each one replaces a card above, in place, with a name, a role, a firm, and a number.
HR Audit pricing
One fixed fee, by headcount.
Every state you employ in is priced into the band. No per-state add-on, no hourly creep.
10–25 employees
$2,500
fixed fee · report in 2 weeks
- Nine areas, 41 checks
- 3 interviews
- Load Report + 90-day plan
26–75 employees
$4,000
fixed fee · report in 2–3 weeks
- Nine areas, 41 checks
- 4 interviews + manager survey
- ACA and ALE modelling
- Load Report + 90-day plan
76–150 employees
$6,000
fixed fee · report in 3 weeks
- Nine areas, 41 checks
- 6 interviews + department sampling
- Comp band review
- Load Report + 90-day plan
Every state you employ in is included. Over 150 employees, we quote it on the call. Firms under 10 employees get the multi-state checklist instead, free. Fee agreed before work starts and never changed mid-engagement.
FAQ
Questions firms ask first.
Are you a PEO?
No. Pillar is an independent HR advisory firm. We audit, fix, and run HR for professional firms. When a PEO is the right fit we compare the market for you at no charge: you pay us nothing; the PEO does, and we disclose that commission in writing.
Is this a pitch for a retainer?
No. The audit is a fixed-fee product and it ends with the report and the findings call. Some firms hand us the projects, some keep us on as fractional HR, and some run the 90-day plan themselves. The audit fee is the same in all three cases.
What if you find nothing?
You get the same report, with nine areas marked pass and the rule each one was checked against, which is the document a partner, a board, or a buyer actually wants. The fee does not change. If the scope call suggests you are already in good shape, we will say so before you book.
We already have a PEO. Is the audit still worth it?
Yes. A PEO handles payroll and benefits; classification, handbook practice, manager behaviour, and records stay yours. We also audit the PEO relationship itself: fees, renewal terms, and service gaps.
Do you work outside North Carolina?
Yes. Charlotte is the headquarters and the one place we routinely meet in person. The audit itself runs remotely and covers every state where you have an employee, including remote hires, priced into the same fee.
What does an HR audit cost, and what do I get?
A fixed fee: $2,500 for 10 to 25 employees, $4,000 for 26 to 75, $6,000 for 76 to 150. Agreed before we start. You get the Load Report: nine areas scored pass, watch, or fail against the specific federal and state rules that apply to you, with a 90-day fix plan that names an owner and a week for each item.
Can you replace our HR person, or work with them?
Either. Fractional HR gives a firm of 10 to 150 a senior lead for 8, 20, or 40 hours a month. If you have an office manager carrying HR, we back them up instead of replacing them.
We want to leave our PEO. How long does that take?
Plan 8 to 12 weeks, timed to January 1 or a quarter start to avoid duplicate W-2s. We run the cutover: benefits replacement, payroll and tax registrations in every state, HRIS setup, and the first two payrolls checked by hand.
Book
Caleb SherrillFounder & CEO · takes the call himself
Get a scope, a price, and a date in 20 minutes.
No pitch deck, no discovery series. If we are not the right fit, we will tell you on the call and point you somewhere better.
Free. 20 minutes. No pitch deck. Nothing to prepare.
Or call (704) 787-1261Mon–Fri 8:00–6:00 ET · info@pillarpeo.com
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Headcount, firm, and states post into the booking as hidden fields, so the calendar does not fill with 8-person firms.
The confirmation screen shows Josiah’s photo and name, so the buyer knows who is joining the call. GA4 meeting_booked fires on the HubSpot postMessage callback. No off-site redirect.
- Fixed fee quoted on the call, never changed mid-engagement.
- Written Load Report and a 90-minute findings call, both included.
- PEO comparison: you pay us nothing; the PEO does, disclosed in writing.