PEOs in Georgia

What makes Georgia different

• Georgia requires a completed separation notice (Form DOL-800) for every separated worker regardless of the reason, signed and delivered on the last day of work (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 300-2-7-.06).
• Employers certified by the State Board of Workers Compensation as drug-free workplaces receive at least a 7.5 percent workers compensation premium credit under O.C.G.A. 33-9-40.2, with a $35 certification fee and annual recertification.
• Private employers with 11 or more employees must use E-Verify under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act of 2011.
• The unemployment taxable wage base is $9,500, and the Georgia Department of Labor assigns experience-based rates plus an administrative assessment.
• Georgia mandates no state paid sick leave, family leave, or disability insurance program, and its state minimum wage sits below the federal floor, so the federal FLSA controls most wage questions.

PEO regulation in Georgia

Georgia does not run a dedicated PEO licensing board comparable to Florida or Texas. That shifts the vetting burden to the buyer: check federal CPEO certification and ESAC accreditation for financial assurance, and ask the PEO exactly what it files with the Georgia Department of Labor for unemployment reporting and with the State Board of Workers Compensation for coverage.

What a PEO does and does not solve here

A Georgia-only employer should focus on the benefits proposal, workers compensation program, and service model. State-specific questions include who completes the DOL-800 on the last day of work and whether a drug-free workplace credit is reflected in the quoted workers compensation program.

Common questions

Who files the Georgia separation notice when we use a PEO?

The obligation is triggered by every separation, and the notice must reach the worker on the last day of work. Most PEOs generate the DOL-800 from the termination workflow, but the timing rule is easy to miss when terminations are processed on a payroll cycle. Confirm in the service agreement which party prepares and delivers it, and how same-day terminations are handled.

Do we keep the 7.5 percent drug-free workplace credit inside a PEO?

Not automatically. The credit attaches to the workers compensation policy of a certified employer, and inside a PEO program the policy structure changes. Ask the PEO whether your certification can be reflected in the comp pricing you are quoted, and get the answer as a line item rather than a verbal assurance.