The Tico Group

What The Tico Group does

The Tico Group is a privately held, Brooklyn-based HR and payroll managed services firm founded in 2011 that delivers outsourced HR administration, payroll processing, benefits coordination, worker classification, recruiting, onboarding/offboarding, and Employer of Record (EOR) services to U.S. professional services firms, primarily in the 50–300 employee range. Its three named primary verticals are boutique law, investment banking, and retail liquidation, where clients typically lack the internal capacity to manage multi-state payroll, complex compliance, and fluctuating workforces.

The firm's underlying technology posture is platform-agnostic: it does not own proprietary HR software and instead operates on or alongside client-preferred platforms such as ADP WorkforceNow (used internally), Justworks, and Gusto, while integrating SAP Concur for employee travel and partnering with First Health Network, Health Wallet, and GoodRx to deliver benefits administration. Its competitive position is built on a boutique, senior-led service model with dedicated specialists per client, U.S.-based human support, and tailored rather than off-the-shelf engagements.

Commercially, The Tico Group runs a consultative, four-step sales motion (Discovery Call → Custom Service Plan → Onboarding → Ongoing Support) with 97% of client growth sourced from referrals, multi-year custom-scoped contracts priced per client (no published tiers), and nationwide delivery to all 50 states from a single Brooklyn headquarters. The firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional funding, M&A activity, or leadership changes, and has cumulatively processed $300M+ in payroll, staffed 5,000+ projects, and supported 1,800+ workers across 35,000+ worksites.

Name

The Tico Group

Legal name

The Tico Group, LLC

Website

https://hrtico.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Tico Group is a Brooklyn-based managed HR services firm that delivers payroll, benefits administration, compliance, recruiting, and Employer of Record services to U.S. professional services firms with 50–300 employees, primarily in boutique law, investment banking, and retail liquidation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR and Payroll Management Services

NAICS

Professional Employer Organizations (56133), Professional Employer Organizations (561330), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Professional Employer Organization (PEO) / Co-Employment Services (BPACAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onboarding, Offboarding & Employee Lifecycle Administration (BPACAHAL), Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing (BPACAKAE), Recruiting Administration Outsourcing (Recruitment Support, Scheduling, Onboarding Ops) (BPACAKAG)

Keywords

• HR management services
• Payroll administration
• Benefits administration
• Employer of record
• Recruiting support

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. HR and Payroll Management Services: The Tico Group generates revenue through managed HR, payroll, and benefits administration services. Their revenue model is based on custom-scoped professional services priced around the client's team size, needs, and internal capacity. They offer flexible, tailored solutions rather than off-the-shelf pricing with no hidden fees. Services include payroll processing, HR recordkeeping, benefits coordination, compliance management, onboarding/offboarding, recruiting support, and Employer of Record (EOR) services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Tico Group provides managed HR, payroll, benefits administration, worker classification/compliance, Employer of Record (EOR), recruiting, and onboarding/offboarding services to growing professional services firms (50–300 employees). Rather than selling software, the firm acts as an outsourced HR department, working in a platform-agnostic manner with ADP, Justworks, Gusto, or other systems on behalf of clients.

Product overview

The Tico Group is a managed HR, payroll, and people management services provider. Rather than a software platform, they offer fully managed services functioning as an off-site HR department for boutique professional services firms (50-300 employees). Their core service portfolio includes HR Admin & Support, Payroll & Onboarding, Worker Compliance, Employer of Record (EOR), Recruiting Support, Onboarding & Offboarding Support, Benefits Administration, and Custom Reports. They are platform-agnostic and can work with client-preferred payroll systems like ADP, Justworks, or Gusto, or manage these platforms on behalf of clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HR Admin & Support Acts as the client's internal HR team or extension, managing handbooks, employee records, performance management, disciplinary actions, and HR documentation tailored to company needs and compliant with state and federal regulations. Intended for boutique professional services firms.
• Payroll & Onboarding End-to-end payroll processing and onboarding logistics with accurate, on-time processing across multiple states and employment types, including payroll tax calculation, withholding, remittance, and filing. Designed for growing firms needing reliable multi-state payroll.
• Worker Compliance Worker classification and compliance services including 1099/W-2 compliance, audit defense, and protection against legal risk from misclassification. For firms engaging contractors and employees across jurisdictions.
• Employer of Record (EOR) Legally employs a client's team, managing compliance, benefits, and taxes, providing workforce flexibility without the liability and simplifying multi-state and international hiring.
• Recruiting Support Boutique, human-led recruiting that finds, vets, and delivers qualified candidates and finalist-ready shortlists for open roles rather than resume blasting. Targeted at firms hiring professional staff.
• Onboarding & Offboarding Support Streamlines employee transitions with professional onboarding and offboarding processes, reducing administrative burdens and ensuring compliance with exit procedures.
• Benefits Administration Manages benefits enrollment, terminations, renewals, COBRA notifications, and ACA compliance, including tele-medicine access via Health Wallet App and MEC health plan options (Basic, Plus, Premium).
• Custom Reports Generates customized reports based on client needs including labor costing, vacation tracking, sick time usage, and job costing.

Quantifiable outcome

• $300M+ in payroll processed
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Workday: Workday is a broad enterprise HCM and financial management platform. While serving larger clients than Tico, Workday represents the broad-incumbent competitive backdrop shaping the broader HR/payroll services market in which Tico operates.
• ADP TotalSource: ADP TotalSource is the PEO arm of ADP, providing co-employment, payroll, HR, and benefits administration for SMBs. Tico works with ADP WorkforceNow internally, making ADP both a partner and a broader competitor serving overlapping clients.

Emerging players

• Bambee: Bambee offers HR consulting and compliance support with dedicated HR managers for small businesses. Comparable to Tico's HR-admin-as-a-service model, though Bambee is more tech-enabled and targets smaller companies.
• Pilot: Pilot provides bookkeeping, tax, and CFO services plus PEO/payroll offerings to SMBs and startups. Has overlap with Tico on payroll/HR but focuses more on financial back-office; relevant as an emerging 'all-in-one' back-office competitor.

Direct peers

• Insperity: Insperity is a publicly-traded PEO offering co-employment, HR, payroll, and benefits administration to SMB and mid-market clients. Directly comparable to Tico's PEO/EOR offering, though Insperity operates at a much larger scale with a national sales force.
• Rippling: Rippling is a unified HR, IT, and finance platform offering payroll, benefits, PEO, and workforce management. Comparable to Tico across payroll, benefits, and compliance, though Rippling differentiates on software consolidation and AI-driven automation rather than white-glove services.
• Sequoia One: Sequoia One is a PEO providing payroll, benefits, HR, and compliance services to small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable in service model and target market to Tico's boutique professional services focus.
• Justworks: Justworks is a PEO platform providing payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR support to SMBs. It is a direct competitor to Tico, especially for the 50-300 employee boutique professional services segment, though Justworks is software-first and Tico is service-first.
• TriNet: TriNet is a major PEO providing HR, payroll, benefits, and compliance services to small and mid-market businesses. Directly comparable to Tico, with overlapping focus on professional services and similar mid-market positioning.
• Gusto: Gusto is an all-in-one payroll, benefits, and HR platform serving small and mid-sized businesses. Comparable to Tico as a PEO/payroll/HR provider for growing professional services firms, though Gusto is primarily a self-serve SaaS platform while Tico wraps a managed-services layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Tico Group