Nextep

Public facts

National full-service PEO

Norman, Oklahoma–based PEO with IRS CPEO status since 2017, ESAC accreditation, SOC 1 Type 2, and a national office footprint plus the Elevate by Nextep app.

Visit nextep.com

Overview

Nextep is a U.S. professional employer organization headquartered at 1800 N. Interstate Drive, Norman, Oklahoma. Official pages describe full-service HR including payroll, benefits, and compliance under a co-employment PEO relationship. Nextep states it has maintained IRS Certified PEO (CPEO) designation since 2017 (among the first PEOs to earn it) and also holds ESAC accreditation and SOC 1 Type 2 attestation. Technology is an all-in-one, multi-device platform with the Elevate by Nextep mobile app. The firm publishes a national location network (Oklahoma HQ plus offices in multiple U.S. cities) and announced March 26, 2026 expansion into Scottsdale, Atlanta, Chicago, and Greenville, S.C. Service coverage is described as licensed throughout the United States.

Why it matters Nextep is a documented early CPEO (2017) with ESAC and SOC 1 Type 2, plus an expanding multi-city service footprint—useful when buyers want certification depth and local representation.

Target buyer: U.S. employers that want a certified, accredited PEO with local offices and a single employee/admin technology platform.
Pricing model: Not published; custom quote; Nextep does not publish PEPM on the pages reviewed. Sales is meeting/consultation based. NAPEO-style statistics (50% more likely to succeed, 10–14% less turnover, 7–9% faster growth) appear on the PEO page as industry outcomes, not Nextep fees.
Availability: National
Research: Last researched 2026-08-23; Agent-strong category

Key features

Co-employment PEO: benefits, payroll, reporting, and other employer responsibilities
IRS CPEO since 2017; ESAC accreditation; SOC 1 Type 2
All-in-one HR technology and Elevate by Nextep mobile app
Employee lifecycle: recruiting through hiring, benefits, development, time and attendance, COBRA
Dedicated named service team; vendor highlights NPS
National service with a growing local-office network

Integrations

Nextep all-in-one employment platform (desktop and mobile)
Elevate by Nextep app
Named third-party accounting or HCM connectors were not published on the official pages reviewed

Overview

Nextep is a professional employer organization based in Norman, Oklahoma. The homepage slogan is “HR where you are,” with services listed as PEO, human resources, benefits, payroll, and compliance. The PEO is described as giving businesses access to full-service HR including payroll, benefits, and compliance.

The dedicated PEO page (nextep.com/services/peo) stresses certification and accreditation, co-employment (Nextep takes on employer responsibilities with focus on helping people including benefits, payroll, and reporting), and technology that lets employers and employees manage employment tasks in one place—onboarding, payroll reporting, benefits enrollment—from any device, with one-tap toggle between personal and administrative views.

Official blog posts state:

CPEO designation since 2017; among the first PEOs certified; CEO Brian Fayak quoted on tax-base and ESAC-plus protections (IRS does not endorse any particular CPEO).
ESAC accreditation in addition to CPEO.
SOC 1 Type 2 attestation.

Locations page: headquarters 1800 N. Interstate Drive, Norman, OK 73072; local teams in multiple U.S. cities (including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Dallas/Austin/Houston metros, and others). The page says Nextep is licensed and serves clients throughout the United States even without a local office. A March 26, 2026 press release announced offices/markets in Scottsdale, Arizona; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Greenville, South Carolina.

Key Capabilities

Co-employment PEO administration of payroll, benefits, and compliance/reporting.
End-to-end employee lifecycle: recruit, hire, benefits, development, time and attendance, COBRA, and beyond.
Personalized support from a dedicated service team.
Multi-device HR technology and Elevate by Nextep app.
Compliance education content (for example exempt vs. nonexempt; state and federal update posts).

NPS is cited as a service differentiator without a public numeric score on the pages reviewed.

Integrations & Ecosystem

System of record is Nextep’s own platform plus the Elevate app. No public third-party integration directory was found. Confirm accounting and time-clock connections with Nextep.

Pricing

Custom. No list PEPM. Industry PEO outcome statistics on the PEO page are NAPEO-style marketing, not a quote.

Notes & Limitations

Confirm current office list and licensed entities on a proposal.
CPEO wage-base comments are educational; client tax results depend on facts and the IRS program rules.
“National” follows “licensed and serve clients throughout the United States.”
Worksite-employee totals are not published on the pages reviewed.

Sources

Tags: PEO · CPEO · ESAC · payroll · benefits · Oklahoma