Payroll · HR · People strategy
HR & People

A full people function.
No HR salary.

Payroll that runs itself, HR that keeps you compliant, and a senior people strategist when you’re ready to grow. Three layers — take the one you need today, add the rest as you hire.

Get a free HR compliance checkSee pricing
Three layers

Every people need, from payroll
to the leadership table.

Most growing companies aren’t big enough for a full-time HR hire, but are far past the point where payroll and compliance can be someone’s side job. Start with the layer you need — each one plugs into the next.

01 · Payroll
From
$150/mo
Runs through your bookkeeping
  • Pay runs on schedule, every cycle
  • Payroll tax filings, W-2s & garnishments
  • Posted to your books and reconciled automatically
  • Workers’ comp audit prep — $500/yr, included in Controller
Up to 10 employees, then $8 per employee. You keep your payroll software (Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks Payroll).
Add payroll to your books
Most growing teams
02 · Outsourced HR
From
$500/mo
Scales with headcount
  • On- & offboarding, I-9 and W-4
  • Benefits enrolment & changes
  • PTO policy & balances
  • Handbooks & multi-state compliance
  • Correct job & worker classification
Up to 20 employees, then $20 per employee. Priced on the people you actually employ.
Get a free HR compliance check
03 · Strategic HR
From
$1,200/mo
Fractional HR leadership
  • Workforce & succession planning
  • Retention, recognition & performance frameworks
  • Pay benchmarking & people dashboards
  • Leadership development & manager coaching
Three tiers below — sized to your team and how much leadership time you need.
See Strategic HR tiers
FreeHR compliance check
48hScoped written proposal
3 moMinimum, then monthly
10%Off when bundled with bookkeeping
Strategic HR

People strategy that shows up
in your numbers.

Turn business plans into talent plans, keep the people you can’t afford to lose, and build managers who lead with clarity and empathy. Priced by depth of partnership — never by the hour.

MKMariyam Khan
Led by Mariyam Khan, PHR

Co-Founder & Co-CEO · 18 years in US HR — payroll, benefits and compliance at Daon, Science Group and Tecknomic. Every Strategic HR client works with her directly.

Advise
Fixed monthly
$1,200/mo
3-month minimum, then month-to-month
Owner-led teams of 25–75 that need a senior HR voice before they need an HR department.
  • Monthlystrategy session
  • 5 rolesbenchmarked / qtr
  • Quarterlypeople dashboard
  • Quarterly workforce plan review
  • Retention & performance templates, with advice on rollout
  • Pay benchmarking for key roles
  • Email access between sessions
Book a free people health check
Recommended
Partner
Fixed monthly
$3,500/mo
3-month minimum, then month-to-month
Founding rate: $2,900/moFirst 5 clients · locked for 12 months
Teams of 50–150 where turnover, pay and manager quality now decide growth.
  • 2× / monthstrategy sessions
  • 15 rolesbenchmarked / qtr
  • 2 / monthcoaching sessions
  • Everything in Advise
  • Annual workforce & succession plan
  • Recognition, retention & performance frameworks — designed and rolled out
  • Monthly people dashboard: turnover, engagement, cost
  • EQ leadership workshop every quarter (up to 15 people)
Book a free people health check
Lead
Fixed monthly
$7,500/mo
3-month minimum, then month-to-month
Companies of 150–500 that need an HR leader at the table, without a CHRO salary.
  • Weeklyleadership seat
  • Fullsalary bands
  • 6 / monthcoaching sessions
  • Everything in Partner
  • Succession for every leadership role
  • Salary bands built and refreshed annually
  • Board & investor people reporting
  • EQ leadership cohort programme for managers
Book a free people health check
Not sure which tier?Start with a free 60-minute people health check. You get a short written read-out and a recommendation — even if it’s that you don’t need us yet.
Book a health check
Strategic partnership projects

Fixed-fee projects, quoted in writing.

Pay benchmarking & salary bandsUp to 25 roles, market-priced and banded
$3,500fixed
HR process standardisationSOPs, handbook and workflows · 4–6 weeks
$4–8kfixed
Operational improvemente.g. hiring process redesign, end to end
$5–12kfixed
Change managementRestructure, merger or system rollout
$7.5–20kper project
EQ leadership workshopUp to 20 people · half day / full day
$3k / $5kper session
Individual leadership coachingSingle session, or a 6-session package for $1,350
$250/session
Who owns what

One rule: HR owns the people.
Bookkeeping owns the money.

Nothing falls between two vendors — because it’s one partner, and every task has one named owner.

TaskOwned by
Hiring, terminations, I-9 & W-4Outsourced HR
Job & worker classificationOutsourced HR
Benefits enrolment, PTO policy, handbooksOutsourced HR
Running payroll & payroll tax filingsPayroll (bookkeeping)
Posting payroll & reconciling liabilities, 941s and W-2sBookkeeping — included
Workers’ comp premium audit prepBookkeeping — HR confirms class codes
Workforce planning, succession, pay strategy, leadershipStrategic HR
How it fits

It already talks
to your books.

When the same partner runs your bookkeeping and your payroll, the coordination problem disappears. Payroll journals post correctly the first time, accruals are right at close, and nobody is reconciling two systems that were never designed to agree.

See how bookkeeping works

What it replaces

  • A full-time HR salary you're not ready for
  • Payroll run by whoever has time this week
  • A handbook last updated three states ago
  • Benefits admin that lapses without warning
  • PTO balances nobody can defend

Get your people function covered.

Tell us how many people you have and where you hire. We'll scope exactly what you need and quote it in writing within 48 hours.

No obligationPayroll from $150/moFixed pricing in writing
Book your free HR check See pricing
Emailhello@sterlingbackoffice.com
Phone+1 (317) 457-7008
Websterlingbackoffice.com
Office1660 International Dr, Suite 600
McLean, VA 22102