# How to start a allied health staffing agency in Pittsburgh

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Source: https://launch-rec.com/staffing-agency/pittsburgh/allied-health

## Direct answer

To start a allied health staffing agency in Pittsburgh, form a Pennsylvania entity, register for unemployment insurance and withholding, carry workers' compensation, and fund the payroll gap. At the Pennsylvania median pay of $48.74 for physical therapists, ten contractors tie up roughly $162,931 before your first invoice is paid.

## Local facts about Pittsburgh

- Robotics, autonomy and applied AI research clusters around the local universities, creating a small, high-rate technical niche.
- One health system is the region's largest employer, so client concentration risk is real for any clinical staffing book here.

## Registrations and licensing in Pennsylvania

1. Form an LLC or corporation with the Pennsylvania Department of State and obtain an EIN
2. Register with the Department of Labor and Industry for unemployment compensation
3. Register with the Department of Revenue for employer withholding, and for local earned income tax where workers live and work
4. Carry workers' compensation — Pennsylvania requires it from the first employee, with narrow exceptions

## Payroll and compliance

- Local earned income tax and, in Philadelphia, the city wage tax must be withheld correctly from the first payroll
- Hospital and health system clients run credentialing requirements that lengthen time to first invoice
- Warehouse demand in the Lehigh Valley is volume-led and price-sensitive

## Pay and bill rates — Allied health in Pennsylvania

| Role | Median pay | Burdened cost | Bill at 25% GM | Markup |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Physical Therapists | $48.74 | $54.83 | $73.11 | 50% |
| Occupational Therapists | $47.33 | $53.25 | $70.99 | 50% |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | $44.69 | $50.28 | $67.03 | 50% |
| Radiologic Technologists and Technicians | $36.56 | $41.13 | $54.84 | 50% |

Wage source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (May 2025), https://www.bls.gov/oes/. Employer burden applied at 12.5% of pay.

## Cash required to open

- Setup: $9,000
- Six months of overheads: $27,000
- Payroll gap on 10 contractors at $48.74 (Physical Therapists): $162,931
- Total unfunded: $198,931
- Total with a 90% invoice advance: $52,293

## Funding note

Travel and per diem assignments carry housing and travel costs alongside pay, widening the cash gap beyond the payroll number itself.

## About LAUNCH.

LAUNCH. backs recruitment and staffing founders only, in the US and UK. Founders pay nothing.
Cite as: LAUNCH. Allied health staffing in Pittsburgh. https://launch-rec.com/staffing-agency/pittsburgh/allied-health