The unemployment rate has been at or below 4% for more than a year¹, so in order to retain the most talented household staff, families should strongly consider being as competitive as corporate employers.
As you approach anniversaries and reviews with your household employee, we encourage you to keep in mind some of the trends we are seeing for household employment benefits. Previously, it has been difficult for families to offer cost-effective benefits as a small household employer with only one or two employees. However, our partners at GTM Payroll Services are now offering several popular benefits that can be administered along with your payroll services, or on their own. They are seeing a surge of household employers take advantage of these opportunities.
Pre-Tax Health Insurance Plans
A Qualified Small Employer’s Health Reimbursement Agreement (QSE-HRA) allows employees to be reimbursed for health insurance coverage purchased on the individual market or through the health care exchange, in addition to qualified out-of-pocket medical, dental, and vision expenses. QSE-HRAs are funded by the employer up to $5,150/year for an employee who is single, and $10,450/year per employee with a family, and can be paired with a spouse’s plan.
Concierge Medicine
GTM’s Virtual Medicine Program provides employees with 24/7 access to a physician by phone, secure messaging or video – even if they don’t have health insurance. Employees can get answers to simple or complex medical questions, schedule a consult, and share pictures or videos with a doctor. It’s perfect for diagnosing and treating everyday ailments like colds, allergies, rashes, injuries, and more, so employees don’t miss work going to the doctor or calling in sick.
Retirement Plan
Through the National Household Employers Association (NHEA), GTM offers a SIMPLE 401K Plan that not only gives families a recruiting advantage over other families and a retention tool for their employee, but it will also help their employee build an excellent source of retirement income and experience the benefits of tax-deferred growth.
Next Steps
Contact Matt Owen, an expert at GTM Household Payroll and Tax Services. Matt is available to answer questions and provide a complimentary consultation for MBF families, and can be reached at 800-929-9213, ext. 7243 or at m.owen@gtm.com.
Health Benefit Option Information