Licensed Life Insurance Professional · Ontario & Alberta
You worked hard to build your team. What does your offer look like beyond the paycheque?
Group benefits for small business owners. I help owners explore what an employee benefits plan could look like — based on the size of the team, what matters to you, your budget, and what's actually available to a business like yours.
Not every small business needs a benefits plan. If that's where the conversation lands for yours, I'll say so — you'll have spent an hour and gained a clear answer.
Why this comes up
When your team grows, compensation becomes more than a paycheque.
Owners usually arrive at this question for one of a few reasons. None of them are about ticking a box.
Supporting the people who work for you
Benefits can be one way a business helps employees access certain health and protection options.
Strengthening what you offer
A benefits package can be part of how an employer presents its overall employment offer.
A more complete compensation picture
Salary is one component. Some owners want the rest of the package to be more deliberate.
The business has grown
What worked with two people often needs more structure at eight or twelve.
Something already exists, unreviewed
Plenty of businesses have a plan nobody has looked at properly in years.
What benefits can't do is guarantee anything. They may strengthen what you offer. Whether that matters for your business, your team and your budget is exactly what the conversation is for.
How a plan is put together
A group plan isn't one product. It's a set of choices.
The shape of it
A group benefits plan is assembled from a number of benefit categories — some health-related, some protection-related. You choose which are included, at what coverage levels, and how the plan is structured.
Which categories are available to a particular business depends on the provider, the plan and the circumstances of that business. I'd rather go through the real list of what's available to you than publish a general menu that might not apply.
The plan should be built around the business and its people — not around checking every possible box. A smaller plan that fits is usually a better outcome than a bigger one that strains the budget.
What owners actually ask first
Two questions, and honest answers to both
"We're a small business. Are benefits even an option for us?"
Possibly. I won't tell you yes before knowing anything about the business, and I won't tell you no either.
Eligibility and plan options depend on things like:
- How many eligible employees you have
- How the business is structured
- Participation requirements
- Your province
- The provider's own rules
- How the plan is designed
Finding out is a short conversation, not a project.
"Aren't benefits expensive?"
They cost money — I'm not going to tell you otherwise, or that it's cheaper than you think. What I can tell you is what the cost actually depends on.
Cost is shaped by:
- The size of the team
- Which benefits you select
- Coverage levels within each one
- How the plan is designed overall
- The provider
- How employer and employee contributions are arranged, where that applies
So the useful question isn't "what does a plan cost?" It's "what kind of plan makes sense for this business?" Real numbers come from a quote, not from a website.
On tax: treatment can depend on the benefit, the plan structure, the province and the employer's and employees' own circumstances. Confirm anything tax-related with your accountant or tax professional — it isn't something I advise on, and it shouldn't be the reason you put a plan in place.
For businesses with a plan already
Already have group benefits?
Then the question isn't whether to start one — it's whether what you have still matches the business you're running now. Plans get set up and then quietly left alone while everything around them changes.
This isn't a suggestion that your current plan is wrong. Often it's fine. But knowing that is better than assuming it.
Worth asking about your current plan
- When was it last properly reviewed?
- Has the team grown or changed since then?
- Have your employees' needs shifted?
- Has the budget changed in either direction?
- Are you clear on what your employees actually have?
- Is anything being paid for that your team doesn't understand or use?
How we'd work through it
Five steps, and none of them start with a plan design
- 1
Understand the business
Team size, where the business is going, what's prompting the question, and what the budget realistically allows.
- 2
Understand the people
The kind of workforce you're trying to support — in general terms. No employee records or personal details needed at this stage.
- 3
Review anything already in place
If there's an existing plan, we look at what it does and what it costs you now.
- 4
Explore what's actually available
Based on provider availability and your business's circumstances — not a generic brochure.
- 5
Decide what makes sense
The most comprehensive plan isn't automatically the best one. Sometimes the answer is to wait.
Who you'd be talking to
You already make enough decisions. This shouldn't be another thing to decode alone.
Benefits language is unnecessarily dense, and most owners are handed a proposal rather than an explanation. My job is to help you understand what's actually available to a business like yours, how a plan would be structured, and the questions worth asking before anything is decided.
What I won't do is pretend every business needs the same solution — or any solution. Some owners leave the conversation having decided a plan isn't the right move this year, and that's a legitimate outcome rather than a failed meeting.
- Licensed Life Insurance Professional
- Licensed in Ontario and Alberta
- Plain language, not a benefits brochure read aloud
- Comfortable telling you a plan isn't the right move yet
Start the conversation
Tell me a little about your business
Enough to know whether there's something worth exploring. This is an inquiry — no quotes are being run and nothing is being applied for.
Your group benefits inquiry is in.
The next step is a conversation about your business, your team, and what you're hoping a benefits plan could help you accomplish.
Want to choose a time now?
Picking a slot yourself is usually faster than going back and forth.
Questions owners ask
Group benefits FAQ
How many employees do I need for group benefits?
That depends on the provider and the plan. Different providers set different participation and group-size requirements, so there's no single number that applies everywhere. It's one of the first things worth checking for your specific business rather than guessing at.
Can I get benefits if I only have a very small team?
Possibly — it depends on eligibility rules, the provider and how the plan would be structured. I'd rather find out for your business than tell you yes or no on a website.
How much does a group benefits plan cost?
It depends on the size of the team, which benefits are selected, the coverage levels, the plan design, the provider, and how contributions are arranged. Real figures come from a quote based on your actual business — anything else would be a guess.
Can employees contribute to the cost?
Some plans involve different approaches to employer and employee contributions, depending on the plan rules and how it's designed. What's permitted and what's required varies by provider, so it's confirmed as part of designing a specific plan.
What benefits can be included?
A plan is assembled from a set of benefit categories, but which ones are available to a particular business depends on the provider and the plan. I'd go through the actual list available to you rather than publish a general menu that may not apply.
Can different employees have different benefits?
Some plans allow for different classes of employees with different coverage; others don't. It's product- and plan-specific, and it's part of what gets worked out in the design.
Can owners be included in the plan?
That depends on the business structure, the provider's rules and the eligibility requirements of the plan. It's a common question and it doesn't have a universal answer — worth confirming for your situation.
What happens if an employee leaves?
The plan's own rules govern what happens to that employee's coverage and any options available to them. This varies between plans, so it's worth understanding before you put one in place rather than after.
Are group benefits tax deductible?
Tax treatment can depend on the benefit, the plan structure, the province and the employer's and employees' circumstances. Confirm specific tax treatment with your accountant or tax professional — that's their area rather than mine, and it shouldn't be the main reason to put a plan in place.
What if I already have a plan?
Then we look at what you have — what it covers, what it costs you, and whether it still fits the business now. Sometimes the answer is that it's working fine, which is a useful thing to know.
Where to start
Find out whether this makes sense for your business.
One conversation, no quote being run, and a straight answer either way.