For Business Owners
The full business owner playbook: taxes, corporate investing, and protection.
See planning for business ownersWhat group benefits actually are
A package of coverage an employer provides to its team: usually health and dental at the core, often with life insurance, disability coverage, and an employee assistance program. The employer pays some or all of the cost, and the team gets coverage most of them could never buy as affordably on their own. It is one of the most visible ways a business says "you matter here."
What owners get wrong
Three classics. One: "we are too small." Many insurers write plans for teams as small as two or three people. Two: "it costs too much." The real question is what turnover costs, see below. Three: "set it and forget it." A plan nobody reviews for five years drifts out of touch with what the team actually needs. Benefits are a living part of compensation, not a one-time purchase.
The cost vs retention math, in plain terms
Replacing a good employee routinely costs many months of their salary: recruiting, training, lost productivity, and the strain on everyone who stays. A benefits plan costs a fraction of that per person per year, and it is one of the few expenses that shows up in both retention and recruiting. Candidates compare offers, and "no benefits" is often the quiet reason a great hire goes elsewhere. This is not charity. It is arithmetic.
What is usually included
Health: prescriptions, paramedical like physio and massage, vision care. Dental: checkups, basic work, and major work at higher plan levels. Life insurance: usually a multiple of salary. Disability: short and long term income protection. EAP: an employee assistance program for mental health and life support. You choose the richness: starter plans cover the basics, richer plans compete for top talent. See the full business owner playbook for how this fits the bigger picture.
The tax side, briefly
Premiums an employer pays for group health and dental are generally a deductible business expense in Canada, and the coverage is typically received tax-free by employees. Quebec has its own rules, as always. The details belong in a conversation with your accountant. My job is to make sure you arrive there knowing the right questions.
How to get started
Step one: decide who is covered and what matters most to them. Young families want dental and paramedical; experienced teams care about prescriptions and disability. Step two: get quotes across insurers, not just one, because pricing and plan design vary widely. Step three: review it every year or two as the team changes. That is the whole process, and the first conversation is free.
Honest framing: benefits do not fix a bad workplace. But in a good one, they are the difference between a team that stays and a team that shops around.
Common questions
How many employees do I need for a group benefits plan?
Fewer than most owners think. Many insurers offer plans for teams as small as two or three people. The design changes with size, a three-person plan looks different from a thirty-person plan, but small teams are absolutely insurable.
Are group benefits tax deductible for my business?
Generally, yes: premiums for group health and dental plans are a deductible business expense in Canada, and employees typically receive the coverage tax-free. Quebec handles the employee side differently. Confirm the details with your accountant before you commit.
Group benefits or just pay people more?
Cash is simple, but a dollar of benefits often buys more perceived value than a dollar of salary, because the employee could never buy equivalent coverage individually at that price. The strongest offers pair competitive pay with real benefits. It is rarely either or.
Can I include myself as the owner?
Yes, owners are typically covered under their own company's plan. There are rules about how owner coverage is structured, which is worth getting right from the start rather than fixing later.
What happens to coverage when an employee leaves?
Coverage usually ends when employment ends, though some plans offer conversion options that let departing employees continue certain coverage on their own. Worth asking about when you set the plan up.
What is the difference between group short-term and long-term disability?
Short-term disability covers the first weeks or months after someone cannot work, often 15 to 26 weeks. Long-term disability picks up after that and can run for years, sometimes to age 65. Most group plans include both, and the split between them is one of the key design choices when building a plan.
How much group life insurance do employees usually get?
Most group plans offer life coverage as a multiple of salary, commonly one or two times annual earnings, with the option for employees to buy more. It is a foundation, not a full plan: a young family usually needs more than a salary multiple, which is why personal coverage still matters.
Is group critical illness insurance worth adding?
Group critical illness pays a lump sum if an employee is diagnosed with a covered condition, and it is one of the least common but most appreciated plan features. Because it is bought at group rates, it costs far less than individual coverage. For teams, it is a strong differentiator at a modest cost.
Keep exploring
Disability Insurance
The income protection most group plans only partly cover.
How disability insurance worksCritical Illness Insurance
The lump-sum layer teams rarely have but often need.
How critical illness insurance worksFull Services
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