You employ five to twenty-five people
Big enough that turnover genuinely hurts, small enough that nobody has ever shown you what a package would actually cost per person per month.
What actually keeps people
Employee Benefits · Gettysburg, PA
How do you keep a good team on a small-business budget?
You give them a reason to stay. Labor is one of the biggest expenses in any business, and turnover is the expensive part. A benefits package sized to your budget, from group health to a simple retirement plan, keeps good people longer and costs less than replacing them. Since 1996 we've built benefits for small employers across Pennsylvania and Maryland, in plain English, one conversation at a time.
Who This Is For
Three employers we work with most.
You have Maryland employees and a deadline
MarylandSaves is live and Keystone Saves is phasing in behind it. Offering your own plan is the alternative, and it is usually the better one.
State program or your own?You are losing people to bigger competitors
You cannot win on hourly rate and you should stop trying. A package changes how the job offer reads next to the shop down the road.
Retirement plans
The Package
Benefits your team can feel. Costs you can see.
A good package isn't the longest one. It's the one your people actually use, at a monthly number you can live with. Here's what we build from.
Group health insurance
The anchor benefit. We shop plans built for small groups and explain the trade-offs (premiums, deductibles, networks) in plain English before you commit to anything.
The benefits people notice
Inexpensive to add and used all year. Often the difference between a benefits package that exists on paper and one your team actually feels.
Group life & disability
Group life gives every employee a base of protection for their family. Group disability replaces part of a paycheck when illness or injury keeps someone out of work.
Employer retirement plans
From a low-maintenance SIMPLE IRA to a full 401(k). SECURE 2.0 created startup tax credits that can offset much of a new plan's cost. That's education, not tax advice, and we coordinate the specifics with your CPA.
State Mandates, Plain English
The state now has opinions about your retirement plan.
Both states we serve are rolling out retirement-savings requirements for employers. None of this is a reason to panic. It's a reason to pick a path on purpose instead of by deadline.
MarylandSaves
Maryland's program is a live employer mandate: most established Maryland employers must register with the state program or offer their own retirement plan, and non-compliance carries penalties.
Keystone Saves
Pennsylvania's Keystone Saves program is enacted and phasing in by employer size. If you employ people in PA and offer no retirement plan today, a deadline is headed your way.
Pick a path on purpose
The state program, a SIMPLE IRA, or a 401(k): each can satisfy the requirement, and they fit different businesses. We'll help you pick a path, and your CPA stays in the loop the whole way.
How It Works
Three steps, no homework left on your desk.
Analyze
We go through what you offer today: what it costs, what your team actually uses, and anything you are quietly paying for twice.
Strategize
We set the options next to your headcount and a monthly number you choose, and weigh them together.
Formalize
The package gets written up with every trade-off visible, so you are deciding rather than trusting.
Implement
We run enrollment and take your employees' questions directly, so it does not land back on your desk.
Monitor
We stay reachable as people join and leave, and we look at it again with you at renewal instead of letting it roll.
Common Questions
What owners ask us first.
What benefits do PA small businesses have to offer by law?
Fewer than most owners fear. Pennsylvania employers must carry workers' compensation coverage and pay into unemployment compensation; health insurance isn't federally required until you average 50 full-time-equivalent employees. What's changing is retirement: Maryland already requires most established employers to offer a savings route, and Pennsylvania's Keystone Saves is phasing in behind it. We keep the details current, and we will walk you through exactly what applies to your business.
Do MarylandSaves or Keystone Saves apply to my business?
If you have Maryland employees, probably yes: MarylandSaves is live, most established Maryland employers must register or offer their own retirement plan, and non-compliance carries penalties. Keystone Saves, Pennsylvania's version, is enacted and phasing in by employer size. Either way, offering your own plan (a SIMPLE IRA or 401(k)) can satisfy the requirement. This is education, not legal or tax advice; we'll help you pick a path and your CPA stays in the loop.
What's the difference between a 401(k) and a SIMPLE IRA?
A 401(k) allows higher contributions and more design choices (matching formulas, vesting schedules, Roth options) but costs more to run. A SIMPLE IRA is lighter: lower limits, a required employer contribution, and almost no administration, built for businesses under 100 employees. SECURE 2.0 created startup tax credits that can offset much of a new plan's cost. Whether you qualify is a question for your CPA, and we work the plan design alongside them.
Can a team of five really afford group benefits?
Often, yes. Group life, dental, and vision cost far less than most owners expect, and even a modest package changes how your job offer reads next to the shop down the road. We start with what you can spend per employee per month and design backward from that number, not the other way around.
Turnover is the most expensive benefit you're already paying for.
Let's price a package your budget can live with.
One conversation. Real numbers. Your CPA stays in the loop.
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