Employee benefits for consulting firms,made easy.
95% of U.S. management consulting firms have fewer than 20 employees.
You want great benefits for your team. You don’t have the time or the resources to get them.
That isn’t on you. For decades, the benefits industry has been built for big companies, and small businesses have been left to figure it out alone. Cakewalk was built for you.
How it works
You run your business. We handle the benefits.
Tell us about your business.
Start with your business name. We fill in what we can find. Connect payroll and your team comes with it.
Hundreds of options. One tailored package.
We compare hundreds of plans for your team. You get one package, priced and ready to adjust.
We get your team covered.
We invite your team. You see who has started. Each person gets help choosing. Everyone is covered.
Benefits admin. Off your plate.
New hires and departures sync from payroll. Each employee gets a benefits wallet. Their questions come to us, not you.
Your benefits team. On the house.
You pay for coverage. Insurance carriers pay us a commission, so we can handle everything from building your package to supporting your team year round, at no cost to you.
Consulting firms at a glance
Offering benefits at a consulting firm
Consultants can go independent, and many firms mix employees with subcontractors. Here’s what shapes a benefits plan for a consulting firm.
- of U.S. management consulting firms have fewer than 20 employees
- 95%
- openings a year projected for management analysts, 2025–2035
- 94,100
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: management analysts
- of management analysts are self-employed
- 14%
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: management analysts
From solo to a team
A SHOP marketplace plan needs at least one employee who isn’t an owner, spouse, family member, or partner. Until you have one, the individual Marketplace is the route for a solo consultant.
Sources: HealthCare.gov: who qualifies for SHOP; HealthCare.gov: coverage for the self-employed
Subcontracted consultants
Whether a subcontractor is really an employee follows the IRS’s common-law test (behavioral, financial, and relationship factors), and offering benefits is one of the factors. Form SS-8 gets an official IRS ruling.
Partners on the plan
A partnership reports partners’ health premiums as guaranteed payments, and partners include them in income. A partner can usually deduct them personally, but not for any month they could join another subsidized plan, such as a spouse’s.
Sources: IRS Publication 541, Partnerships; IRS Form 7206 instructions
If you own the business through an S corporation
Premiums for an owner with more than 2% of an S corporation are deductible by the company and reported as wages on the owner’s W-2, but they aren’t subject to Social Security or Medicare tax. The owner may then be able to deduct them personally.
Source: IRS: S corporation compensation and medical insurance
Benefits are your choice under 50
Employers with fewer than 50 full-time employees, counting full-time equivalents, aren’t subject to the federal requirement to offer coverage. Offering benefits is a decision you make for your team, not a mandate.
Source: IRS: applicable large employers
The small business tax credit
The federal credit can cover up to 50% of premiums for employers with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees and average wages under $68,200 in 2026, if you pay at least half of employee-only premiums and buy through the SHOP marketplace. Owners and their families don’t count toward the totals. SHOP plans aren’t offered everywhere, so check your state’s guide.
The whole benefits package.
Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and income protection. Built around your business and the people who power it.
Start with your team’s needs and your business’s budget. Explore medical coverage online, or work with a benefits advisor to understand your options and choose your next step.
Questions firm owners ask.
Not through SHOP until you have at least one full-time equivalent employee who isn’t an owner, spouse, family member, or partner. Until then, you can buy coverage through the individual Marketplace.
Tell us about your firm.
We’ll follow up to learn about your business and walk you through your options. There’s no cost to work with us.
Prefer to start on your own?