Employee benefits for nonprofits,made easy.
92% of U.S. civic, religious, and grantmaking organizations 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.
Nonprofits at a glance
Offering benefits at a nonprofit
Mission-driven teams on tight budgets, with a tax credit designed for tax-exempt employers. Here’s what shapes a benefits plan for a small nonprofit.
- of U.S. civic, religious, and grantmaking organizations have fewer than 20 employees
- 92%
- jobs at 501(c)(3) organizations, 9.9% of private-sector jobs (2022)
- 12.8M
- of premiums: the most the small business health care tax credit covers for a tax-exempt employer
- 35%
Source: IRS Form 8941 instructions
The tax credit for tax-exempt employers
A 501(c) organization with fewer than 25 full-time equivalent employees and modest average wages that pays a uniform share of at least 50% of premiums through a SHOP plan can claim up to 35% of premiums for two consecutive years. It’s refundable and claimed on Form 990-T, even if you don’t normally file one.
Sources: IRS Form 8941 instructions; IRS: small business health care tax credit and SHOP
Average wages, not one salary
The credit’s wage test looks at average annual wages per full-time equivalent, so one well-paid director doesn’t rule you out.
Source: IRS Form 8941 instructions
SHOP is open to nonprofits
The SHOP marketplace is available to businesses and nonprofit organizations with 1 to 50 full-time equivalent employees.
The 30-hour line
Federal rules treat an employee who averages 30 or more hours a week as full time. A plan bought through the SHOP marketplace has to be offered to every full-time employee, but not to part-time staff.
Sources: IRS: identifying full-time employees; HealthCare.gov: who qualifies for SHOP
How part-timers count toward 50
To see whether you’re near 50, add part-timers’ monthly hours (up to 120 per person) and divide by 120. Forty full-time employees plus 20 people working 60 hours a month comes to 50.
Source: IRS: employer shared responsibility questions and answers
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 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 nonprofit leaders ask.
Yes, if it’s a 501(c) organization with fewer than 25 full-time equivalents, modest average wages, and a uniform share of at least 50% of premiums paid through a SHOP plan. The credit is up to 35% of premiums for two years, claimed on Form 990-T. SHOP plans aren’t available in every state.
Tell us about your organization.
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?