Employee benefits for optometry practices,made easy.
94% of U.S. optometry practices 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.
Optometry practices at a glance
Offering benefits at an optometry practice
Independent practices hire opticians against big retailers, and staff often have coverage through a spouse. Here’s what shapes a benefits plan for an optometry practice.
- of U.S. optometry practices have fewer than 20 employees
- 94%
- of opticians work in optometrists’ offices; general merchandise and health retailers employ another 43%
- 43%
- average weekly hours at optometry offices in 2025
- 32.1
Source: BLS Current Employment Statistics: offices of optometrists, 2025
Vision coverage isn’t automatic
Essential health benefits include pediatric vision care, but adult vision isn’t one of the required categories. A separate vision plan is how adults on your team get it.
Source: CMS: essential health benefits
Spouse coverage and participation
In most states, at least 70% of the employees you offer SHOP coverage to need to enroll, but coverage from another source, like a spouse’s job, counts toward that share.
Competing with retailers
43% of opticians work in optometrists’ offices, but general merchandise and health retailers employ just as many. Benefits help a practice hold its own.
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
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 practice owners ask.
Pediatric vision care is an essential health benefit, but adult vision isn’t. We can add a vision plan so your whole team is covered.
Tell us about your practice.
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?