Voluntary benefits give your employees access to life insurance, disability, dental, vision, accident, and specialty coverages — enrolled through payroll deduction, often at no cost to you. Buffer handles carrier selection, plan design, and enrollment coordination.
Start Your Free Assessment →Medical insurance is table stakes. The employers winning the talent war are the ones offering a full suite of ancillary benefits that employees actually value — and voluntary benefits let you do it without increasing your benefits budget.
Today's employees expect more than a paycheck and a health plan. They want financial protection for their families, coverage for unexpected medical events, and access to benefits that fit their individual needs. Voluntary benefits meet that expectation.
Because voluntary benefits are typically employee-paid through payroll deduction, they expand your benefits offering without expanding your budget. Employees get access to group rates — often significantly lower than individual market pricing — and the convenience of automatic payroll deductions.
When eligible benefits are enrolled through a Section 125 cafeteria plan, employees can pay premiums pre-tax, and employers save on FICA contributions. It is a genuine win for both sides.
Buffer designs voluntary benefit packages from a full menu of ancillary products. Every employer's workforce is different — we help you select the lines that will drive the highest employee engagement.
Basic employer-paid life plus voluntary supplemental coverage. Employees can elect additional coverage for themselves, spouses, and dependents. Guaranteed issue amounts available at initial enrollment.
Income replacement for injuries or illnesses that keep employees out of work for weeks to months. Typical benefit periods of 13 to 26 weeks with elimination periods as short as 7 days.
Replaces a portion of income — typically 60% — when an employee cannot work due to extended illness or injury. Coverage begins after STD exhausts and can continue to age 65.
Preventive, basic, and major dental coverage. Options include DPPO and DHMO plans with varying annual maximums, deductibles, and orthodontia coverage. Group rates well below individual market.
Coverage for annual eye exams, lenses, frames, and contact lenses. Affordable group premiums with access to broad provider networks. Often one of the highest-participation voluntary lines.
Pays fixed cash benefits for covered accidents — ER visits, fractures, dislocations, burns, and more. Benefits are paid directly to the employee regardless of other insurance. Covers gaps medical insurance leaves behind.
Lump-sum cash benefit upon diagnosis of a covered critical illness — heart attack, stroke, cancer, organ failure, and others. Employees use the benefit however they choose: bills, travel, lost income.
Pays a daily or per-admission cash benefit for hospital confinement. Helps cover out-of-pocket costs, deductibles, and non-medical expenses during hospitalization. Pairs naturally with high-deductible health plans.
Monitoring, alerts, and restoration services to protect employees from identity theft and fraud. Includes credit monitoring, dark web surveillance, and dedicated recovery specialists.
Veterinary coverage for employees' pets — accidents, illnesses, and wellness care. One of the fastest-growing voluntary benefits. Employees access group discount pricing through payroll deduction.
Prepaid legal services covering estate planning, real estate transactions, family law, traffic violations, and identity theft defense. Employees access a network of attorneys through a low monthly premium.
Adding voluntary benefits should not create more work for your HR team. Buffer manages the entire process — from carrier selection to ongoing administration — so you can offer more without doing more.
As an independent brokerage, Buffer shops multiple carriers for every voluntary line. We compare rates, plan designs, guaranteed issue amounts, portability provisions, and enrollment support to find the best fit for your group.
We design your voluntary benefit package to complement your core medical plan — pairing accident and hospital indemnity with HDHPs, structuring disability buy-ups, and setting guaranteed issue levels that maximize employee participation.
Buffer manages enrollment windows, distributes employee communication materials, coordinates carrier enrollment reps, and ensures payroll deduction files are configured correctly. Online, paper, or one-on-one — we handle the logistics.
Eligible voluntary benefits can be enrolled through your Section 125 cafeteria plan for pre-tax payroll deductions. Buffer coordinates the plan document, election forms, and payroll setup to ensure proper tax treatment for each benefit line.
New hire enrollments, qualifying life events, terminations, COBRA notifications, billing reconciliation, and employee questions — Buffer handles the day-to-day administration so your team stays focused on running the business.
Each year, Buffer reviews your voluntary benefit rates, participation levels, and carrier performance. We renegotiate where possible and recommend plan adjustments to keep your offering competitive and cost-effective.
Buffer is an independent brokerage — we are not captive to any single carrier. We work with leading voluntary benefit carriers and specialty markets to build the best package for each employer.
A leading national carrier for group life, disability, and dental. Strong administrative platform with robust online enrollment and evidence of insurability tools. Competitive rates for mid-market employer groups.
Specializes in voluntary worksite benefits — accident, critical illness, hospital indemnity, disability, and life. Known for their enrollment support, one-on-one employee education sessions, and high participation rates.
For niche products like pet insurance, identity theft protection, and legal plans, Buffer accesses specialty carriers that focus exclusively on these lines. We match the right carrier to each product for optimal coverage, pricing, and employee experience.
Answers to the questions employers ask most when evaluating voluntary benefit programs.
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