Who we serve / Construction
Benefits that fit the way your crews work.
Benefit Experts helps Washington employers turn workforce needs into a benefits plan. Job sites change. Hours shift. Your benefits plan still needs to make sense to the people using it—and the people managing it.
Three decisions to work through
How benefits fit the wage requirement
Eligible employer benefit contributions may count toward prevailing wages. The allowable credit needs a documented calculation.
Who is eligible, and when
A new full-time hire and a worker with genuinely variable hours may need different eligibility handling.
How employees get answers
A short session around the workday and a clear enrollment checklist can make the information easier to use.
Public works benefits
Get the credit calculation right.
For Washington public works, qualifying employer-paid benefits can count toward the required prevailing wage. Cash paid in place of benefits is treated as wages.
Verify the job’s wage determination, benefit rules, and records with your payroll team and prevailing-wage adviser. Federal projects can introduce additional requirements. Benefit Experts does not provide prevailing-wage calculations or tax or legal advice. We can connect you with industry specialists.
Illustrative annualization
This is an example, not a credit determination. L&I generally allocates benefit costs across all hours worked, including public and private work. Documented alternatives and certain pension exceptions may apply. Employee contributions do not count as the employer’s credit.
Eligibility and administration
Keep the two ACA questions separate.
1. Is the business an applicable large employer?
Generally, use the prior calendar year’s monthly average of full-time employees plus full-time equivalents. For each month, add non-full-time employees’ hours of service, cap each person at 120 hours, and divide that total by 120.
2. When must a particular employee be offered coverage?
That is a separate question involving the plan’s eligibility terms and applicable ACA rules. Do not assume every new hire must wait through a variable-hour measurement period. Related businesses and seasonal-worker exceptions also need a careful review.
Build around the crew’s needs
Compare the protection, employee cost, and administration of each option.
- Medical, dental, and vision
- Check provider access near employees’ homes and job sites, dependent costs, and employer contribution options.
- Life and disability
- Review income protection, waiting periods, benefit limits, and exclusions. A health plan and workers’ compensation serve different purposes.
- Voluntary benefits
- Consider accident, critical illness, or hospital indemnity coverage as supplements. Explain what triggers payment and what the coverage does not replace.
- Funding and spending accounts
- Compare available fully insured and alternative funding options. HSA eligibility and any level-funded surplus payment depend on applicable rules and the specific plan contract.
A practical starting process
We help organize plan choices, education, and enrollment around your office and your job sites.
- 01
Map the workforce
Discuss job locations, work patterns, public-works contracts, renewal timing, and your benefit priorities.
- 02
Compare the options
Review plan costs, networks, contribution choices, and the questions payroll or a specialist needs to resolve.
- 03
Plan enrollment
Agree on communication, employee changes, and the handoffs between your office, the broker, carriers, and administrators.
Questions from construction employers
Can you meet with crews on different shifts?
On-site groups, one-on-one and live virtual sessions, multiple site visits, new-hire support, and support after enrollment are available to client teams with the session scope confirmed before enrollment.
Do we need a current plan to start?
No. If this is your first benefits offering, start with your team size, locations, budget range, and desired effective date.
Will paying benefits instead of cash always save money?
No. The result depends on contribution levels, tax treatment, valid prevailing-wage credits, and administrative costs. Compare the complete arrangement before making a change.
Who handles new hires, terminations, and COBRA?
We coordinate Employee Navigator setup and administrator training for participating group clients. Confirm the service scope and any administrator fees for your program. Benefit Experts handles carrier changes. For COBRA, we coordinate third-party administrators that send and track notices. Their fees may apply; some clients qualify for waived fees based on group size and benefits package.
Sources checked September 19, 2026. General information; your plan and circumstances matter.
L&I premium ratingL&I prevailing wagesL&I benefit annualizationIRS employer-size calculationStart with your crew and your next project.
Tell us about your workforce and what you want benefits to do. A current benefits plan is helpful if you have one.
Practical resources for your next benefits decision
HRA strategies
Compare group coverage, ICHRA, QSEHRA and supplemental arrangements.
Explore HRA strategies →Employer compliance
Organize notices, reporting, leave and the people responsible for each task.
Read the compliance guide →Free guides & worksheets
Download resources to use with HR, payroll and employees.
Browse free resources →