Most employers we talk to have never heard of this. The ones who have usually assume it's too good to be true, or too complicated to implement. Neither is true. A correctly structured preventative care management program can reduce employer FICA liability by approximately $700 per employee per year, all while delivering more benefits — not fewer — to the people on your team.
Here's exactly how it works.
What FICA actually is
FICA stands for the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. It's the law that funds Social Security and Medicare. Both you and each of your employees pay it on every paycheck. The total bite is 15.3% of wages, split roughly down the middle: 7.65% comes out of the employee's gross pay, and 7.65% comes out of your operating budget as the employer's matching contribution.
For a company with 200 employees earning a median wage, the employer side alone runs into the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. It's one of the largest line items on your payroll cost stack — and unlike health insurance or retirement contributions, you usually can't negotiate it down.
That last sentence is where most employers stop. They shouldn't.
How wellness programs reduce FICA liability
Under IRS Section 125 — sometimes called a cafeteria plan — employees can pay for certain qualified benefits with pre-tax dollars instead of after-tax dollars. The most familiar examples are health insurance premiums, FSA contributions, and dependent care.
A properly structured preventative care management program qualifies as one of those benefits. When an employee participates, a small portion of their gross pay is redirected — pre-tax — into the wellness program. Because that portion is pre-tax, it isn't subject to FICA. Less FICA-eligible wages means less FICA owed. By the employer and the employee.
The employee then receives the full value of the wellness program — coaching, telehealth, mental health support, preventative screenings — plus a measurable bump in take-home pay because their FICA bite is smaller.
The legal framework
This isn't a loophole. The IRS has issued repeated guidance affirming that Section 125 plans containing qualified preventative care benefits are compliant. The key requirements:
- The program must offer real, substantive preventative care. A line item on a paycheck with no actual benefit attached doesn't qualify and won't survive an audit.
- Participation must be voluntary. Employees can opt in or out without penalty.
- The plan must be written, adopted, and operated correctly. Plan documents, summary plan descriptions, and nondiscrimination testing all matter.
- Benefits must be available equitably. The program can't disproportionately favor highly-compensated employees.
EmployWell handles every one of those requirements as part of the standard implementation. You don't need a separate ERISA attorney or benefits consultant to make it work — the framework is baked in.
How much can employers actually save?
The math is straightforward. Average FICA savings for the employer come out to roughly $700 per W-2 employee per year. For a 200-person organization, that's approximately $140,000 in annual savings. For 500 employees, $350,000. For 1,000, $700,000. These numbers continue to compound year over year, since FICA is owed on every paycheck.
The employees, in aggregate, also see roughly $820 per person in additional take-home pay — a meaningful raise that comes at zero cost to the employer.
You can plug your own headcount into the savings calculator on our home page to model your specific number.
Common questions
Do my existing benefits change?
No. EmployWell layers on top of your current medical, dental, vision, and retirement benefits. We don't replace any of them.
Does this affect my employees' Social Security or Medicare benefits?
The reduction in FICA-eligible wages is small — typically less than 5% of gross pay — and the impact on long-term Social Security calculations is negligible. Most employees come out ahead even before counting the wellness program itself.
How long does implementation take?
Most organizations are live within 45 days of signing. Here's the full step-by-step.
What if I have fewer than 50 employees?
The math gets harder to justify below that threshold. EmployWell is designed for W-2 employers with at least 50 full-time employees. If you're close to the line, it's still worth a conversation.
How to find out what you'd save
The first step is a 15-minute qualifying call. We confirm fit, ask for a few high-level numbers (no SSNs or sensitive data required), and run your team size through our modeling engine. You receive a Financial Impact Report — typically within a few days — showing your projected monthly, annual, and 5-year savings, plus the employee-side benefit.
It's free. There's no obligation. And it's the only way to know whether the framework moves real money for your specific organization.