BetterTeamHQ · Employer Resource

Employee Benefits Review Checklist for Washington Employers

Written by Montiae Couse · Last reviewed October 5, 2026

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1. 01Start with your workforce

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   Benefits work best when they fit the people using them. Start with a general picture. No individual or sensitive employee information is needed.

   • Confirm your approximate number of employees today
   • Note your rough mix of full-time, part-time and seasonal roles
   • List where employees work (locations, remote, field or job sites)
   • Consider your general workforce makeup only where appropriate (for example, early-career vs. established workers)
   • Review any hiring or retention challenges you're seeing
   • Gather the questions or concerns employees raise about benefits

2. 02Map what you offer today

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   This is an inventory, not a recommendation. Note what exists, who provides it and where the documents are.

   • Confirm whether medical coverage is currently offered
   • Confirm whether dental coverage is currently offered
   • Confirm whether vision coverage is currently offered
   • Check whether life insurance is part of your package
   • Confirm whether short-term disability is currently offered
   • Confirm whether long-term disability is currently offered
   • Check whether accident coverage is offered
   • Check whether critical illness coverage is offered
   • Check whether hospital indemnity coverage is offered
   • Note whether a retirement plan is offered
   • Note any other voluntary benefits available today
   • Locate your current plan documents and summaries

3. 03Review Washington programs and requirements

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   Some programs apply to most Washington employers; others depend on employer size, location or the plans you offer. Use this list as a prompt to confirm what applies to you — it is not a compliance verification.

   • Review your Washington Paid Family & Medical Leave premiums, notices and reporting
   • Review Washington paid sick leave, plus any local city rules where employees work
   • Confirm how workers' compensation is handled through L&I (or self-insurance)
   • Review how WA Cares Fund premiums are withheld
   • Confirm which federal rules apply based on your size and plans (for example ACA, COBRA, FMLA)
   • Identify who on your team or which outside professional confirms these items each year

   Required employee benefits in Washington →

   Washington Paid Leave employer guide →

4. 04Review who is eligible

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   Clear eligibility rules help employees know what they can enroll in and when.

   • Review who is eligible for each benefit
   • Check the waiting periods before coverage can start
   • Review how employee classes (for example, full-time vs. part-time) are treated
   • Confirm whether dependents are eligible, and which ones
   • Check whether eligibility rules are written down and easy to find

5. 05Review employer and employee cost

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   Understand who pays for what. How a specific benefit is taxed depends on the plan and applicable rules; confirm with a qualified tax professional.

   • Review what the employer contributes to each benefit
   • Review what employees contribute
   • Check how payroll deductions are set up
   • Identify which benefits are fully employer-paid
   • Identify which benefits are employee-paid (voluntary)
   • Consider whether employees understand what they pay and why

6. 06Review employee understanding

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   A benefit employees don't understand is hard for them to value or use when they need it.

   • Consider whether employees know what benefits they have
   • Consider whether employees know when and how to use them
   • Look for recurring questions that point to the same confusion
   • Review how clear and timely enrollment education is
   • Confirm employees know where to go with questions

7. 07Review income protection

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   Identify what would replace part of an employee's paycheck if illness or injury kept them from working. What any plan pays depends on its terms.

   • Confirm whether short-term disability coverage exists today
   • Confirm whether long-term disability coverage exists today
   • Review which state programs may apply (for example Paid Leave or workers' compensation)
   • Consider whether employees understand the difference between these
   • Decide whether there's an income-protection question worth a closer look

   Income Protection Gap Calculator →

8. 08Review voluntary and supplemental benefits

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   Voluntary benefits are separate from major medical coverage. What is available and how it works depends on the applicable policy.

   • Check whether accident coverage is offered on a voluntary basis
   • Check whether critical illness coverage is offered on a voluntary basis
   • Check whether hospital indemnity coverage is offered on a voluntary basis
   • Check whether supplemental life is available
   • Note any other voluntary coverage available

   Voluntary benefits →

9. 09Review the employee experience

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   How benefits are delivered matters as much as what is offered.

   • Review how enrollment works (paper, online, meeting)
   • Review how benefits are communicated during the year
   • Review how new hires learn about benefits during onboarding
   • Check where employees can find plan documents
   • Identify who answers benefit questions
   • Identify who handles ongoing service (changes, life events)
   • Confirm where employees go for help with a claim, where applicable

10. 10Review what has changed

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    A benefits package set up years ago may not reflect the business today. These changes are good reasons to look again.

    • Note any change in workforce size
    • Note any change in locations
    • Review current hiring needs
    • Review recent employee feedback
    • Note any change in payroll setup or provider
    • Review changes to existing plans, carriers or renewals
    • Revisit your employer benefits budget
    • Check for changes to Washington or federal requirements
    • Revisit current business priorities