Group Benefits in Ontario: Employee Benefits Plans for Employers with 5 to 100 Staff
Direct answer
A group benefits plan, also called an employee benefits plan, is insurance an employer buys for its staff: health and dental coverage, life insurance, disability income and support services, paid for by the employer, often with an employee share. AEC Benefits, a Burlington brokerage, builds these plans for Ontario employers with 5 to 100 employees, best fit 5 to 50. Our deepest experience is in construction and the trades, then manufacturing, and we also build plans for office, shop and field teams. To get a quote for your team: aecbenefits.ca/get-quote or (905) 320-4123.
$148 to $279
Per employee per month, single coverage
A planning range, not a quote. Based on AEC Benefits' own quotes for small Ontario groups from 2023 to 2026.
5 to 100
Employees in the plans we build
Best fit is 5 to 50. One- to three-person shops usually belong in a Chambers-style pool.
3 to 6 weeks
From first call to first claim
Most of that is the insurer's processing time, not yours.
Key Takeaways
- •A group benefits plan has four parts: income protection, health, dental and wellness. Start with the part your people care about most.
- •Planning range: about $148 to $279 per employee per month for single coverage and $300 to $600 for family coverage. Based on AEC Benefits' own quotes for small Ontario groups from 2023 to 2026. A planning range, not a quote.
- •No Ontario law requires an employer to offer a health, dental, life or disability plan. CPP, EI, WSIB in most industries, vacation, public holidays and leaves are required.
- •Setting up a plan takes about three to six weeks. The employer provides an employee list and about an hour for the first meeting.
- •AEC Benefits works directly with insurers and takes each plan to multiple insurers, for Ontario employers with 5 to 100 employees.
A plain guide to group benefits in Ontario for employers with 5 to 100 staff: what an employee benefits plan covers, what it costs per person, what the law requires, and how a plan gets set up.
What does a group benefits plan cover in Ontario?
OHIP pays for the hospital and the doctor. The prescription the doctor writes, the dentist, the physiotherapist and the pay you lose while you are off are often the employee's own bill. That is the space an employee benefits plan fills.
We build every plan across four pillars, and we ask first which ones matter most to your people before we talk about a menu.
1. Income protection
Life insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability: the coverage that protects an employee's ability to get paid.
2. Health
Everything outside the hospital: prescription drugs, private-duty care, medical devices and practitioners such as physiotherapists and massage therapists.
3. Dental
Built around the team's age mix. Orthodontics may matter on a younger team; major restorative work may matter more on an older one.
4. Wellness
Virtual care through Teladoc, an employee assistance program, mental-health support, legal assistance and drug delivery. A health spending account can be added here. It is an addition to an insured plan, not a replacement for one.
What do employee benefits cost in Ontario?
For a new group, plan on about $148 to $279 per employee per month for single coverage and about $300 to $600 for family coverage. Across a mixed team of single, couple and family coverage, most groups land at about $250 to $400 per employee per month. Based on AEC Benefits' own quotes for small Ontario groups from 2023 to 2026. A planning range, not a quote.
Three things move the number: how many people are on the plan, how many of them cover a spouse or children, and how rich the design is. Your industry shapes the design, such as how much weight goes on disability, but it does not move the price for the same coverage.
Insured premiums in Ontario also carry the 8% provincial retail sales tax. A real number needs your employee list: dates of birth, salaries, job classes and who covers dependants.
Do Ontario employers have to offer employee benefits?
No. No Ontario law requires an employer to offer a group health, dental, life or disability plan. The province's employment standards guide says so plainly.
What the law does require is Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance contributions, WSIB coverage in most industries, vacation with vacation pay, public holidays, job-protected leaves, and Employer Health Tax on Ontario payroll above the exemption.
Once you offer a plan, a few rules follow it. You keep paying your share during pregnancy, parental and most other statutory leaves, and through the termination notice period. So the decision is a business one: what it takes to hire and keep the people you need.
Workplace benefits in Ontario: required vs optional, with 2026 rates
Who is a group benefits plan from AEC Benefits for?
Ontario employers with 5 to 100 employees. The best fit is 5 to 50: big enough for a plan built around your own people, small enough that you deal with the person who designed it.
Construction and the trades are where our experience runs deepest. Steffen deGraaf, who founded AEC Benefits, studied architectural technology and worked on building sites and in a city building department before his insurance career. Manufacturing comes next. We also build plans for office, shop and field teams.
If you are a one-, two- or three-person shop, a Chambers-style pooled plan is usually the better answer, and we will tell you that.
How does a group benefits plan get set up?
About three to six weeks from the first conversation to employees using their coverage. You do not pay a fee for the design, the market or the service. The insurer pays the broker.
- 1The first meeting, about an hour. This is the Benefits Blueprint: your people, your budget, and where you want the money to go across the four pillars.
- 2The market, one to two weeks. Your employee list goes to multiple insurers and the quotes come back in one table.
- 3The insurer's application, two to three weeks. We handle the paperwork and the enrolment.
- 4The first month. Employees get their coverage on a phone app, the booklet, and someone to call with questions.
How does AEC Benefits work with insurers?
AEC Benefits is a group benefits brokerage, licensed since 2003 and regulated by FSRA (licence #03080173). We work directly with insurers, with no managing general agency in between. That is unusual for a brokerage this size, and it takes a layer of cost out of the transaction.
We shop your plan with multiple insurers, at the start and again when a renewal comes back higher than your own claims justify. You work for your business; we manage the plan and have the insurance companies compete for it.
After that you have one person to call. The office is open Monday to Thursday from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm and Friday from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Where in Ontario does AEC Benefits work?
Our office is at 769 Old York Rd in Burlington, and we build group benefits plans for Ontario employers from there. Each of the communities closest to the office has its own page.
Reviewed by Steffen deGraaf
Steffen brings 20+ years in insurance and group benefits, construction job-site roots, and architectural technology training at Mohawk College. FSRA-regulated insurance broker specializing in Ontario group benefits.
Ontario Insurance
Ontario construction benefits experience
Construction is in Steffen's blood: job sites as a teenager, architectural technology at Mohawk College, and 20+ years in insurance and group benefits for Ontario employers.
Meet Steffen and learn how AEC Benefits worksOntario Insurance Broker
Sources & References
Sources support the employment standards, WSIB and insurance references on this page. The cost ranges are AEC Benefits' own planning figures. Plan terms, eligibility and pricing depend on the insurer's contract and a current quote.
Guideline G3 - Group Life and Group Health Insurance (2026)
Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association
View sourceFrequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between group benefits and employee benefits?
In everyday use they mean the same thing: the health, dental, life and disability coverage an employer provides. "Employee benefits" is the wider term and can also include things like vacation or a retirement plan. "Group benefits" is what insurers and brokers call the insured plan itself.
How much do group benefits cost per employee in Ontario?
AEC Benefits' planning range is about $148 to $279 per employee per month for single coverage and $300 to $600 for family coverage, based on its own quotes for small Ontario groups from 2023 to 2026. It is a planning range, not a quote. A real number comes from your employee list: ages, salaries, job classes and dependants.
Are employee benefits mandatory in Ontario?
No. No Ontario law requires an employer to offer a group health, dental, life or disability plan. Employers do have to make CPP and EI contributions, carry WSIB coverage in most industries, and provide vacation, public holidays and job-protected leaves.
How many employees do I need for a group benefits plan?
It depends on the insurer; some programs start at around three employees. AEC Benefits builds plans for employers with 5 to 100 employees, and the best fit is 5 to 50. A one- to three-person shop is usually better served by a Chambers-style pooled plan.
Can a health spending account replace a group benefits plan?
We do not recommend it. A health spending account is a good addition to an insured plan. On its own it leaves the employee to pay first and claim after, and it leaves large costs such as disability and expensive drugs uninsured.
How long does it take to set up a group benefits plan?
About three to six weeks from the first conversation to employees using their coverage. Most of that is the insurer's processing time. The employer provides an employee list and about an hour for the first meeting.
Want to talk through your options?
If you want real numbers instead of generic plan talk, AEC Benefits can pressure-test pricing, structure, and fit for your team.