National Employee Benefits Day 2025: Developing Future Financial Success

Quick look: Every April, National Employee Benefits Day underscores the value of a strong employee benefits package. In 2025, the theme, “Future-Ready Financial Well-Being,” spotlights how benefits can drive long-term financial security for employees. Explore nine key benefits that can boost your workforce’s financial health and learn how a PEO helps small businesses provide and manage them with ease.

Employee benefits are pivotal to the success of small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). These programs contribute to increased employee productivity and loyalty by promoting financial security, physical and mental wellness, and a healthy work-life balance.

National Employee Benefits Day was created in 2004 by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP) and focuses on the importance of employee benefits. Celebrated each year in April, the day “recognizes trustees, administrators, benefits practitioners and professional advisors for their dedication to providing quality benefits and the important role they play in their colleagues’ well-being.”

National Employee Benefits Day 2025: “Future-Ready Financial Well-Being”

This year’s theme, “Future-Ready Financial Well-Being,” aims to create awareness of how the right tools and resources empower workers to establish long-term financial success.

This mission may resonate with many, as Financial Health Network’s Financial Health Pulse 2024 U.S. Trends Report found that:

• 70% of people believe they are not financially healthy
• Only 47% spend less than their income
• 56% have enough savings to cover at least three months of living expenses
• Just 43% are confident that they’re on track to meet their long-term financial goals

Additionally, the research shows that respondents working at organizations with less than 100 employees were nearly twice as likely to be financially vulnerable as those at companies with over 1,000 workers. This signals a need for small- and medium-sized employers to prioritize their staff’s financial security.

9 benefits to boost your workforce’s financial wellness

Today’s employees want more than just health insurance: they look to their employers to support their overall well-being, including their economic stability. Roughly half of Americans say money negatively affects their mental health, and organizations that design their benefits packages with this challenge in mind are better positioned to attract and retain talent.

Here are nine benefits that can help your employees establish financial peace of mind:

1. Retirement savings accounts

Retirement funds are a cornerstone of workers’ future financial security. According to the Investment Company Institute, 88% of those with 401(k) accounts believe the plans help them focus on long-term needs, not just current ones. Additionally, these benefits can enhance a business’s recruiting and retention efforts and offer tax advantages.

2. FSAs and HSAs

With a wide range of eligible expenses, flexible savings accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) can be used to pay for everything from out-of-pocket copays to a child’s summer camp tuition. And while FSAs have a “use it or lose it” rule each year, HSA funds gather interest and roll over annually, acting as a long-term investment vehicle.

3. Student loan repayment

Approximately 43 million Americans carry federal student loan debt, with the average balance reaching nearly $40,000. Incorporating a student loan repayment program into your company’s employee benefits package can enable affected staff to pay down their balances more quickly and allocate more funds to other goals.

4. Tuition reimbursement plans

By developing a tuition reimbursement policy, business leaders can support professional development and help workers shift to potentially higher-earning career tracks. Supporting staff’s growth is also associated with improved employee engagement and loyalty.

5. Professional guidance

When it comes to personal finance, you don’t know what you don’t know. Employers can play an active role in closing their workforce’s knowledge gaps by offering training from financial advisors on budgeting, investing, debt reduction, and more.

6. Supplemental insurance

Nearly 60% of Americans don’t have enough savings to cover an unexpected $1,000 expense. However, the right benefits may help employees avoid financial crises. For instance, life insurance policies provide income protection, and supplemental health insurance enables workers to be more financially prepared for accidents, critical illnesses, and hospital stays.

7. Identity protection

Identity theft can cause significant financial losses, including stolen funds, debt, and damaged credit scores. When businesses include an identity protection plan in their benefits package, their employees are better equipped to protect their hard-earned money from getting into the wrong hands.

8. EAPs

With free or low-cost access to confidential counseling, expert referrals, certified assessments, and more, employee assistance programs (EAPs) are an invaluable resource for staff. These programs allow employees to tackle life’s biggest challenges, from mental health concerns to legal issues—and they can provide support on banking and loans, budgeting, debt management, and more.

9. Discount programs

Providing discounts on what workers already purchase is an effective way to help them save money. Employee discount programs do just that, providing access to streamlined websites where staff can find exclusive deals on common goods and services like retail, wellness, travel, entertainment, etc.

PEOs: a powerful partner for employee personal finance

One of the best ways to make an impactful change to your employee benefits strategy and help your staff prepare for the future is by partnering with the benefits experts at a professional employer organization (PEO).

Many small businesses find it challenging to keep up with the latest employee benefits trends and compare countless vendors. Moreover, these SMBs may also face difficulties in affording to sponsor various plan options.

PEOs solve those pain points by acting as an extension of your company, providing access to comprehensive employee benefits and a team of certified experts. For example, ExtensisHR, a nationally recognized PEO, offers:

• Fortune 500-level benefits with competitive, large-group pricing, including:
  • Health insurance, with HSA and FSA options
  • Retirement savings plans
  • Tuition reimbursement programs
  • Identity theft protection packages
  • EAPs
  • Employee discount programs
  • Supplemental insurance
• Benefits administration and management services
• SHRM-certified HR Managers to guide business leaders in developing policies for professional development, tuition reimbursement, etc.
• And more

By partnering with a PEO, employers can empower their workforce to make informed financial decisions, build a stable foundation for unexpected life events, and secure a more prosperous future.

ExtensisHR is dedicated to equipping small businesses with big-business benefits—on National Employee Benefits Day and beyond. Browse our benefits solutions or contact us today to learn more.