Small business · Agriculture & farms · Michigan
Health insurance for Michigan farms and agriculture businesses
Family operations, seasonal crews and year-round hands: how the counting rules treat seasonal work and which options fit.
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- 34,879 MI covered ag jobs
- Seasonal rules explained
- QSEHRA for small farms
Get options for my farm or ag business
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Agriculture & farms in Michigan, by the numbers
| Michigan private industry | Jobs (2025 avg.) | Locations | Avg. jobs per location | Avg. annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (NAICS 11) | 34,879 | 3,697 | 9.4 | $46,065 |
| Crop production (NAICS 111) | 19,598 | 1,936 | 10.1 | $41,852 |
| Animal production (NAICS 112) | 8,676 | 716 | 12.1 | $51,455 |
BLS QCEW, 2025 annual averages, private ownership; jobs per location is jobs divided by establishments.[1] QCEW covers jobs reported under unemployment insurance and excludes proprietors and the unincorporated self-employed.[2]
What benefits look like in this kind of work
- Among construction, extraction, farming, fishing and forestry workers, 75% had access to an employer medical plan.[3]
- In private businesses with 1 to 49 workers, 55% of workers had access to an employer medical plan, compared with 86% at businesses with 100 or more.[3]
- Part-time private-industry workers had 23% access.[3]
National figures for private industry; BLS doesn’t publish these by state.[3]
What we’d look at for a farm or ag business
QCEW counted 34,879 private agriculture jobs in Michigan in 2025[1], but it excludes proprietors, unpaid family members and certain farm workers[2], so the real farm workforce is larger. For many farms the questions are who is family, who is seasonal and who is year-round. Seasonal employees who work 120 or fewer days aren’t counted in FTEs or average wages for the tax credit[4], and a QSEHRA may exclude part-time or seasonal employees.[5]
Rules that apply to you
- Small group is 1 to 50. For SHOP coverage you generally need 1 to 50 full-time-equivalent employees who aren’t owners or family, and you can start any time of year.[6] See small group rules.
- Can’t meet a carrier’s contribution or participation rule? Federal rules let insurers limit those groups to a November 15 to December 15 enrollment window each year.[7] See contribution and participation rules.
- The mandate starts at 50. Employers with at least 50 full-time employees, including full-time equivalents, on average in the prior year are applicable large employers.[8]
- Seasonal exception. You aren’t treated as large if you go over 50 for 120 days or fewer in the year and the extra workers during that time are seasonal.[8]
- QSEHRA is open only to employers that aren’t applicable large employers and don’t offer a group health plan; 2026 limits are $6,450 single and $13,100 family.[5] See QSEHRA.
- ICHRA can be offered by class of employees, but you can’t offer the same class both an ICHRA and a traditional group plan.[9] See ICHRA and ICHRA vs. a group plan.
- Tax credit check. The small business health care tax credit requires fewer than 25 FTEs and average annual wages under $67,000 per FTE (2025 rules), with a plan through SHOP.[4] This industry’s Michigan average pay was $46,065 in 2025[1], but your own payroll math decides it. See the Form 8941 guide.
Workers’ compensation is a separate, required coverage and isn’t covered on this page.
Related: small business health insurance, level-funded plans and adding dental and vision.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Michigan, 2025 annual averages (private ownership). https://data.bls.gov/cew/data/api/2025/a/area/26000.csv
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, QCEW Overview: coverage and employment exclusions. https://www.bls.gov/cew/overview.htm
- BLS, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026, Table 2: Medical care benefits, access and participation. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.t02.htm
- IRS, Instructions for Form 8941 (2025). https://www.irs.gov/instructions/i8941
- IRS, Publication 15-B (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15b
- HealthCare.gov, Overview of SHOP: Health insurance for small businesses. https://www.healthcare.gov/small-businesses/choose-and-enroll/shop-marketplace-overview/
- 45 CFR 147.104, Guaranteed availability of coverage (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-B/part-147/section-147.104
- IRS, Determining if an employer is an applicable large employer. https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/employers/determining-if-an-employer-is-an-applicable-large-employer
- 26 CFR 54.9802-4, Special rule allowing integration of HRAs with individual health insurance coverage (eCFR). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-26/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-54/section-54.9802-4
Checked October 16, 2026. 2027 Marketplace plans and final 2027 rates aren’t published yet; we’ll update this page when they are.
Frequently asked questions
Do seasonal farm workers count toward 50 employees?
If you exceed 50 for 120 days or fewer and the extra workers during that period are seasonal, you aren't treated as an applicable large employer, per the IRS.
Can a farm use a QSEHRA?
Yes, if it isn't an applicable large employer and doesn't offer a group health plan. A QSEHRA may exclude part-time or seasonal employees.
Will you sell my information?
No. Your information goes to Nexus Benefit Solutions only and is never sold.