Small business · Professional services · Michigan
Health insurance for Michigan professional services firms
Law, accounting, engineering, IT and consulting firms compete for people who expect strong benefits. Here’s the data and the options.
Your info goes to Nexus only and is never sold. Not to a call center, not to a list of “partners.”
- 308,486 MI professional jobs
- 87% access in professional jobs
- Group, ICHRA or level-funded
Get options for my firm
Your info goes to Nexus only. Never sold. No pitch, no obligation.
Professional services in Michigan, by the numbers
| Michigan private industry | Jobs (2025 avg.) | Locations | Avg. jobs per location | Avg. annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific and technical services (NAICS 54) | 308,486 | 45,783 | 6.7 | $114,848 |
| Legal services (NAICS 5411) | 27,054 | 5,013 | 5.4 | $115,375 |
| Accounting, tax prep and payroll services (NAICS 5412) | 28,170 | 4,658 | 6.0 | $93,666 |
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
- Management, professional and related workers had 87% access to an employer medical plan and 61% participated.[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]
- Employers paid 82% of single-coverage premiums for these workers and 71% of family premiums on average.[4]
National figures for private industry; BLS doesn’t publish these by state.[3]
What we’d look at for a firm
Michigan’s 45,783 professional services locations averaged 6.7 jobs each in 2025, with average pay of $114,848.[1] Professional workers usually expect a medical plan[3], so the small-firm question is usually design: a richer group plan, a level-funded option, or an ICHRA for remote staff in other states.
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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7]
- 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.[8] 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.
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
- BLS, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2026, Table 3: Share of premiums paid, single coverage. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.t03.htm
- 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
- IRS, Publication 15-B (2026), Employer’s Tax Guide to Fringe Benefits. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p15b
- 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 small professional firms need to offer health insurance?
Not under federal law below 50 full-time employees including equivalents. But 87% of private management and professional workers had access to an employer plan in March 2026, per BLS.
Can we cover remote employees outside Michigan?
An ICHRA reimburses individual coverage where each employee lives, subject to its class rules. Group plan options depend on the carrier.
Will you sell my information?
No. Your information goes to Nexus Benefit Solutions only and is never sold.