For Employees

See Section 125 on your pay stub?
Here's what it's worth.

Section 125 is a federal tax structure that gives qualifying employees about $72 more per paycheckat zero cost — to you or to your employer. If your company isn't enrolled, you can use the tool here to see what you'd gain, then download a one-page request to hand to your owner or HR director.

Verified by CBIZ — Top-7 U.S. Accounting Firm (August 2025)
Legal opinion by HitesmanLaw — Super Lawyer-rated ERISA attorney (May 2025)
Approximate $72/paycheck raise · ~$863/year · Zero out-of-pocket cost
Plus: free telemedicine, medications, dental savings, counseling

Paycheck Decoder

See your raise  ·  download the HR Request Template  ·  no email required

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IRS Section 125 — Federal Law Since 1978
No New Insurance Required
No Changes to Current Benefits
ACA · ERISA · COBRA · HIPAA Compliant
Live in 30–60 Days
What "Section 125" Means on Your Pay Stub

A 47-Year-Old Federal Law That Most Employees Have Never Had Explained to Them

When you see Section 125, CAF 125, or Cafeteria Plan on a pay stub, it refers to the part of the IRS code that lets employers offer pre-tax benefits — health insurance, dependent care, FSAs, and certain wellness programs — without that money counting as taxable income.

The Preventive Care Section 125 program calculated above goes a step further: in addition to the standard pre-tax structure, it includes a HIPAA-compliant participatory wellness component that returns a monthly post-tax wellness reward to your paycheck. The combined effect leaves you with about $72 more per paycheck without any change to your gross salary.

The program is grounded in IRS Revenue Ruling 69-154 and IRC §§ 125, 105, and 106 — and was independently reviewed in 2025 by HitesmanLaw P.A. and CBIZ Advisors LLC. Both confirmed compliance.

For your employer

Net $681.60 saved per employee per yearin FICA taxes (after the program's admin fee). Workers' Comp premiums also drop because they're calculated on taxable payroll. A 50-employee company nets ~$34,000/year.

For you

~$72 more per paycheck — automatically. Plus 24/7 telemedicine, 400+ free generic medications, dental savings up to 60%, mental health counseling for the whole household. Zero out-of-pocket cost.

Your one move

Download the HR Request Template above and hand it to your owner, HR director, or office manager. They can take it to their CPA before deciding anything — exactly as the CPAs and attorneys in our case studies did.

→ See the legal & accounting proof
Legal & Accounting Proof

Verified by the Best in the Country

Skepticism is the right response. We don't ask you to take our word for it — we bring institutional proof that convinced CPAs, CFOs, attorneys, and insurance brokers to enroll their own companies.

Darcy L. Hitesman, J.D.

HitesmanLaw P.A. · Minneapolis, MN

35+ years as an Employee Benefits attorney specializing in IRC Section 125, ERISA, HIPAA, and the ACA. Her May 5, 2025 opinion letter concludes: “In this firm's opinion, the Program described satisfies applicable IRS requirements.”

She specifically reviewed the IRS Chief Counsel Advice memoranda on "double-dip" arrangements — the exact schemes the IRS has flagged — and concluded this program is built differently and compliantly.

Named a Super Lawyer every year since 2000. AV-rated (highest possible rating) in Martindale-Hubbell since 1998.
Co-author: ERISA Compliance for Health & Welfare Plans (Thomson Reuters/EBIA) — the national compliance standard manual since 1999.
Member, Technical Advisory Group — Employers Council on Flexible Compensation. She helps set the industry standards for Section 125 plans nationally.

CBIZ Advisors LLC

Top-7 U.S. Accounting Firm · Cleveland, OH · 135,000+ Clients

CBIZ independently reviewed the program against IRC §§ 125, 105, and 106, plus ERISA, ACA, and COBRA requirements. Their August 22, 2025 letter concludes: “If operated per its provisions, the Program appears to satisfy the requirements of ERISA, the ACA, and COBRA as well.”

This review was commissioned by Affinity Hospice's CEO before enrolling his nationwide organization — and the CFO (himself a CPA) shared the letter publicly in his testimonial.

Top-7 U.S. accounting firm. 10,000+ employees across 100+ offices. Serves 135,000+ clients nationally.
Review covers: IRC §125 cafeteria plan, §105/106 wellness benefit rules, ERISA plan asset treatment, ACA integration, and COBRA obligations.
$500,000 legal protection per enrolled employer · $10,000 per employee participant · Insurance-backed.
🏛️

Direct From the U.S. Government

Section 125 has been in the Internal Revenue Code since 1978. Congress wrote it there specifically to encourage employers to fund preventive healthcare for American workers. This is not a loophole — it is the precise, intended use of a 47-year-old federal law, grounded in IRS Revenue Ruling 69-154, the specific published ruling supporting the benefit payment structure.

→ Verify on IRS.gov — Section 125 Cafeteria Plans ↗
Common Questions

Section 125 on Your Pay Stub — Explained

Section 125 is the part of the Internal Revenue Code that lets your employer reduce your pre-tax wages so part of your pay is exempt from FICA (Social Security + Medicare) taxes. If you see Sec 125, CAF 125, 125 Plan, or Cafeteria Plan on your pay stub or in Box 14 of your W-2, your employer is already running some form of Section 125 plan. The Paycheck Decoder above shows what a complete Preventive Care Section 125 program would put back in your paycheck on top of what you already have.
Both. The pre-tax salary reduction lowers your taxable wages — that part shows up as a deduction. The benefit side is what comes back: in a Preventive Care Section 125 program, you receive a post-tax wellness reward (about $1,000/month) that more than offsets the reduction, leaving you with roughly $72 more per paycheck plus 24/7 telemedicine, free generic medications, dental savings, and mental health counseling for your whole household.
It can lower your Social Security earnings record slightly because FICA taxes are calculated on your reduced pre-tax wages. For most people the trade-off is heavily positive — the take-home pay increase today is far larger than the small projected reduction in future Social Security benefits. Your CPA can run the exact comparison for your situation.
Use the green “Download HR Request Template” button above. You'll get a one-page PDF with everything your owner or HR director needs: the math, the compliance citations from HitesmanLaw and CBIZ, and a link to the free 15-minute analysis call. They can take it to their own CPA before deciding anything.
Yes. Section 125 has been federal law since 1978 (IRS.gov — Section 125 Cafeteria Plans). The specific Preventive Care program here was reviewed in 2025 by HitesmanLaw P.A. (a Super Lawyer-rated ERISA attorney) and CBIZ Advisors LLC (a top-7 U.S. accounting firm). Both confirmed compliance. See the full compliance proof →
Participating employees must be covered under an ACA-compliant group health plan — through their employer or through a spouse. If your employer doesn't offer group coverage, the 15-minute analysis call can walk through the options for getting a compliant plan in place alongside Section 125.

Want the deeper explanation? See the full compliance authority page →

Zero Cost · Zero Obligation · 15 Minutes

Find Out Your Number.
Free. No Pitch. Just Math.

Verified: CBIZ Advisors LLC (Aug 2025) · HitesmanLaw P.A. (May 2025)
$500K legal protection per enrolled employer · IRS Section 125 · Federal law since 1978