Reliant offers a Cafeteria Benefit Plan, which allows employees to "select" certain benefits they would like to participate in. Each of the benefits offered on the cafeteria plan are paid for by automatic deductions from the employee's paycheck. When an employee submits a Cafeteria form each year, they are authorizing Reliant to make a deduction from their monthly paycheck. Each authorization for Cafeteria benefits is designed to last for the rest of the calendar year in which the Cafeteria Form is submitted. Each year benefits offered in the Cafeteria Plan must be renewed during Open Enrollment.
Three sections of the plan
- Health Savings Account (HSA) — If you are enrolled or planning on selecting the HS 5000 (HSA), HS 3000 (HSA), HS 1500 (HSA) and you wish to make an Employee Contribution to your HSA, you will need to also enroll in the cafeteria plan to sign up for your Employee Contributions. Please send in your Cafeteria Plan Enrollment Form by the open enrollment deadline each year, or if you are enrolling outside of Open Enrollment due to a Qualifying Event, send in the Cafeteria Plan Enrollment Form when you complete your medical insurance enrollment form. See also Health Saver (HS) Plans. A new Cafeteria Enrollment Plan Form is needed EVERY YEAR.
- Vision Plan Benefit — (Vision premiums are paid for by you, the employee, out of your paycheck). If you select the Vision Plan, you will need to also enroll in the Cafeteria Plan to sign up for your Vision Plan payment. See also Vision Insurance.
- Child-care Benefit — For a description of the Child-Care Benefit, please read Child-Care Benefit. If you desire to elect the Child-Care Benefit, you will need to also enroll in the cafeteria plan to sign up for your Child-Care Benefit Employee Contribution.
Who needs to submit a cafeteria plan form?
All missionaries enrolling in the HS 5000 (HSA), HS 3000 (HSA), HS 1500 (HSA) or EyeMed Vision Insurance plan need to review the section below regarding the cafeteria plan. You can submit your cafeteria plan options at Cafeteria Plan Enrollment Form.
| All employees currently enrolled in the Cafeteria Plan need to submit a new Cafeteria Plan Enrollment Form EVERY YEAR. Please submit your form by the open enrollment deadline each year. |
Why does Reliant offer a cafeteria plan?
Reliant does this primarily for the tax benefits it offers our employees. The contributions/payments for any of these three benefits are processed on a pre-tax basis. So they will be taken from your monthly paycheck before taxes. Thus, your tax savings could really add up!
With the Child-Care Benefit, employees are able to submit child-care expenses for reimbursement using the employee contributions set aside from their monthly paychecks.
Tax benefits for you
- HSA employee monthly contributions (through Reliant payroll) are treated as pre-tax deductions
- Vision Plan Benefits monthly premiums are deducted from your paycheck pre-tax.
- Child-Care Benefit employee monthly contributions are deducted from your paycheck before tax as well.
- Employee's pre-tax contributions/payments are not subject to federal income or social security tax. (It also means NO employer FICA matching portion comes out of the MTD account you're responsible for.)
Things to keep in mind
- Employees need to stay enrolled in the Vision Plan for the entire year if the Vision Benefit is elected.
- Employees will need to stay enrolled in the Child-Care Benefit for the entire year, if this is elected. Child-care funds must be used during the calendar year in which they are elected. Child-care funds do not carry over to the next year.
- To take advantage of Reliant's Cafeteria Plan, you only need to either select the Vision Plan Benefit, Health Saver 1500, Health Saver 3000, Health Saver 5000 or the Child-Care Benefit. You do not need to be enrolled in all three.
- The yearly maximum contribution amount for the Child-Care Benefit is $5,000.
- For the Child-Care Benefit Plan, employees submit their child-care expenses directly to Reliant for reimbursements in a manner very similar to how they currently submit reimbursements for their Reliant ministry expenses. See Child-Care Benefit.
Employee HSA Contributions Changes
Cafeteria forms elections are designed to be elections for the entire year. The Cafeteria Plan outlines hardship situations for which the contribution can be modified. These include significant changes in family income, changes in family structures and financial hardship. Reliant encourages keeping your HSA election for the entire year. Exceptions may be requested by writing HR@reliant.org according the normal payroll submission deadlines. When changes are granted, changes only apply to future contributions. Employees seeking a change should expect that the change will apply to the rest of the calendar year.
