What benefits can I tell candidates about?
Last updated: September 10, 2026
Applies to: staffing Partners and recruiters who need to describe Ascen's benefits to a candidate before they accept a role. Benefits come with EOR employment assignments only and this section applies to US W-2 Employee Assignments. Canada T-4 Employees and employees outside the US/Canada will have unique benefits. Please ask your customer success manager for the benefits plans for employees outside the US.
Summary: Eligible US employees we place on a W-2 basis can receive health, dental, vision, life and AD&D cover, supplemental options and a 401(k). Independent contractors are not benefits-eligible. Eligibility depends on the plan — the main medical plan requires full-time hours — and coverage starts after a waiting period, not on day one. Send candidates the enrollment guide rather than quoting plan details yourself.
First: is the candidate a W-2 employee or an independent contractor?
A worker engaged as an independent contractor — US 1099 or international IC — is not eligible to enroll in Ascen's plans, and no amount of hours changes that. If a candidate is weighing benefits as part of the offer, confirm how the assignment will be engaged before you describe anything below. See Job classifications and corp-to-corp — choosing how a worker is engaged.
What eligible US W-2 employees can receive
As a large employer, Ascen offers a range of benefits to eligible US employees:
Medical, dental and vision cover
Life insurance and AD&D cover
Supplemental options, such as accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity cover
A 401(k) retirement plan
Specific plans, cover levels and any costs that apply are set out in the enrollment guide the worker receives during onboarding. Point candidates at the guide instead of describing plans or prices yourself — the details change between plan years, and a figure quoted in a recruiting conversation is the one the candidate will hold you to. The current guide is published at US Benefits Enrollment Guide.
Eligibility is per plan, and it is reviewed continuously
To be eligible a worker must be actively working and meet the requirements of the particular plan. One of Ascen's medical plans requires the worker to be classified as full-time and regularly scheduled to work at least 30 hours per week. Other plans do not require a minimum number of hours. Eligibility is reviewed on an ongoing basis and can change if the worker's hours or employment status change, so a part-time or intermittent assignment may not carry medical cover even though the worker is a W-2 employee.
Eligible workers can also cover eligible legal dependents, but only once they are enrolled themselves. Full detail is in Who is eligible to enroll in healthcare benefits?.
When it actually starts — set this expectation early
Two separate timings matter, and candidates routinely assume both happen on their start date:
Employees enroll during onboarding. When do I enroll in healthcare benefits?.
Cover begins after a 30-day waiting period from the date of hire, and the worker has to be actively at work for it to take effect. Weekly coverages become effective the following Sunday; monthly coverages on the first of the following month — see When does my benefit coverage begin?.
So a candidate starting mid-month should not expect a member ID in their first week. Saying this up front prevents a support ticket in week two.
Workers outside the US
Canada: what is available to a T4 employee depends on how the assignment is set up. Do not assume the US plan list applies — ask us to confirm for the specific assignment before you describe anything to the candidate.
Everywhere else: where we employ talent locally, benefits follow the local in-country process and statutory entitlements of that country, and the worker's in-country HR contact provides the details. Statutory time off and holiday entitlements for these workers are covered in Time off, public holidays, and sick leave (international employees).
What to send a candidate
Rather than writing your own summary, send the worker-facing articles — they are public, kept current, and answer the follow-up questions too:
Does Ascen provide healthcare benefits? — the overview
US Benefits Enrollment Guide — plans, cover and costs
How can I change my benefits? — for later life events
Who to contact
For a question about a specific worker's eligibility, enrolment window or coverage dates, email support@ascen.com with the worker's name. Workers with questions about their own benefits should contact us directly too — see Who do I contact about my healthcare benefits?. Do not route benefits questions through the client.