10 Tips for Employers to 

Get SHOP Marketplace Coverage 

The SHOP Marketplace makes it possible for small businesses to provide qualified health and/or 

dental plans to their employees. Use these tips to help you with your SHOP Marketplace enrollment on 

HealthCare.gov.

1. Set your budget. Think about how much money you’re able to spend for group coverage, and 

decide in advance how much you want to contribute towards employee premium costs. Also 

consider how much your employees can spend for their coverage.

2. Decide if you’ll cover dependents. In the SHOP Marketplace, you must offer coverage to all fulltime employees, but offering dependent coverage is optional. Consider whether your employees have 

dependents they may want to include in family coverage, and decide if you’ll offer dependent coverage. 

3. Find out your employees’ coverage needs. Talk to your eligible employees and find out their 

health and dental coverage needs. You should balance their coverage needs with your budget to 

determine which coverage options work best for you and your employees. This will help you with 

your coverage decision, and you’ll get an idea of how many employees might participate. Most 

states require 70% of your eligible employees’ participation (this percentage may be different in 

your state) – but you can enroll November 15 – December 15 each year without having to meet 

this requirement.
4. Decide if you want to offer a choice of plans. In the SHOP Marketplace, you get to decide 

if you want to offer your employees one health and/or dental plan, or a choice of health and/or 

dental plans. 

If you offer your employees a choice of plans, you’ll select a plan category (like Bronze or Silver 

for health plans, and High or Low for dental plans) with multiple plans from different insurance 

companies. Your employees can then select the plan that best meets their needs from the plan 

category you choose. In some states, you can select one insurance company with multiple plans. 

Your employees can then select the plan that best meets their needs from the insurance company 

you choose in any plan category.

5. Preview available health and dental plans in your area. Visit HealthCare.gov/see-plans/#/

small-business to see health and dental plans and prices before you start your SHOP Marketplace 

application or renew coverage.

6. Get help. Licensed agents and brokers registered to work with the SHOP Marketplace may be 

able to help you apply for and enroll in the SHOP Marketplace at no additional cost to you and 

your employees. When you apply for SHOP Marketplace coverage, you can search through a 

list of agents and brokers registered to work with the SHOP Marketplace in your area. You can 

also continue using your current agent or broker if they’ve completed the SHOP Marketplace 

registration requirements. 

7. Choose a coverage start date. You’ll need to choose a month to start coverage. Consider what 

timing works best for you and your employees. You can enroll in SHOP Marketplace coverage 

during any month throughout the year and your plan year will last for 12 months. If you complete 

the enrollment process by the 15th of the month, coverage will start on the 1st of the following 

month. If you enroll after the 15th of the month, coverage will start on the 1st of the second 

following month. For example, if you complete enrollment on February 15th, coverage will start 

March 1st. If you enroll on February 17th, coverage will start April 1st.

8. Choose the plan that’s right for your business and enroll. Once you compare and select the 

coverage that best meets your needs, submit your coverage offer to employees and enroll those 

who accept coverage by the coverage effective date you chose. Remember, you must have at least 

one employee who isn’t a business owner or spouse enroll in coverage before the group can enroll.

9. Pay the premium. Once employees enroll, you’ll send the first month’s premium to the SHOP 

Marketplace. After that, you’ll get a single monthly bill for all health and/or dental plans in which 

your employees are enrolled. You’ll provide one monthly payment to the SHOP Marketplace.

10. Find out if you may be eligible for a tax credit. The Tax Credit Estimator on 

HealthCare.gov can help determine if your business may qualify for the Small Business Health 

Care Tax Credit, and how much it could be worth to you. Visit the Tax Credit Estimator at 

HealthCare.gov/shop-calculators-taxcredit. If you qualify, you’ll claim the credit when you 

file your tax return. Work with your tax preparer to complete the correct form. The IRS will 

determine if you qualify for the credit. For more information on the Small Business Health Care 

Tax Credit, visit irs.gov/affordable-care-act/employers/small-business-health-care-tax-creditand-the-shop-marketplace.

CMS Product No. 11775

Revised September 2016

You have the right to get the information in this product in an alternate format. You also have the right to file a complaint 

if you feel you’ve been discriminated against. Visit https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Aboutwebsite/

CMSNondiscriminationNotice.html, or call the Marketplace Call Center at 1-800-318-2596 for more information. TTY users 

should call 1-855-889-4325.