Employees often think of their pay as the money they take home after taxes come out of their paycheck. When a competitor offers more money, they often pay attention. Do your employees know how much more money you hand over to them? We are not talking about the cost of benefits – we are talking about payments in cash they can actually see.

401(k) matching contributions. This is the most obvious benefit. The employee contributes pre-tax dollars to their workplace based retirement plan. According to Fidelity, a common match is dollar to dollar up to 3% of the employee's salary, then 50 cents per dollar for the next 2%. This means the match is capped, but is a substantial dollar amount. If the employee earns $100,000, a 3% match is $3,000. It often has a vesting schedule.
Tuition reimbursement. Many companies offer to pay for college courses you take in your spare time. The maximum the IRS allows companies to cover is $5,250.
Student loan repayment. Nor every employee wants to study towards a college degree. Many have already earned one. The downside to this achievement is carrying student loan debt. The government allows companies to provide up to $5,250 in relief for paying down student loans. Notice the amount is the same as the tuition reimbursement number. This is an either/or benefit. Employees cannot collect it twice.
Employee stock purchase plan. Many companies allow employees to purchase stock in their employer's company at a discount to market value. The discount might be as high as 10% to 15%. The IRS has set an annual limit of $25,000 in pre-discounted stock. Depending on the plan, you might be able to invest 1% to 15% of your paycheck. In most cases you can sell anytime. An employee earning $100,000 and allowed to invest up to 10% of their paycheck and getting a 10% discount might be investing $10,000 annually, buying $11,111 in stock and getting a $1,111 profit, assuming they sold immediately.
Taxi home when working late. Employees often work longer hours. They might (or might not) be paid overtime. Some companies provide a ride home as a benefit, keeping employees off public transportation late at night.
Employee discounts. Does your company manufacture a product used by the general public? Do you own a chain of retail stores? Many companies offer employee discounts.
Charitable contribution match. Many Americans donate to charity: 65% of Fortune 500 companies have matching gift programs. Some firms offer a program that will match an employee's gift to a nonprofit. Most matches are dollar for dollar up to a threshold. Some companies match at a greater ratio. Let us assume an employee contributes $1,000 to a charity and gets a $1,000 match.

How much might an employee earning $100,000 in salary benefit from these additional programs? Perhaps $10,250:

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It's free money! Employers need to showcase their 'complete' benefits package

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