How Enterprises Can Offer Contractor Benefits—Without Increasing Risk

Top contractors have more options than ever, so enterprises must pivot to improve recruiting and retention. Offering benefits is one of the most effective ways to maintain a competitive advantage while scaling your contingent workforce.

At Deel, we view contractor benefits as a strategic lever for engaging the extended workforce—not a tactical perk. With deep expertise in contractor payments and country-specific compliance across 150+ countries, Deel enables enterprises to offer meaningful benefits within clear compliance boundaries, improving contractor engagement and productivity without adding operational or regulatory risk.

This guide outlines how to offer contractor benefits that deliver real value—from global health insurance to the Deel Card and $200,000+ in discounts—all through Deel’s integrated platform.

Why should enterprises provide contractor benefits?

Providing contractors with benefits is a strategic business opportunity. Here’s why:

Attract premium talent

As competition for a skilled contingent workforce intensifies, benefits are emerging as a strategic differentiator. High-value contractors now assess the overall engagement model, including benefits and protections, alongside compensation.

Improve retention and reduce turnover

Providing benefits and support resources increases contractor retention, reducing churn-related costs and productivity losses associated with frequent onboarding.

Improve work quality and focus

When contractors aren't distracted by administrative burdens or financial stress, they can focus more completely on delivering quality work. This leads to better project outcomes and higher client satisfaction.

Strengthen contractor relationships

Offering benefits demonstrates that you value your contractors as important partners in your business success, fostering loyalty and stronger working relationships.

Streamline administration

Having benefits managed through a centralized platform reduces the administrative burden on your team while still providing contractors with valuable support.

How Deel provides benefits to contractors compliantly

Our self-service platform is intuitive and efficient. Once contractors join Deel, they gain immediate access to our benefits marketplace through their personal dashboard. This independent access lets contractors browse, select, and activate benefits most relevant to their location and personal circumstances.

To ensure country-specific compliance for your contractors, Deel provides:

• Localized contracts and compliance documents across 150+ countries

• Quarterly reviews of contracts by local legal experts to ensure adherence with evolving regulations

• Verification of key documentation during onboarding, including identity verification through KYC checks and compliance documentation based on local laws

• Automated compliance monitoring through our Compliance Hub

• Proactive alerts regarding regulatory changes and non-compliance risks like expiring visas and misclassification

Whether it’s redesigning a workspace with Pancake, saving on DoorDash passes, or accessing reduced rates on accounting and fitness services, we have something for everyone. These benefits improve contractor satisfaction and take away stresses that can impact performance and contractor-client relationships.

Here’s what you can expect with Deel perks:

• Over 150 partners with unique offers
• 200,000 USD in perks
• Benefit availability covering 150 countries

Read more: Unlock Your Full Potential: 12 Great Deel Contractor Perks

How to implement contractor benefits with Deel

Setting up contractor benefits through Deel is straightforward and can be accomplished in just a few steps:

1. Set up your Deel account

If you haven't already, create a business account on Deel's platform. The onboarding process is user-friendly and typically takes less than 30 minutes to complete. You'll need basic company information and documentation to verify your business.

2. Invite your contractors

Once your account is set up, you can invite contractors to join Deel through:

• Email invitations directly from the platform
• Shareable invitation links
• Bulk importing existing contractor information

Contractors will receive instructions to create their own Deel accounts, which they'll use to access their benefits.

3. Create country-specific, compliant contracts

Deel's contract templates are designed to be legally compliant across different jurisdictions. When setting up a contract:

• Select the appropriate contract type (fixed rate or pay-as-you-go)
• Specify payment terms and project details
• Include any specific requirements or deliverables
• Optional: Add custom clauses relevant to benefits access

4. Enable access to benefits

Contractors automatically gain access to our benefits once their contracts are active. As the hiring organization, you can:

• Customize which benefit categories are highlighted for your contractors
• Add specific company-exclusive benefits if desired
• Set eligibility criteria for premium benefits like Deel Advance

5. Maintain visibility and operational control

Deel's dashboard gives you visibility into:

• Active contracts and payment statuses
• Benefits utilization among your contractor workforce
• Opportunities to expand or customize benefit offerings

6. Communicate the value to your contingent workforce

Ensure your contingent workforce is aware of the benefits available to them by creating a simple welcome guide highlighting the benefits available through Deel. Consider:

• Sharing a curated list of perks most relevant to your industry
• Explaining how to access and activate different benefits
• Highlighting any company-specific additions to the standard Deel perks

7. Review benefits regularly

Periodically review which benefits are most valued by your contractors:

• Deel provides usage analytics to track which perks are being utilized
• Gather feedback directly from contractors about benefit preferences
• Adjust your benefit strategy based on this data

Additional features to support contractor success

In addition to the benefits already offered to contractors, Deel provides three built-in capabilities that address core contractor needs—at no additional cost to clients.

Global health insurance

Partnering with SafetyWing, Deel offers Remote Health insurance with a 50% discount and comprehensive coverage in 185+ countries:

• Hospital care: $1.5M USD coverage for hospital charges, surgeries, COVID-19 treatment
• Zero deductible policy with outpatient care and preventative services
• Dental & vision coverage plus dependent options for families

Deel Card: Financial freedom anywhere

The Deel Card provides secure access to earnings in stable currency (USD), usable wherever Visa or Mastercard is accepted:

• Instant fund access with direct transfers from the Deel platform
• Virtual or physical cards available in eligible countries
• Ideal for international contractors facing currency instability or banking restrictions

Deel Advance: Early access to earnings

Get funds when you need them without credit checks or high interest charges:

• First $50 advance with no fee
• Transparent fixed fee on larger advances with no hidden costs
• Simple eligibility: Just maintain an active verified contract for at least two months

Read more: 10 Deel Perks for Contractors That Make Remote Work—Work

Start offering contractor benefits today with Deel

With Deel, you can offer your contractors access to top-tier benefits usually reserved for full-time employees. Thanks to Deel’s partnerships with 150+ providers worldwide, your contractors can enjoy discounts on insurance, financial services, wellness programs, professional development, and more.

When you hire independent contractors through Deel, you unlock premium benefits such as health insurance, financial tools like the Deel Card, and early access to earnings through Deel Advance—all while maintaining operational efficiency and staying compliant.

Additionally, independent contractors who choose to sign up directly with Deel can access a broad catalog of optional benefits and discounts, allowing enterprises to support contractor engagement without additional operational complexity.

Request a demo today to learn more.