How to Compare Three ICHRA Provider Quotes Fairly

Published by ICHRA Report September 12, 2026 · Sources reviewed through September 12, 2026 (America/Chicago).

Create one request for all three providers

Set a common eligible headcount, expected participating headcount, proposed launch date, coverage period, operating locations and required services. Identify who will handle employee assistance, payroll reconciliation, premium-payment issues and reporting. State which assumptions remain provisional.

Give every provider the same opportunity to flag a missing requirement. Keep a dated copy of the request so a later proposal revision can be explained. Avoid comparing one fully managed service with another administrator's software-only entry price as though the scope were identical.

Resolve the billing denominator

Per-employee-per-month pricing is incomplete until “employee” is defined. Ask whether charges use eligible employees, enrolled employees, minimum seats or other billable accounts. Then establish when enrollment changes affect invoices and whether a monthly minimum applies.

For example, PeopleKeep's current pricing page describes a three-seat minimum and charges for account administrators. Thatch's Standard page uses enrolled employees, lists a compliance fee and references a minimum whose amount is not shown. These are reasons to examine the terms behind a displayed rate. ^{source source}

Use the worksheet, with unknowns intact

The ICHRA quote-comparison worksheet compares three scenarios without assigning a quality ranking. Enter an explicit zero only when a fee has been confirmed as zero. Leaving a required amount blank keeps that quote incomplete.

The tool separates recurring administration, one-time setup and other fees for the comparison period. An optional allowance ceiling appears separately. It excludes insurance premiums, actual reimbursements, employee taxes and internal HR costs; add those to the broader total-cost analysis.

Attach a service checklist

• Launch: deliverables, milestones, responsibilities and implementation exclusions.
• Employee help: available support, licensed assistance, hours and escalation paths.
• Money movement: who pays, who reconciles, and who resolves rejected or missing payments.
• Connections: specific payroll or HRIS workflows, data frequency and manual work.
• Contract: minimum term, renewal changes, cancellation, data export and transition support.

For each item, record included, extra charge, employer responsibility or unresolved. Ask for written scope instead of converting a demo statement into a contractual commitment. A lower price accompanied by substantially more employer work is a different proposition.

Compare the evidence, then decide

Review the same participation assumptions across all quotes, then test a lower and a higher scenario. A provider billed on eligible headcount can behave differently from one billed on enrollment. Minimums can reduce or eliminate the expected savings from lower participation.

Finish with a short recommendation that identifies cost, scope, remaining questions and the conditions for selection. The public pricing-transparency report helps prepare that request; it does not replace a dated proposal for your company.

Sources and evidence

Review dates are recorded for each source above. Company pages are useful for confirming how a product is described, but they do not prove service quality or customer results.