234 5th Ave #501, New York, NY 100016
Employee Benefits Broker in Flushing
Strategic benefits guidance for Flushing employers navigating one of the most complex regulatory environments in the country.
Flushing is one of the most economically dynamic corridors in all of Queens, anchored by the Main Street commercial strip, the New World Mall, and a dense concentration of small and mid-sized employers spanning food service, healthcare, professional services, and retail. Businesses here compete for workers in a tight labor market where a strong benefits package is not optional - it is expected. Selecting the right employee benefits broker to serve Flushing means working with an advisor who knows New York's layered compliance environment and understands what employers in this part of Queens actually face. Combs & Company, operating from its office at 234 5th Ave, Suite 501, has worked with businesses ranging from 1 to 500 employees since 2005, building benefits strategies around New York's regulatory demands and the competitive pressures of the local labor market. The firm holds a 95% annual client retention rate and is staffed by PPACA Certified Advisors who bring long-term advisory relationships to their clients - not transactional one-time enrollments. Whether you operate a medical group near Flushing Hospital, a restaurant group off Roosevelt Avenue, or a professional services firm in one of the neighborhood's growing commercial corridors, Combs & Company delivers benefits solutions built for doing business in New York.
Flushing Benefits Compliance in 2026
Flushing employers navigate a two-tiered compliance structure that originates in Albany and gets amplified at the city level through agencies like the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Each tier carries its own requirements, its own deadlines, and its own penalties for noncompliance. A missed filing, an outdated policy, or a benefits gap can trigger enforcement action or quietly drive employees toward competing employers. For businesses clustered around the 7 train stops, the Flushing Town Center, or the dense commercial blocks near Northern Boulevard, staying current on both state and city requirements is an active, ongoing obligation - not something that can sit on the back burner.
Paid Family Leave adjustments
New York's Paid Family Leave program has updated its figures for 2026. The maximum weekly benefit now stands at $1,228.53, reflecting a $51.21 increase over 2025 levels. Employee contribution rates are set at 0.432% of gross wages per pay period, with an annual cap of $411.91. Flushing employers managing payroll across industries as varied as food manufacturing, retail, and outpatient healthcare need to verify that their payroll systems are reflecting these updated figures accurately and that employees understand how PFL coordinates with New York's statutory short-term disability program.
Paid Prenatal Leave
New York became the first state to mandate paid prenatal leave, with the requirement taking effect on January 1, 2025. Every private-sector employer in the state, regardless of size, must provide 20 hours of paid prenatal leave per 52-week period. This leave is distinct from and additional to any existing sick leave entitlements. For Flushing's many small businesses and family-owned operations, the city-level layer introduces additional obligations under the amended ESSTA rules: employers must maintain a written prenatal leave policy, reflect prenatal leave balances on employee pay stubs, and display an updated Notice of Employee Rights in a location visible to staff.
Expanded Earned Safe and Sick Time
Amendments to the NYC Earned Safe and Sick Time Act became effective February 22, 2026. Flushing employers are now required to make a minimum of 32 hours of unpaid safe and sick time available to employees starting from their first day of hire. The qualifying reasons for taking leave were expanded to cover public disasters, closures of schools or childcare facilities, workplace violence, and care for minor children or other care recipients. These amendments also absorbed the city's Temporary Schedule Change Act, folding that coverage directly into ESSTA and consolidating employer obligations under a single framework.
Minimum wage and salary thresholds
As of January 1, 2026, the minimum wage across New York City - including Flushing - reached $17.00 per hour. The minimum salary threshold for executive and administrative overtime exemptions is now $1,275.00 per week, which equals $66,300 on an annualized basis. For Flushing employers in food service, hospitality, and retail, where workforce composition tends to span a broad range of wage levels and job classifications, these thresholds have direct implications for how roles are structured, how employees are classified, and how benefits eligibility is defined across the organization.
Secure Choice Savings Program
New York's state-mandated retirement savings program is in effect. Private employers with 10 or more employees, at least two years of operation, and no existing qualified retirement plan must register with the program or certify an exemption. Enrollment deadlines are tiered by company size: employers with 30 or more employees faced a March 18, 2026 deadline; those with 15 to 29 employees must act by May 15, 2026; and those with 10 to 14 employees have until July 15, 2026. Flushing's high concentration of independent restaurants, retail shops, and small professional firms puts many local employers squarely within these thresholds. Employees are auto-enrolled at a 3% contribution rate into a state-administered Roth IRA, with the option to opt out.
Ban on consumer credit history in employment decisions
Beginning April 18, 2026, New York State employers are prohibited from requesting or using consumer credit history in employment decisions, including hiring, compensation, and promotion. This statewide restriction extends the protections that New York City established under its Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act back in 2015. For Flushing businesses that employ workers across multiple roles with varying compensation structures, understanding the narrow exceptions to this rule - and ensuring that hiring managers are operating within them - is an important part of staying compliant.
Managing all of these requirements simultaneously - and understanding how they interact with one another - is a core function of what an employee benefits broker serving Flushing businesses should provide. A prenatal leave policy that was never posted, a Secure Choice registration that was overlooked, or a sick time balance that does not appear on employee pay stubs can each independently trigger a compliance action. For Flushing employers whose attention is rightly focused on running operations in one of Queens' most commercially active neighborhoods, working with a dedicated advisory partner is the most effective way to stay ahead of this evolving regulatory landscape.
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Benefits Services for Flushing Employers
Combs & Company approaches benefits advisory work for Flushing employers with the recognition that the businesses here are genuinely varied. A multi-unit restaurant group near the Flushing Commons operates under different pressures than a specialty medical practice off Union Street, a financial services firm near the LIRR station, or a nonprofit organization serving the neighborhood's large immigrant communities. That range calls for an advisory approach that starts from each client's actual workforce profile - not a standardized package. Medical, dental, and vision benefits anchor most employer plans, and structuring those in New York's carrier market, where premiums consistently exceed national averages, requires active negotiation and a working knowledge of which hospital systems and provider networks Flushing employees actually use, including Flushing Hospital Medical Center and the broader Mount Sinai Health System. Disability coverage is built to complement New York's statutory program, which frequently leaves income gaps for higher-earning employees in Flushing's expanding professional sector. Group life insurance, voluntary benefits, and executive benefits are layered into packages designed to help employers hold onto workers in a borough where competing offers are a regular reality. Compliance consulting across ACA reporting, ERISA documentation, and audit preparedness is embedded in the advisory relationship from the beginning, not introduced only after something goes wrong. For Flushing employers managing prenatal leave obligations, Secure Choice deadlines, and ESSTA updates at the same time, that integrated support is what makes the difference between staying current and falling behind.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage serve as the foundation for most Flushing employer benefits packages, and constructing those plans in New York's carrier environment requires more than selecting from a menu. Combs & Company works across multiple carriers to identify plans that balance premium costs against the coverage depth that employees in Flushing expect, taking into account the specific hospital systems and provider networks - including those concentrated in the northern Queens corridor - that this workforce relies on most.
New York's statutory disability program provides a floor, but for Flushing employees working in professional services, healthcare administration, or finance, that floor often falls well short of actual income replacement needs. Short-term and long-term disability coverage addresses those gaps in a meaningful way. Group life insurance, voluntary benefits, and executive benefits complete the picture for employers who understand that in a neighborhood as professionally active as Flushing, retention is built through the totality of what an employer offers - not just the base wage.
ACA reporting, ERISA plan documentation, and audit readiness are built into the way Combs & Company works with every client from the start - not offered as an add-on when a problem surfaces. For Flushing employers simultaneously managing updated ESSTA requirements, Secure Choice registration timelines, and the new prenatal leave posting obligations, having compliance expertise embedded in the advisory relationship rather than billed separately is a practical advantage that becomes especially visible at renewal time and during any regulatory review.
What Sets Combs & Company Apart in the Flushing Market
What differentiates Combs & Company is not a marketing position - it is how the firm was deliberately built. Every advisor on the Combs team brought professional experience from at least two industries outside of insurance before joining. That cross-sector background sharpens the team's ability to identify risk exposures that brokers with narrower experience regularly miss, which matters in a place like Flushing where employers frequently operate at the intersection of healthcare, retail, food service, and finance. The firm's 95% annual client retention rate across its New York City client base reflects advisory work that holds its value year after year, not just at the point of enrollment. Combs & Company's PPACA Certified Advisors carry deep expertise in ACA, ERISA, and the full scope of state and city-level requirements that define New York's benefits landscape. The firm works with companies ranging from 1 to 500 employees - precisely the segment where benefits strategy carries the most weight for hiring and retention, and where in-house HR expertise is rarely sufficient to manage it alone. Susan L. Combs founded the firm in 2005, and its growth since then has been built on referrals and sustained client relationships rather than high-volume prospecting.
A 95% annual client retention rate across New York City industries is not a number that sustains itself through first-year goodwill. Flushing clients across hospitality, healthcare, financial services, retail, and nonprofit each bring different workforce compositions and different compliance exposures. The Combs team has worked through those differences across enough engagements that the complexity of New York's regulatory environment - including the specific pressures that come with operating in a neighborhood as economically layered as Flushing - represents a baseline rather than a learning curve.
Combs & Company's PPACA Certified Advisors hold focused expertise in ACA, ERISA, and the complete set of state and city mandates that govern benefits for New York employers serving workers across industries as varied as those found along Flushing's Main Street corridor and its surrounding commercial neighborhoods. The firm's client range of 1 to 500 employees covers exactly the businesses where benefits decisions have the greatest impact on hiring outcomes and financial performance, and where dedicated in-house expertise is rarely available.
Susan L. Combs founded the firm in 2005 around a model of sustained advisory relationships. Flushing employers who engage Combs & Company are not handed off after their first open enrollment. The firm's growth has been driven by referrals and multi-year client engagements, which reflects the way the advisory relationship is structured from the very first conversation.
Who This Serves in Flushing
The companies that benefit most from working with an employee benefits broker in Flushing
are typically growing firms in the
10–500 employee range
— large enough to face real compliance obligations under programs like Secure Choice and ACA employer mandates, but without the internal HR infrastructure to manage those obligations alone. This includes founders and COOs at Flushing-based tech and media companies scaling past their first wave of hires, CFOs at professional services firms managing benefits costs against the city's wage pressures, and HR directors at nonprofits and cultural organizations competing for talent without Fortune 500 budgets.
Start a Conversation with Combs & Company
If your Flushing business is building an employee benefits program for the first time, evaluating whether your current plan is still the right fit heading into renewal, or trying to resolve a compliance question before a deadline arrives, Combs & Company offers a no-obligation discovery call to take stock of where things stand. The advisory team will review your existing benefits structure, identify any compliance gaps specific to New York, and outline what a tailored engagement would look like for your organization. Schedule a discovery call to get started.
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Employee Benefits
Comprehensive Employee Benefits for Your Team
Benefit solutions can be as diverse as your workforce. Combs & Company takes a holistic approach to build solutions that meet employee needs, your company's budget, all while meeting federal and state requirements. Offering innovative solutions from trusted providers can help your business attract and retain top talent. From one employee to 1,000, our team supports you to ensure benefits don't become a burden and fall short of expectations.
Medical Benefits
Comprehensive medical coverage from top-rated carriers, with plan designs that account for NYC's provider networks and premium environment.
Dental Benefits
Preventive, restorative, and orthodontic coverage options that meet employee expectations in a competitive hiring market.
Vision Benefits
Vision plans that include routine exams, eyewear allowances, and corrective care for focused productivity.
Short-Term Disability insurance
Income protection that supplements New York's statutory disability program during temporary illness or injury.
Long-Term Disability insurance
Extended income protection for employees facing prolonged health challenges beyond statutory coverage.
Group Life Insurance
Financial protection for employees and their families, structured as a core component of the benefits package.
Group Long-Term Care Insurance
Coverage for extended medical or personal assistance expenses, addressing a growing concern for NYC's aging workforce.
Voluntary Benefits
Accident, critical illness, and supplemental coverage that gives employees flexibility to customize their protection.
Executive Benefits
Customized benefit plans designed to attract, retain, and protect leadership talent in NYC's competitive executive market.
International Travel Insurance
Coverage for employees on global assignments or business travel, addressing medical emergencies and unforeseen risks abroad.
Employee benefits aren’t just perks — they’re a promise. A promise to value, protect, and invest in the people who drive your company’s success every day.
Combs & Company
Empowering Businesses Through Smarter Employee Benefits
Your employees are the foundation of your company’s success. Combs & Company believes investing in their well-being leads to higher retention, better productivity, and stronger company culture. Our customized employee benefits solutions are designed to fit your organization’s goals, budget, and workforce. From startup to mature entity, we’ll help you create a benefits package that attracts and retains top talent — while protecting your bottom line.
Your Questions, Answered
Frequently Asked Questions
How do NYC's prenatal leave and ESSTA requirements affect my company's benefits administration?
If you employ anyone in New York City, your benefits administration now includes multiple leave entitlements that must be tracked separately: 20 hours of paid prenatal leave under state law, 40 or 56 hours of paid safe and sick time under ESSTA (depending on employer size), and as of February 2026, an additional 32 hours of unpaid safe and sick time available immediately upon hire. Each entitlement has distinct policy, notice, and recordkeeping requirements — and NYC's rules layer additional obligations on top of the state mandates. An employee benefits broker in NYC should be helping you maintain compliant written policies, update notices, and ensure your payroll system tracks each leave bank independently.
Does my NYC business need to register for the Secure Choice Savings Program?
If your company has been operating for at least two years, employs 10 or more people in New York, and does not currently offer a qualified retirement plan such as a 401(k) or SIMPLE IRA, you are required to register with the New York Secure Choice Savings Program or certify your exemption. Deadlines in 2026 are staggered by employer size, with the final group — employers with 10–14 employees — facing a July 15, 2026 deadline. Your employee benefits broker in NYC can help you evaluate whether registering for the state program or adopting a private retirement plan is the better strategic move for your company's benefits package and talent competitiveness.
What makes employee benefits more complex for NYC employers than employers in other markets?
New York City employers operate under a dual regulatory framework — state mandates from Albany and city-specific rules enforced locally — that creates compliance obligations most other U.S. markets simply don't have. The city's Earned Safe and Sick Time Act, prenatal leave policy and posting requirements, and the Stop Credit Discrimination in Employment Act all impose requirements beyond what state law mandates. Combined with New York's high premium environment, a minimum wage of $17.00 per hour affecting benefits eligibility classifications, and the competitive pressure of recruiting in a market with over 200,000 tech sector jobs alone, NYC employers need an employee benefits broker with specific experience in this market — not a national firm applying a generic playbook.
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234 5th Ave #501, New York, NY 10001
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Employee Benefits
Empower your workforce with tailored benefits that attract talent, enhance satisfaction, and improve retention — all while keeping your business compliant, competitive, and financially protected.
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Why Choose Combs & Company?
Combs & Company blends decades of experience, with continued industry innovations, and a personal touch to simplify the insurance process. Our expert teams tailor coverages to meet your business needs, ensuring you’re confident in any solution.
Certified Industry Experts
Our team includes PPACA Certified Advisors and licensed professionals with expertise in ACA, ERISA, and complex coverage solutions, providing trusted guidance.
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Our Client Reviews
If you're a food entrepreneur or in the restaurant biz, I highly recommend working with Susan and her team. Offers great customer service and she really knows her stuff! I had Susan come lecture at my food law class at New York University a few years ago and the students loved her! I refer clients to her without hesitation
Cari B.
