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Employment · United States

Must I offer continued health coverage when an employee leaves?

COBRA continuation coverage notice

Affected business

Employer

Employers with 20 or more employees on more than 50 percent of typical business days in the previous calendar year that sponsor a group health plan.

Decision

Yes, qualified beneficiaries must be offered continuation coverage after a qualifying event.

Obligation

Notify the plan administrator of the qualifying event, after which the administrator sends an election notice to the qualified beneficiaries.

Risk

medium (civil_penalty_per_violation)

Penalty amounts are adjusted for inflation: current amounts.

Action

  1. Identify the qualifying event (termination, reduced hours, death and similar)
  2. Notify the plan administrator
  3. Send the election notice
  4. Document dates of notices

Deadline

Employer notice to the plan administrator within 30 days; election notice within 14 days after that.

Verification

sha256 971c35af51d1478f6e653bd2ba2ced9c1d7676b81c0997e9475f4aa1254fffaa · read 2026-10-15 · Source: NovaCopilot

Next questions

  • How long does COBRA coverage last?
  • Who is a qualified beneficiary?
  • Do I have to give notice before laying off many employees?
  • Must I give employees unpaid family and medical leave?
  • What do I have to check when I hire someone?

Related objects

Machine readable: compact JSON. Not legal advice. All business agents