Kelly Benefits

What Kelly Benefits does

Kelly Benefits (legal name: Kelly & Associates Insurance Group, Inc.) is a privately held, family-owned benefits administration, payroll, HR, and workforce management company headquartered in Sparks, Maryland. Founded in 1976 by Frank and Janet Kelly as a small family-run insurance agency in Timonium, Maryland, the company has grown over five decades into one of the largest benefits administration providers in the United States, serving over 10,000 employer clients with more than 480 team members across Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and the Philadelphia area. The company operates through wholly owned subsidiaries (Kelly Benefits Advantage for administration and technology, Kelly Benefits Strategies for consulting, Kelly Benefits Payroll for payroll, and Kelly Benefits Advisory for advisory services), with a third-generation family leadership team and a CEO from the founding family.

The company's core technology stack centers on the proprietary KTBSonline self-service platform and the integrated Total Benefits Solution, which bundle benefits administration, payroll, HRIS integration, compliance reporting, and analytics into a single accountable system. Payroll is delivered through a Premier Plan co-branded with UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), and the company has launched AI-powered benefits navigation agents and AI-driven healthcare pricing analytics through partnerships with Capital Rx (PBM), 4C (fiduciary governance), Revive Health (virtual care), and Handl Health (price transparency). Proprietary platforms include KTBSonline, Kelly Benefits Exchange, and KBS Drive (data analytics).

Kelly Benefits generates revenue primarily through recurring subscription fees on benefits administration (typically PEPM or percentage of covered lives), payroll processing fees (per-employee or per-payroll), consulting/professional services fees, and broker/agent commission sharing. Distribution is hybrid: direct enterprise field sales (SVPs of National Sales, account executives) for large employers, and a broker/agent network for small and mid-market clients. Target customers include employers of all sizes, with individuals served through the Individual Insurance offering and brokers served through dedicated broker technology and support.

Name

Kelly Benefits

Legal name

Kelly & Associates Insurance Group, Inc.

Website

https://kellybenefits.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kelly Benefits is a privately held, family-owned benefits administration, payroll, and HR technology company serving over 10,000 employer clients across the Mid-Atlantic. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Sparks, Maryland, it provides integrated administration, consulting, and proprietary technology platforms to businesses of all sizes through direct sales and broker partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Benefits Administration Services

NAICS

Payroll Services (541214), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324)

akta.pro primary industry

Benefits Administration (BPACAPAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Benefits Administration & Total Rewards Outsourcing (BPACAKAE), Benefits Deductions & Payroll Integration Administration (BPAAAHAF), Workforce Benefits Administration (Enrollment & Deductions) (BPACAIAF)

Keywords

• Benefits administration
• Payroll processing
• Employee benefits consulting
• HR technology platform
• Workforce management solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Sparks Glencoe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Benefits Administration Services: Fees for benefits administration technology and services including enrollment, eligibility management, carrier connections, and ongoing support. Revenue generated through service fees typically structured as per-employee-per-month (PEPM) or as a percentage of covered lives.
2. Payroll Solutions: Payroll processing, tax filing, time and attendance, and HRIS integration services. Revenue typically generated through per-employee pricing or per-payroll transaction fees.
3. Benefits Consulting: Strategic consulting services for employee benefits planning, compliance, and optimization. May include advisory fees or be bundled with administration services.
4. Broker Technology and Support: Technology access and support services provided to insurance brokers and agents who place clients with Kelly Benefits, often through commission sharing arrangements.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kelly Benefits provides outsourced benefits administration, payroll processing, and HR consulting services to employers through proprietary technology platforms. Its Total Benefits Solution integrates enrollment, eligibility, carrier connections, compliance, payroll, HRIS integration, and analytics, delivered via direct enterprise sales and a broker/agent network. The company also offers individual insurance advisory services (medical, dental, vision, Medicare) and educational programs through Kelly Benefits University.

Product overview

Kelly Benefits offers a multi-brand portfolio of benefits administration, consulting, and payroll solutions organized around three core divisions: Kelly Benefits Advantage (KBA) for administration and technology, Kelly Benefits Strategies (KBS) for consulting services, and Kelly Benefits Payroll for payroll processing. These divisions are unified under the Total Benefits Solution platform, which integrates all services and provides the proprietary KTBSonline self-service portal with mobile access. The company also partners with UKG for payroll technology, offering UKG Payroll as the premier payroll option. Kelly Benefits serves employers, individuals, and brokers across various market segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kelly Benefits Advantage (KBA)

Quantifiable outcome

• HR inefficiencies in small- to medium-sized businesses create more than $250,000 in unnecessary and unintended costs.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Capital RxcoreTechnology or Integration · 10 April 2026Capital Rx presented at Kelly Benefits University 2026 Spring Benefits Symposium on industry trends, GLP-1 and biosimilar utilization, drug pricing changes, PBM reform, and how their modern technology platform addresses market events. Partnership provides pharmacy benefit management technology and pricing transparency solutions.
• 4CcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 20264C participated in the panel discussion on fiduciary responsibilities for health and pharmacy plans alongside Kelly Benefits Strategies and Capital Rx. Partnership focuses on governance and oversight of employer health benefits.
• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group)coreTechnology or IntegrationKelly Benefits offers Premier Plan, Powered by UKG, providing payroll, HR, and workforce management solutions. Deep integration partnership offering UKG-powered payroll administration, time and attendance, and performance management.
• Industry-leading Carriers and VendorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKelly Benefits partners with industry-leading carriers and vendors to provide highly regarded insurers and third-party providers for medical, dental, vision, and other employee benefits. These partnerships enable customized HR solutions through third-party providers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• OneDigital: OneDigital is a closely comparable mid-market benefits administration, brokerage, and HR consulting firm built largely through roll-ups of regional agencies. Like Kelly Benefits, it combines proprietary technology with broker-driven distribution and consulting services for employers of all sizes.
• bsswift (CVS Health): bswift is a benefits administration technology platform and TPA, now part of CVS Health, providing enrollment, exchange, and benefits management software. It directly competes with Kelly Benefits' KTBSonline platform and Total Benefits Solution offering for employer benefits administration deals.
• Benefitfocus: Benefitfocus is a benefits administration technology platform serving employers, carriers, and brokers with enrollment, eligibility, and exchange capabilities. It is a direct competitor in the cloud-based benefits administration and exchange space where Kelly Benefits' Kelly Benefits Exchange product competes.
• UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group): UKG is both a strategic partner and competitor: it powers Kelly Benefits' Premier Plan payroll offering while also selling HCM and workforce management directly to employers. The partnership and competitive overlap make UKG a uniquely relevant peer.
• Empyrean Benefit Solutions: Empyrean is a benefits administration technology and services provider offering enrollment, eligibility, and exchange capabilities to employers. It competes with Kelly Benefits' core administration and technology business for similar employer segments.
• PlanSource (iGo/PlanSource Benefits): PlanSource is a cloud-based benefits administration and decision-support platform serving mid-market and large employers. It competes with Kelly Benefits' enrollment and exchange capabilities and is frequently benchmarked alongside KTBSonline in employer procurement processes.

Broad incumbents

• Paychex: Paychex is a national payroll, HR, and benefits services incumbent with deep small- and mid-market penetration. It competes with Kelly Benefits Payroll on price and bundled HCM offerings across the same employer segments Kelly Benefits serves.
• ADP (Automatic Data Processing): ADP is the largest national payroll and HCM provider, offering RUN, Workforce Now, and Vantage HCM platforms with integrated benefits administration. It competes across virtually all of Kelly Benefits' segments from small business through enterprise.
• USI Insurance Services: USI is a large national insurance brokerage and consulting firm with substantial employee benefits practice and proprietary consulting tools. It competes with Kelly Benefits Strategies in mid-market and upper-mid-market benefits consulting and brokerage work.

Emerging players

• WEX Health: WEX Health provides benefits administration technology, including consumer-directed benefits (HSA, FSA, HRA) administration and integrated payment solutions. It overlaps with Kelly Benefits' benefits administration and payroll integration offerings, particularly on the flexible benefits side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KellyAndAssociatesInsuranceGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kellybenefits
• Xx.com/gotokelly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kelly Benefits