The McAteer Group of Companies

What The McAteer Group of Companies does

The McAteer Group of Companies, comprising J.J. McAteer & Associates Incorporated and Employee Benefit Plan Services Limited, is a Canadian third-party administrator and benefits consultant founded in 1980 and headquartered in Markham, Ontario with a second office in Edmonton, Alberta. It delivers four integrated service lines to employee benefit and pension plan sponsors: Administration Services (claims payment, enrollment, premium billing, reconciliation, and reporting for group insurance and pension plans), Consulting Services (plan design, market surveys, programme implementation, and actuarial work), Plan Design and Governance advisory, and Pre-Retirement Seminars (conducted nationally since 1992). The company is authorized as a claims payor for several major insurance companies and emphasizes independent advice with no financial alignment to insurers or investment managers.

The firm's underlying technology is a fully computerized pension plan administration system that handles employer contributions, member records, pension benefit statements, pension adjustment reporting, financial statements, retirement benefit calculations, pensioner payments, death and termination benefits, income tax slips, and actuarial valuation preparation. Staff with nursing experience handle claims adjudication with a stated three-day average turnaround. The company serves plan sponsors ranging from small plans of 5 lives to large multi-provincial employers of 25,000+ lives, covering over 200,000 plan members and beneficiaries across every Canadian province. Multilingual service capabilities support diverse member populations.

Commercially, McAteer operates a B2B enterprise field sales model generating revenue from managed services (ongoing third-party administration and claims payment) and professional services (independent consulting and actuarial engagements). Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The company has been part of People Corporation's Benefit Solutions division since 2021, which now channels careers, content, and broader distribution through the parent's platform while McAteer retains its brand identity. Industry leadership includes Director roles at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans and active MEBCO participation in legislative submissions.

Name

The McAteer Group of Companies

Legal name

The McAteer Group of Companies

Website

https://mcateer.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The McAteer Group of Companies is a Canadian third-party administrator and benefits consultant, providing pension and group insurance administration, actuarial consulting, plan design, and pre-retirement seminars to employee benefit plan sponsors across Canada, serving over 200,000 plan members since 1980.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employee Benefit Plan Administration

NAICS

Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Pension Funds (52511), Health and Welfare Funds (525120)

SIC

Hospital & Medical Service Plans (6324), Life Insurance (6311), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Flexible Benefits Administration (FSA/HSA/HRA) (HLAEALAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Group Life Administration/Enrollment Platforms (TPA & Benefits Admin) (FSAIADAJ), Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF)

Keywords

• Third-party administration
• Pension plan consulting
• Employee benefit plans
• Actuarial services
• Plan governance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Markham

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Third Party Administration Services: Administration services for group insurance benefits and pension plans including claims payment, enrollment, premium billing, reconciliation, and reporting to insurers.
2. Consulting and Actuarial Services: Independent consulting services to employee benefit plan sponsors including plan design recommendations, market surveys, benefit programme implementation, and actuarial services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The McAteer Group of Companies provides third-party administration, consulting, actuarial, plan design, governance, and pre-retirement seminar services to employee benefit plan sponsors (companies, unions, and associations) across Canada. The firm administers group insurance benefits (life, disability, health care, dental) and pension plans (defined benefit, defined contribution, RRSPs, target benefit plans) for over 200,000 plan members, using a fully computerized administration system and offering independent advice with no alignment to insurance companies or investment managers.

Product overview

The McAteer Group of Companies offers a unified suite of employee benefit plan administration and consulting services, comprising four integrated service areas: Administration Services, Consulting Services, Plan Design & Governance, and Pre-Retirement Seminars. The company provides third-party administration for group insurance benefits (life, disability, health care, dental) and pension plans (defined benefit, defined contribution, RRSPs, target benefit plans) for over 200,000 plan members across Canadian provinces. Their service model combines proprietary claims payment systems with independent consulting and actuarial expertise, positioning clients from small plans (5 lives) to large multi-provincial employers (25,000+ lives).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Administration Services Comprehensive third-party administration of group insurance benefits (life, disability, health care, dental) and pension plans, including claims payment, employee enrollment, premium billing, reconciliation, and reporting to insurers for over 200,000 plan members across Canadian provinces.
• Consulting Services Independent consulting and actuarial services for employee benefit plan sponsors, including plan design recommendations, market surveys, programme implementation, and employee communication materials.
• Plan Design & Governance Advisory services helping clients develop plan philosophy and implement best practices for employee benefit plans with complete objectivity and no financial alignment with insurance companies or investment managers.
• Pre-Retirement Seminars Educational seminars for plan members covering their employee benefit plans and government assistance programmes such as Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security, conducted across Canada.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average turnaround time of three days for Claims Payment Services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong supporters of IFEBP. Founder Jack McAteer was a member of the Canadian Board from 1984-1986. President Susan Bird has held Board and Committee Chair positions and is currently a Director of IFEBP.
• Multi-Employer Benefit Council of Canada (MEBCO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive members of MEBCO. Have participated in the preparation of submissions to legislative bodies and regulatory bodies, advocating for the multi-employer industry.
• Various Insurance CompaniescoreTechnology or IntegrationAuthorized Claims Payors for several major Insurance Companies. Clients hire McAteer for personal service and accurate claims payment on behalf of these insurance partners.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• People Corporation: Acquired McAteer in 2021 and is now its corporate parent; People Corporation is a Canadian provider of group benefits, retirement, and human resources consulting and advisory services with a national advisor network, overlapping directly with McAteer's TPA, consulting, and actuarial offerings.
• Mercer (Marsh McLennan): Global consulting leader offering health, benefits, retirement, and actuarial services to Canadian employers; directly comparable to McAteer's consulting and governance practice and competes for large plan sponsor mandates.
• TELUS Health (formerly LifeWorks / Morneau Shepell): One of Canada's largest employee benefits administration and total wellbeing providers following the Morneau Shepell / LifeWorks acquisitions by TELUS; competes directly with McAteer in group benefits administration, EAP, and pension consulting for large employers and multi-employer plans.
• Manulife Financial: Major Canadian life and health insurer offering group benefits, retirement, and group retirement solutions with proprietary administration platforms; competes with McAteer on group benefits and pension administration and is a counterparty in McAteer's authorised claims payor relationships.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): Global advisory firm providing benefits administration, actuarial, and pension consulting to Canadian employers; competes with McAteer across mid- and large-market plan sponsors on consulting and governance work.
• Sun Life Financial: Major Canadian life and health insurer with in-house group benefits administration, retirement, and stop-loss capabilities; competes with McAteer on large group benefits and pension administration mandates and is one of the carriers for which McAteer acts as authorised claims payor.

Direct peers

• GreenShield Canada: Canadian not-for-profit health benefits carrier and administrator offering health, dental, and group benefits administration and claims services; directly comparable to McAteer's group insurance administration and claims payor function.
• Hub International: North American insurance brokerage with a strong Canadian employee benefits practice offering group benefits placement, consulting, and administration support; competes for plan sponsor mandates at the mid-market level where McAteer also operates.
• BPS Prentice: Canadian group benefits and pension consulting and third-party administration firm serving mid- and large-market employers; highly comparable to McAteer in TPA, actuarial, and plan design service offering.

Regional players

• Industrial Alliance (iA Financial Group): Canadian insurer and financial services group with group benefits, group retirement, and dealer services businesses; comparable to McAteer on group insurance administration and retirement plan servicing in the Canadian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcateer-group-of-companies

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The McAteer Group of Companies