The benefits that are offered by employers vary. Some employers offer medical insurance, while others offer a monthly stipend to help with any medical bills that may arise. Once you start to sprinkle in vacation days, holidays and other varying paid times off, the list of employee benefits can get quite high! But did you know that there are some benefits that employers aren't actually required to offer to their employees?

What Benefits are Employers Not Required to Offer?

• Health Insurance (can vary based on size/location, always check with current ObamaCare rules and regulations)

While they will more than likely get a rather large and stiff fine if they don't offer it, health insurance is no longer a requirement for some employers (again, verify that this is the case for your company size and location). Many still do offer it because it is one of the most important benefits that an employee seeks and need.

• 401K

It's true. There is nothing that states your company has to offer you a 401K. If you happen to work at a place where there are options offered to you, congrats! Your employer sees the benefit in helping you plan for your future! Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of companies out there that still see it this way, and the 401K offerings have decreased with each and every passing year.

• Dental Insurance/Vision Insurance

Same as health insurance. Many have stopped offering because these type of voluntary insurances are getting expensive for the employer to keep paying.

• Wellness Benefits

While your company may want you to do things to get healthy, they aren't required to make you do so. If your company offers any type of wellness programs, they are paying for this additionally from their own pocket.

• Employee Assistance Programs

EAP's are great and can be an amazing resource for employees to have when they are needing help or guidance. Many EAP's offer counseling and even financial advice to all employees that are working at the place of employment. Again, this isn't a requirement for the employer to offer, but it certainly is nice to have.

• Life Insurance

Another great perk that isn't a requirement is life insurance. Any time an employer can offer a benefit that can be helpful and deducted straight from the employee's paycheck is an absolute win! The less that the employees have to think about paying for these extra services, the better it is for them and their peace of mind.

The next time that you start to think about all the benefits that your company offers you, keep in mind that some of them they aren't required to even have. Even if you don't use those benefits to their fullest extent, they still cost the company money to have and offer to you. Do your research to see if there are benefits that the company does offer that you aren't taking advantage of, and see if they're something that you do want to participate in. After all, if the company has them as an offering, you might as well take them up on it!