What “use it or lose it” means and why it matters right now

Many employers receive a wellness fund along with their medical benefits package from their health plan. Because so many employers’ benefits expire at year-end, any unused dollars will be lost if not utilized by December 31, hence the phrase, "use it or lose it."

To ensure these funds aren’t “lost,” employers need to select and implement strategic wellness initiatives in the next few months. The challenge is that for many, October is the beginning of the end-of-year crunch, so it can feel difficult to assess what will be most impactful for their organization and how to ensure it’s delivered before the end of December.

The good news? SoHookd is built for exactly this type of urgent timeline.

There's no PEPM, no contract to negotiate, no minimums, and implementation moves fast, so options that would take weeks with another vendor can often go live in just days. Credits to the SoHookd Incentives Marketplace, in particular, can be invoiced and delivered the same day.

What follows is a practical rundown of how employers can put remaining 2026 wellness dollars to work before they expire, including transparent pricing.

1. Employee appreciation gifts

Employees are working hard to meet end-of-year revenue goals, and between annual planning, performance reviews, and open enrollment, this is a busy time of year for HR teams. If you’re looking for a low-lift path for spending your wellness dollars, employee appreciation initiatives are a way to make your team feel valued without overburdening HR. Popular employee appreciation gifts include:

• Marketplace credits: Let employees pick their own reward by sending company-wide credits to the SoHookd Incentives Marketplace as a year-end thank you. The SoHookd Incentives Marketplace has carefully curated, high-quality wellness products and services that support employees on all aspects of well-being.

  • Cost: Fully customizable based on your budget; many employers choose to deliver a $50 credit to each employee

• Flu kits: Gift boxes with practical, highly useful cold and flu items (such as vitamin mixes, soothing tea, mini air purifiers, and cooling towels) address a timely and practical need for employees in the colder months.

  • Cost: Customizable, averaging $75/box

• Fruit and snack boxes: These gifts are quick to execute, customizable to fit various dietary needs, and feel festive and celebratory, especially when they’re seasonal.

  • Cost: Customizable, starting at $50 for bulk, in-office orders, with scalable options for luxury individual deliveries

2. Self-care programming

Offer employees a way to relax, recharge, and plan ahead with Q4 self-care programming. SoHookd's webinar and challenge programming delivers educational content and motivational activities to help employees manage the stress the holidays and year-end bring.

• An end-of-year self-care series: Pair a series of webinars with a wellness challenge to encourage engagement and promote healthy habits. For example, launch an end-of-year stretching challenge in unison with weekly webinars on Workplace Mobility, Ergonomic Essentials, Posture, and Dynamic Stretching for maximum impact.

• Holiday cooking classes: These interactive cooking classes not only help employees unwind and learn new recipes, but they’re also an opportunity to connect virtually with other team members and share in the joy and fun of cooking.

• Stress management webinars: Choose from our library of expert webinars on topics such as Burnout, Managing Stress at Work, Building Coping Skills, and Embracing Change.

Cost: $1,000/webinar and $2,000/challenge, with employers fully customizing the quantity and mix. Employers can estimate their ideal program cost using our pricing calculator here.

3. Preventative health incentives

Wellness dollars aren't the only thing that resets at year-end. Many preventative health benefits do too, and employers can use remaining wellness dollars to incentivize employees to take advantage of these benefits. Reward employees with SoHookd Incentives Marketplace credits for participating in preventative health activities that your organization want to prioritize, such as:

• Biometric screenings: participating in early detection screenings for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease
  
  

• Year-end health screenings: going to an annual wellness visit, which includes routine tests and lab work, or participating in a health plan–sponsored screening
  
  

• Health plan webinars and programs: joining programming from your health plan, such as free health education or benefits navigation support

Cost: Fully customizable based on your budget. Many employers choose to deliver a $100–$200 credit to each employee.

4. Announcing new wellness programs

No room for more wellness in Q4? If you’re in planning mode for next year, but still have wellness dollars available, draw them down now to pre-fund your 2027 program.

• Direct mail announcement: Send a gift box paired with a flyer and QR code driving to an enrollment page for a webinar and challenge series, so employees are signed up and ready to go before the program even launches.
  
  
• Digital announcement: Send an end-of-year credit to the SoHookd incentives Marketplace that doubles as a new program announcement and an opportunity for them to redeem a high-quality wellness product and service. There’s no better way to show off SoHookd than to send employees shopping in our Marketplace! With this rollout, 2027 starts with a win already banked.

Cost: Customizable, with gift boxes averaging $75/box, webinars $1,000/session, and challenges $2,000/challenge

Pricing: Affordable options for all

SoHookd’s model makes it possible to allocate a budget of any size toward effective wellness programming that’s proven to engage and impress employees. Our model has no PEPM, no contract, no minimums, and can go live within a week if necessary. Our rapid implementation – including same-day invoicing – makes it possible for employers to maximize their end-of-year wellness dollars with high-quality wellness initiatives.

We believe in fully transparent pricing, which is why our self-serve pricing calculator shows you exactly what you can do with your budget.

Ready to put your wellness dollars to work? Reach out to our team for help building a flexible program that fits your budget.