Health insurance, tuition help, and paid time off even if youre not clocking 40 hours
February 4, 2026
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Part-time doesnt have to mean part-benefits some major employers offer health insurance, retirement plans, and tuition help even if youre not working 40 hours a week.
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If you need flexibility but still want real-world perks like paid time off and medical coverage, these companies are worth a serious look.
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From coffee shops to warehouses, these jobs prove you can work fewer hours without giving up the safety net.
Many job seekers think that part-time automatically means no real benefits. Im here to tell you that is just not the case.
I found a bunch of major employers who offer legit benefits to part-time workers, including health insurance, retirement plans, education help, paid time off, and the other stuff that actually makes a job sustainable.
A quick heads-up: benefits can vary by role, state, union status, and whether youre regular vs. seasonal. Always confirm during the interview or on their official benefits portal once youre hired.
Starbucks
Starbucks has one of the clearest part-time can still get benefits plans in retail, and theyre very transparent with how it all works.
The benefits part-timers can get:
Whos eligible + when:
For U.S. part-time employees, you become benefits-eligible the first day of the second monthafter you hit 240 total hours over threefull consecutive months.
For example, if you worked full months in February, March, and April and totaled at least 240 hours during that time, you would qualify for benefits. Your benefits would then start on June1,which is the first day of the second month after April.
To qualify for the free tuition to ASU, you cant already have a bachelors degree.
Extra savings: Part-time employees also get a free drink and food item during every shift, and a flat 30% in-store discount when you arent on the clock.
Costco
Benefits vary by position at Costco, and whether youre classified as regular part-time vs. seasonal. However, eligible part-time Costco employees can gain access to a ton of great perks.
The benefits part-timers can get:
- Health insurance:Costco offers medical, dental, and vision coverage to part-time employees once they meet hour and service requirements. This is one of the biggest reasons Costco jobs are so competitive.
- 401(k) retirement plan:Part-time employees can participate in Costcos retirement plan with company contributions once eligibility rules are met.
- Paid time off:Part-time workers accrue vacation and sick/personal time based on hours worked and length of service.
- Employee perks:Discounted prescriptions through Costco pharmacies along with access to employee assistance programs.
Whos eligible + when:
The Costco website doesnt spell out any specific eligibility requirements or time-frames.
So, I visited my local Costco and an assistant manager told me that part time employees need to work for at least 60 days, and average 23-25 hours per week to qualify for medical, dental, and vision benefits.
Target
Target has been expanding access to part-time workers recently, with the major change being how many hours you have to work to become eligible.
The benefits part-timers can get:
- Part-time workers are eligible for medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- You can also get prescription drug discounts and free 24/7 virtual care.
- They also have a matching 401(k) plan for part-time employees with a solid 5% matching.
- Lastly, via their Dream to Be education program, part-time employees are eligible for 100% free tuition for select programs, and up to $5,250/year for other undergrad programs.
Whos eligible + when:
Target says hourly store team members who work a minimum average of 25 hours/week are eligible to enroll in a Target medical plan (down from 30 hours/week).
This is further reduced to only 20 hours/week for HQ and distribution center employees.
They also require you to work at least 90 days to become eligible.
Extra savings: Employees also get a 10% discount onTarget merchandise and an extra 20% off food and wellness products.
Lowe's
Unlike Home Depot, Lowes straight-up advertises health care plans for part-time regular associates, which is not something every retailer is willing to put in writing.
The benefits part-timers can get:
Lowes says it offers affordable health care plans to regular full-time and part-time associates, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.
Thats a big deal if youre trying to avoid the two jobs, no insurance trap.
Whos eligible + when:
Their public page clearly says part-time regular associates are included, but it also notes benefits can depend on eligibility criteria.
This means youll still want to confirm your status (regular vs. seasonal/temporary) and any waiting period during the interview or onboarding process.
With that said, it's my understanding that you become eligible after 30 days of employment.
Extra savings: All Lowes associates get a 10% discount on store merchandise. If you work for Lowes for 25+ years,their employee discount becomes a lifetime discount.
Walmart
At Walmart, part-timers can get benefits that rival those of full-time workers.
But its important to realize that youll need to average 30 hours a week, which can be tricky for some employees who are constantly fighting for more hours.
The benefits part-timers can get:
Walmart offers some solid benefits for part-time employees. They include:
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage
- 401(k) matching up to 6%
- A stock purchase plan
- Free Walmart+ or Sams Club membership
- 24/7 virtual Doctor on Demand service included with their health package.
Whos eligible + when:
This is where things get a little tricky.
Walmart states that part-time and temporary associates must work an average of at least 30 hours/week, over a 60-day period, to become eligible.
They also list certain jobs that only require you to work 24 hours/week to qualify (example: some pharmacy and supply chain jobs).
So, the cheat code here is consistency. If your schedule regularly lands you at 30+ hours, youre no longer in true part-time territory for benefits purposes.
Extra savings: Walmart offers all employees a 10% discount via their Associate Discount Card that youll get when hired. They claim the discount is good on 95% of the regularly-priced items across the store.
UPS
UPS is one of the rare jobs where part-time can come with this is actually a career-level benefits package especially in union roles.
The benefits part-timers can get:
UPS publicly promotes that part-time union employees can get low-cost health care with no premiums, plus tuition reimbursement and strong pension benefits.
Thats not normal in 2026. Like at all.
Whos eligible + when:
UPS notes that part-time employees are eligible for benefits after a short waiting period,but doesnt spell it out on their site. Some sources say you must work 225 hours for threeconsecutive months, while others say you must work nine months to qualify.
It appears it could vary by region, sobe sure to ask during your interview process.
Also, for many union UPS roles, health care is administered through TeamCare, whichdescribes eligibility starting only after the plan has receivedeight weeks of contributions on your behalf.
IKEA
If you get a part-time job at IKEA in the U.S., youre eligible for some excellent perks and benefits within 15 days of starting the job.
The benefits you can get:
- Health insurance:Eligible part-time workers get access to medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- 401(k) retirement plan:IKEA contributes your retirement plan, helping part-timers build long-term savings.
- Paid time off:Part-time employees can earn paid vacation and sick time based on hours worked.
- IKEA co-worker discount:Part-time employees get a 15% discount on IKEA products and meals in the store restaurant.
Whos eligible + when:
Part-time employees are eligible for the full benefits package when they work at least 20 hours per week, and most become eligible after just 15 days of employment.
If you average less than 20 hours/week, you will still get access to most of IKEAs other employee benefits. Everything except Medical/Rx.
