5 Enrollment Drivers to Position LegalShield and IDShield in Q1 conversations
The new year presents a timely opportunity to introduce legal and identity theft protection benefits to your clients. As employees set resolutions and organize their finances, January is the ideal time to address two critical gaps in most benefits packages: access to affordable legal services and identity theft protection.
Here are five compelling reasons to position LegalShield and IDShield as essential voluntary benefits in your Q1 enrollment conversations:
1. Tax Season Creates Dual Vulnerability: Legal Questions and Identity Theft Exposure
Januarythrough April is prime time for both tax-related legal concerns and identitytheft. Employees are handling W-2s, filing returns, and navigating taximplications of life changes—all while cybercriminals actively targettax-related information.
The numbers tell a sobering story: According to the National Taxpayer Advocate, tax-related identity theft claims hundreds of thousands of victims every year, with the IRS flagging approximately 2.1 million returns as potential identity theft during the 2025 filing season.[1]Many employees also face legal questions about tax deductions, home office implications, or estate planning with tax considerations—issues that require legal guidance beyond what a CPA can provide.
The value proposition: LegalShield members can consult with a provider lawyer about tax-related legal matters, while IDShield provides identity data monitoring, alerts for suspicious activity, and up to $5 million in identity theft protection with full-service restoration if fraud occurs.
2. Most Employees Are Unprepared for Life's Legal Moments
Your clients' employees are dangerously under-prepared when it comes to essential legal documentation.
· Recent surveys indicate that while 90% of Americans know the importance of having a will, almost 6 in 10 (60%) have yet to act and protect their loved ones.[2]
· Many employees don't know where critical documents are stored or haven't updated them in years, leaving their families vulnerable when life changes occur—marriage, divorce, birth of a child, home purchase, or death of a family member.
The value proposition: Employees need accessible, affordable legal assistance to create wills, powers of attorney, advance directives, and other essential documents. LegalShield makes these services available without the barrier of hourly legal fees, encouraging employees to be proactive rather than reactive.
3. Natural Disasters and Emergencies Reveal Legal Preparedness Gaps
Whether it's hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, or other emergencies, natural disasters reveal that most families are unprepared—both legally and financially. Beyond physical safety, employees need:
· Properly documented assets and insurance policies
· Secure storage and backup of critical legal documents
· Knowledge of their legal rights when dealing with insurance claims or contractor disputes, or FEMA assistance
· Protection against identity thieves who target disaster victims
The value proposition: LegalShield helps employees create emergency legal plans and understand their rights during times of crisis. IDShield's credit monitoring and identity restoration services offer an additional layer of protection during vulnerable times when personal information may be at risk of exposure.
4. Financial Stress Has Legal Dimensions That Affect Workplace Productivity
Financial wellness is increasingly recognized as essential to employee well-being and productivity. However, many financial challenges have legal components that employees are unaware of how to address, including:
· Debt collection and creditor harassment
· Contract disputes
· Consumer protection issues
· Understanding rights related to wage garnishment or bankruptcy
· Identity theft that damages credit and financial standing
The workplace impact is significant. Financial stress costs U.S. companiesapproximately $250 billion in lost productivity annually, with employees losingan average of seven hours of productivity each week due to financial worries.[3] Work-related stress contributes toapproximately $190 billion in annual healthcare costs and causes around onemillion workers to miss work each day.[4]
The value proposition: LegalShield provides consultation on financial legal matters, helping employees understand their rights and options. IDShield helps protect the financial identity that employees work so hard tobuild, monitoring for fraudulent accounts, credit inquiries, and other threatsto financial wellness.
5. Accessible Legal Help Reduces Stress and SupportsEmployee Confidence
Oneof the most significant barriers to accessing legal assistance is not knowingwhere to turn or fearing the associated costs. Consider that:
· Most employees don't have a relationship with a lawyer
· Legal fees can be prohibitive even for simple matters
· Legal concerns create significant stress and distraction atwork
· Employees often delay addressing legal issues until theybecome emergencies
The value proposition: LegalShield and IDShield remove thesebarriers by providing affordable, accessible protection as a voluntary benefit. Employees gain peace of mind knowing they have professional legal assistanceand identity theft protection available when needed—from document review andphone calls to court representation for covered matters (plan-specific).
Position LegalReadiness as Part of Your Clients' Total Benefits Strategy
LegalShieldand IDShield address real, widespread needs that traditional benefits packagesoverlook—making them valuable additions to your clients' voluntary benefitsportfolios.
For moreinformation on LegalShield and IDShield, or to offer these products to yourclients, please connect with your dedicated National Broker Team, or email [email protected].
[1] NationalTaxpayer Advocate, "Identity Theft Awareness and Update on IRS Processingof Identity Theft Victim Assistance Cases," January 2025; NationalTaxpayer Advocate Fiscal Year 2026 Objectives Report to Congress, June 2025
[2] LegalShield."Will(ful) Neglect: Survey Reveals Nearly 60% of Americans Unprepared forthe Inevitable." Aug. 8, 2023. https://www.legalshield.com/press-releases/willful-neglect-survey-reveals-nearly-60-of-americans-unprepared-for-the-inevitable
[3],4National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health; American Institute of Stress