海角大神

By聽Megan Terzian

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Are you a new graduate who just landed your first 鈥渞eal鈥� job? Congratulations! Chances are you鈥檙e excited and focused on learning everything you can to get off to a great start. But there鈥檚 one thing you shouldn鈥檛 forget as you begin this new chapter: your workplace benefits.

If you鈥檝e never had to deal with聽benefits聽before, the unfamiliar terminology and dizzying number of options might tempt you to just close your eyes and check boxes 鈥� but that鈥檚 not the best way to choose.

Here鈥檚 some basic information about benefits your employer is likely to offer, as well as a few that are less common but still valuable.

Benefits you鈥檒l typically see

Retirement:聽Most employers offer an individual retirement plan, such as聽a聽401(k). There鈥檚 typically a brief waiting period after you鈥檙e hired and before you can begin contributing, but once the option is聽available, you can divert some of your paycheck toward retirement savings pretax.

Many companies even match a portion of your contributions. The match can either be capped at a percentage of your salary 鈥斅爑sually between 2% to 5% 鈥� or a dollar amount.聽That鈥檚 free money 鈥� and a pretty sweet deal!

In most cases,聽your company鈥檚 contributions聽vest 鈥� or become yours 鈥� after you鈥檝e worked there for聽a certain number of years. The money you contribute is always yours, even if you leave before the vesting period ends.

Health/medical:聽If your company employs more than 50 people, it鈥檚聽required by law to offer health insurance.聽Carefully review your employer鈥檚 plan options聽and understand the costs. Look especially for each plan鈥檚聽co-premium, which is the amount that would be taken out of your check each month to pay for coverage, and your copays, the amount you鈥檇聽pay out of pocket for health services.

Flexible spending accounts:聽At many employers, you can divert some of your paycheck into a聽tax-advantaged account聽called a聽flexible spending account. There are two main types: Health FSAs聽help聽pay for expenses that aren鈥檛聽covered聽by health insurance, and聽dependent care FSAs help pay the聽costs of child care for kids under the age of 13. FSA contributions are capped at $2,550 per person for 2016. You lose unspent contributions when the plan year is over unless your employer offers a retention option.

Health savings accounts:聽If your employer-sponsored health plan聽has a high deductible, you鈥檙e聽eligible for a聽health savings account. HSAs are like FSAs in that they allow users to save money tax-free against medical expenses, but the 2016 HSA contribution limit is聽$3,350 for an individual. And unlike FSA funds, money in an HSA聽doesn鈥檛聽expire when the plan year ends.

Vacation and sick time:聽Some companies聽offer paid time off, which is a pool of sick days, vacation days and personal days that you can use as you聽need. Others offer a traditional leave plan聽with separate vacation and sick days. In this case, your聽vacation hours are yours to keep: They accrue from year to year up to a cap, and you鈥檒l be reimbursed for the聽vacation聽you haven鈥檛聽taken when you leave the company.

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 also entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons.

Commuter benefits:聽These benefits let you聽deduct money from your paycheck before taxes to defray聽your monthly commuting expenses, such as聽transit聽or parking costs. If travel is an integral part of your role, your mileage or public transit costs should be partially or totally reimbursed by your company 鈥� and if so, it should cover the premium for travel accident insurance.

Benefits you might see

Dental and vision:聽These benefits aren鈥檛 covered by standard health insurance, and few dental and vision plans pay for everything 鈥� but they still help with聽the costs of routine preventive care, such as yearly exams and dental cleanings. Your employer might聽pay the entire premium or a portion.

Life insurance:聽Some employers provide聽term聽life insurance聽benefits, which pay out聽if you die while working at the company 鈥� usually to your family members. Your employer can offer up to $50,000 in coverage on a tax-exempt basis, at no cost to you.

Disability:聽According to the Council for Disability Awareness, more than 1 in 4 of today鈥檚 20-year-old workers will become disabled at some point in their lives. For that reason, you definitely don鈥檛 want to be without a disability policy. They come聽in two forms: Short-term disability provides benefits for up to six months; long-term disability covers you past that point. If you鈥檙e disabled, you鈥檒l typically receive 60% to 66% of your salary 鈥� but every policy is different, so read the details carefully. And remember that if you鈥檝e accrued enough聽work credits, you鈥檒l qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance as well.

Employee assistance programs:聽These subsidized training and counseling programs can come in handy for employees struggling with issues that could聽impact their job performance, health or well-being. You might sign up if you鈥檙e worried about money management, concerned about work-related stress, or mourning a loss, among other circumstances.

Professional development:聽If you鈥檙e interested in聽continuing education coursework that applies directly to your role, your company might pay all or part of the cost. It might also pay for you to attend related conferences and seminars.

Volunteer hours:聽It鈥檚 fairly common for bigger companies to give聽employees a certain amount of hours or days each year to volunteer. Some even聽have the office volunteer together.

Supplemental insurance:聽Your employer might offer group rates on other voluntary insurance benefits, though it probably won鈥檛 kick in for the premiums. These policies might include auto insurance, homeowners insurance, supplemental insurance for dependents or limited forms of life insurance, such as聽accidental death and dismemberment. In some cases, AD&D is聽included in group life insurance.

Benefits you can hope聽to see

Student loan repayment:聽Some employers help employees pay off聽student loan debt. Maximum benefits聽vary by company.

Fitness club allowance:聽To encourage employees to stay healthy 鈥� and hopefully reduce health insurance costs and sick leave requests 鈥� some employers provide allowances or reimbursement for gym memberships.

Pet insurance:聽This benefit helps you take care of your four-legged best friend. Just like your health insurance, however, it鈥檚 important that you understand what the insurance covers and what you鈥檒l owe each month and each visit.

Unlimited paid time off:聽You read it right:聽unlimited! This is a big benefits trend right now. Some companies let their employees take paid time off whenever they want for as long as they want. People聽reportedly take the same amount of time off, regardless of limit, but still value the trust that this benefit exemplifies. After all, your employer is putting its faith in your self-management and self-awareness when it lets you control the time you spend away from your desk.

Review your options

There are a lot of benefit options an employer may offer you, so set aside time when you start to consider聽the choices. And be prepared to review your selections during your office鈥檚 yearly open enrollment period. As your life progresses, your benefit needs might change.

Benefits exist to enhance your life. Understanding your choices聽will help you take advantage of your total employee package.

Megan Terzian聽is an associate financial planner with聽Mosaic Financial Partners.

This story originally appeared on NerdWallet.