Deductible accumulator
A deductible accumulator is the running total of what a member has paid toward a plan’s deductible and out-of-pocket maximum during a plan year.
Accumulators are why the calendar matters when joining or leaving a PEO. Health plans track each member’s progress toward the deductible and out-of-pocket maximum within a plan year; move to a different plan mid-year and those totals generally reset to zero unless the new carrier agrees to credit them. An employee who met a $3,000 family deductible in May can owe it again in June under a new plan.
Accumulator transfer (often called deductible credit) is negotiable but not automatic, and it is harder when the carrier changes rather than just the plan. Before a mid-year transition in either direction, ask the incoming carrier or PEO in writing whether it will credit year-to-date deductible and out-of-pocket amounts, what proof it needs (explanation-of-benefits reports from the outgoing plan), and whether the credit applies to all members or only those who request it. If the answer is no, that cost belongs in the transition math alongside payroll tax restarts.