To be eligible to participate in the SHOP Marketplace, you must:

• Have a principal business address within Maryland, or you can offer coverage to each eligible employee through the SHOP Marketplace serving that employee’s primary worksite.
• Have at least one common-law employee on payroll (not including the business owner or sole proprietor or their spouses if they’re on payroll). For the definition of a common-law employee, visit the IRS website at: www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/ Employee-(Common-Law-Employee)
• Employ 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees (FTEs), including part-time employees.
• Offer coverage to all full-time employees.

The SHOP will review the employer's application to confirm that the employer meets each of these SHOP eligibility requirements. Maryland Health Connection will provide the employer with a notice of the employer's eligibility determination.