Employers with less than 50 employees are written at rates which are fixed for all groups, but that vary from one insurance carrier to another. Rates for employers with less than 50 employees are usually written as a dollar cost per employee, per month. These rates are further divided into separate male and female rates (which are higher than the male rates), to reflect the impact that pregnancy has on DBL claims. Many carriers offer a discounted rate for employers willing to pay all of their premium at the beginning of the year. If a carrier offers this option, the rate will be expressed as a dollar amount per male per year, and per female per year.