One calendar keeps every layoff deadline in view.
A layoff starts several benefits deadlines at once. Here is the sequence, from separation date to year-end filings.
From separation date to year-end.
First 30 Days
The employer’s notice to the COBRA administrator is generally due within 30 days of the qualifying event.
The Following Weeks
Election notices go out, the election window runs at least 60 days, and the first premium is generally due 45 days after election.
Year-End
ACA reporting forms follow after year-end for the people who left.
How it plays out.
A layoff produces a cluster of dates in the first weeks, then a long quiet stretch, then year-end filings. The risk is in the first part, when several clocks start at once, and in the last part, which is easy to forget.
A good calendar has one line per person, not one for the group. Coverage end dates and notice dates can differ by person, especially when separations happen across several weeks.
It also has an owner for each date. A date nobody owns is a date that gets missed.
How we help.
A broker should take work off a smaller HR team, not add to it.
Dates Per Person
We help set dates for each person affected, not one date for the group.
One Calendar
We keep the dates with the rest of the account.
Year-End Handoff
We help carry the separations into year-end reporting.
Build the calendar.
Start With Separation Dates
List each person and their separation date.
Add Coverage End Dates
Add the date each plan ends coverage.
Add the Notice Clocks
Add the 30-day, 14-day, 44-day, 60-day and 45-day dates that apply.
Add Year-End Items
Add ACA reporting and any plan-level filings.
Mistakes that cost money.
One Date for the Group
People separated on different days have different clocks.
No Owner Per Date
Ownerless dates are the ones that slip.
Forgetting Year-End
Reporting for people who left is still due after year-end.
Related guides.
Right-Sizing HR After Layoffs: The Benefits Workload
The full picture.
COBRA Notices After a Layoff
A layoff that ends coverage can trigger COBRA notices on set deadlines.
Layoff Benefits Notices Checklist
A layoff can trigger COBRA, WARN, state unemployment and plan-level notices.
Is HR carrying more than it should?
Tell us what changed, and we will show you what to take off the desk.
Your renewal letter
Your census
Your current plan documents
Your renewal date
Rough answers are fine. We build the numbers from there.
Laws and rules referenced
COBRA: ERISA §§ 601-608, 29 U.S.C. §§ 1161-1168
ACA employer reporting: 26 U.S.C. § 6056
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
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