Open enrollment timeline calculator: when should each step start?
Enter your renewal date to get a dated plan that works back from the first day of coverage. Built for HR teams that want the quotes, decisions and employee notices on the calendar before the carrier sets the pace.
Turn your renewal date into a dated plan.
Set the renewal date and whether you are going to market. The dates update as you type.
The first day of the new plan year.
Going to market adds about a month at the front.
Your timeline
A planning guide built from our own renewal practice. The 60-day notice step is a legal minimum, and the other dates are targets.
Why work back from the renewal date?
Open enrollment is the last step of a renewal, not the first. Carriers release rates, the plan design has to be chosen, employees have to be told about changes and the carrier needs clean eligibility data. Each step has to finish before the next one starts, so the only safe way to schedule them is backward from the first day of coverage.
What does the law require?
Employers have to give employees notice of a material change to the plan, such as a change in benefits or cost sharing, at least 60 days before it takes effect. The summary of benefits and coverage and other notices follow their own rules. The rest of the timeline is practice, and the dates here are the ones we use with clients.
Common questions
How long should open enrollment last?
Two to three weeks works for most employers. It is long enough for employees to review options and short enough that elections reach the carrier in time.
When do carriers send renewals?
It varies by carrier and by group size, often 60 to 90 days before the renewal date. Ask your carrier for its release date and add it to the plan.
What changes if we go to market?
You need time to gather census and claims data, send requests for quotes and compare them. That is why the market plan starts about a month earlier.
Can the same plan work for a mid-year renewal?
Yes. The dates are all measured from the renewal date, so the same steps apply to an April or a July renewal.
Talk to us about your renewal
Book a 30-minute call and we will map your renewal, your quote timing and your enrollment calendar. Visit us at 41000 Woodward Avenue, Suite 350 East, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304, or call 248.370.8853.
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