Your current census: names and ages, never Social Security numbers.
Names, ages or dates of birth, tier, home zip code, and class or location for each enrolled employee, plus a line for anyone eligible who waived. Gender only if your carrier asks for it. Names we do need, because carriers quote and enroll on named individuals. Social Security numbers we do not, and we would rather you left them out. Excel or CSV straight out of payroll or your benefits administration system is perfect.
Above the small-group cutoff, a carrier prices the people, not a table.
Carriers quote and enroll on named individuals, so a census is how an underwriter sees your workforce: age, family tier, where people live and what class they are in. We read the same data to see whether the group is better or worse than it looks on paper.
Send it as an Excel or CSV file straight from payroll or your benefits administration system. Social Security numbers are not needed at any size, and we would rather you left them out.
What the census should hold.
Each Enrolled Employee
Name, date of birth or age, gender if your carrier asks for it, home zip code, the coverage tier and the plan elected.
Waived Employees
A line for anyone eligible who waived, with a note on whether they have other coverage.
Class or Location
Any class, division or location code that sets eligibility or contribution, so the groups can be read separately.
What a clean census makes possible.
A census does more than feed a quote. A clean one lets us check ages and tiers against the plan you are in, spot classes or locations that are priced differently and notice employees who are enrolled in the wrong tier or not enrolled at all. A messy one forces a carrier to guess, and carriers usually price a guess conservatively.
Before sending, look for the common problems: terminated employees still listed, new hires missing, dependents listed under the wrong tier and ZIP codes that are out of date. A quick comparison against the latest carrier invoice finds most of them. Send what you have, and tell us what you are unsure about, rather than holding the file back to polish it.
Questions about the census.
Why do you need names?
Carriers quote and enroll on named individuals, and a named census is how large claims are matched to people when claims data is reviewed. It is handled as protected information.
What format is best?
Excel or CSV straight out of payroll or your benefits administration system. A scan or a PDF can be used but takes longer to read.
Do small groups need one?
Not always. Below the small-group cutoff, rates come off a filed table, so the counts by tier are usually enough. If we need more, we will say so.
How current should the census be?
As current as possible, ideally within the last month or two. If a lot has changed, send the latest file and note the changes rather than waiting.
Is it safe to send names and dates of birth?
Employee data is personal information, so send it through a secure method and share only what is needed. Leave out Social Security numbers. If you are unsure how to send it securely, ask us before you send.
General information, not legal advice. Plan-specific questions belong with your counsel, and we will bring them in.
An independent employee benefits consulting firm. We look at the entire benefits program — cost, plan performance, risk and administration.
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