After selecting the benefit type, you will be taken to the 'Benefit Properties' tab. The 'Benefit Properties' tab is used to name benefits as view-able to employees.

Primary Fields

• Name - The name you give the benefit does not need to match your benefit type, but it can and will in most cases.
• Benefit Type - Your benefit type previously selected from the "Benefit Type" tab will automatically be in your drop-down list.
• Benefit code - The Benefit code is used for syncing benefits with payroll and running deduction audits. This is an optional field. Payroll codes from current payroll provider are ideal in this alpha-numeric text box.
• Earning Deduction Code - The Earning Deduction Code is often used in payroll integration and should also match payroll value.
• Employer Deduction Code - The Employer Deduction Code is optional. If used, Employer Deduction Code should match payroll.
• Pay Period - This field will always default to zero.  If zero is selected, deductions for this benefit will look to previously created pay schedules and the number of pay periods within each schedule.  If an employee elects a mid-year benefit only remaining pay periods will be used for per-pay-period costs.  If the benefit is always deducted the same amount of times throughout the year, then a hard-code default number should be selected.  You are determining how many deductions the benefit takes from the employee. This determines per-pay-period costs. Note that contribution based benefits should NEVER be hardcoded as this will cause them to calculate incorrectly.
• Start & End Date - In most cases you will use the start and end dates of the package for the benefit.  If the benefit is off cycle and begins before or after the package dates you may also select the option to use the start and end dates specified below.  Please note that benefits that are dependent on one another should always have matching start and end dates. If dates do not match the system can become confused on coverage for dependent benefit since the prior election would not cover all dates of coverage.
  • As an option you may choose to change the deduction date of a benefit.  The system will currently deduct the benefit through pay schedules matching the benefit dates you created above.  If the deduction start or end dates are altered here, you can change that to the specified date you would like deductions to begin.  Occasionally this s used with benefits like F.S.A. or H.S.A.

Additional Options

For each benefit you create you will need to pay attention to the additional options listed at the bottom of the benefits properties tab. These checkboxes dictate many properties within the benefit and decide the capabilities you have within the reporting tools.

• Cobra Eligible Benefit - Selected if the benefit is eligible for Cobra and Cobra providers need to be communicated with when employees are eligible or ineligible from termination or employee Status.
• Require Beneficiaries for this Benefit - Selected if Beneficiaries are required for assignment in an event once the employee elects the benefit. Beneficiary assignments would be initiated for these elections so that employees can decide which beneficiaries get their coverage in case something is to happen to them or dependents. Commonly used for benefits like Basic Life, Voluntary Life, 401k or Retirement, and AD&D.
• Do not display Covered Dependents section for this benefit - Selected when dependents should not be seen or made available for employees within an event or benefit edit from an admin view. Commonly seen in benefits like Dependent Basic Life.
• Prompt for Coordination of Benefits information during Enrollment - Selected if employees need to notify employers of any dependents that are covered under any other plan. Employees will be given the option to provide Policy #, policy holder name, and policy holder ID.
• Enable auto-scrolling on the Enrollment Screen if record count exceeds 20 records - For voluntary benefits like employee Voluntary life that have more than 20 coverage options. Employees are given a scrolling box for a quicker view of coverage options instead of scrolling to the bottom of the election page.
• Allow the employee to elect whether they would like their cost taken on a Pre or Post Tax basis - Gives the employee the option to take benefit deduction out on a pre or post tax basis. More common today with Healthcare reform and the options employees are receiving from carriers for deductions.
• When terminating this benefit for an employee the Benefit Termination Date should default to the Employee Termination Date - Selected if the benefit termination date must match employee termination date. If the benefit continues to run until the end of the month of termination, this option would not be selected and the benefit will end on the last day of the month in which the employee was terminated.
• Include this benefit in Payment Coupons that are generated for Employees - Selected for Payment Coupon Generation if the employee elects or waives benefit being built.
  • Payment Coupons must also be built in Advanced Setting under Settings>Benefit Management>Advanced Settings. For more information about payment coupons, you can refer to the following article.
• This benefit shall be eligible for Spending Credits (a Spending Credit Benefit Type benefit must exist for this Package) - Usually needing to be the first benefit in the benefit structure where the employee is given an allotment for money for benefit election. Used in benefits like Transportation where the employee gets credits to use for a specific action like parking.
• Include this benefit in Imputed Income Calculations - Term Life will commonly have imputed income rates if the benefit is employer paid but employee is responsible for taxes on that benefit from age banded configuration.
  • See also Settings>Benefit Management>Advanced Settings>Imputed Income if selected as rates must also be configured within system. For more information about Imputed Income, you can refer to the following article.
  • Under System >Export Logs>Imputed Income Log you will see your log each month. For more information about imputed income logs, you can refer to the following article.
• Use the Spouse's age in age banded calculations (where applicable) - Benefits can either look at employee’s age for age banded rates or Spouses age for benefit in question. You decide here which age system needs to look at. This will be common in Spouse Voluntary Life benefits. If left uncheck, then system will only look at employees’ age. Only one age can be looked at per benefit.
• Include in One-Click Report of Form W-2 Reporting of Employer-Sponsored Health Coverage - If benefit needs to be included in one click reporting tool for W2. This will not affect benefit screen for employee or administrator.
• This Benefit will be enrolled via an Integrated Voluntary Benefit system and should only appear on the Review Tab of Events - Selected for benefits where employees are transferred to carrier site for elections. Employee will make election with carrier and carrier will return elections to HRIS system. Carriers listed below are eligible for this option within the HRIS. The carriers that are eligible are:
  • Unum
  • Aflac
  • Trustmark
  • Humana
  • Allstate
  • Colonial Life
• Exclude this Benefit from appearing on Benefit Statements - Selected if benefits need not to appear on benefit statements. Occasionally used for employer paid benefits if employer wishes not to report this data to employees.