New Hire Benefits Enrollment Checklist

Pull the offer letter and HRIS record to confirm hire date, FT/PT status, and any plan-specific waiting period (commonly first of the month following 30 or 60 days). Document the elections-due deadline so the 30-day new-hire window isn't missed — late enrollments fall to the next QLE or open enrollment.

ERISA requires the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) for each medical option, plus the SPD when requested. Send via the benefits portal (Sequoia, Bswift, Plansource) or HRIS (Rippling, Gusto, BambooHR). Include the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices and CHIP notice with the packet.

Book a 30-minute walk-through with the benefits counselor or broker before the election deadline. Plan-comparison conversations on HDHP vs. PPO trade-offs and HSA mechanics drive better elections than self-service alone.

Record the elected plan and tier (employee only / + spouse / + children / family). HDHP election unlocks HSA eligibility downstream; waiving medical coverage requires a signed waiver attesting to other minimum essential coverage for ACA tracking.

Collect the signed waiver and proof of other minimum essential coverage (spouse's plan, parent's plan if under 26, Medicare, Tricare). Retain for ACA 1095-C reporting; an employee waiving without documented MEC complicates the affordability calculation.

Dental and vision are typically separate elections from medical with their own tiers. Confirm coverage tier and whether the employee is electing voluntary buy-up (e.g., orthodontia rider). Note any in-progress orthodontia treatment for plan transition rules.

For each enrolled dependent, collect marriage certificate, birth certificate, adoption decree, or QMCSO. Spouse-only enrollments often require a non-employment affidavit when a working-spouse surcharge applies. Files go to the carrier's dependent verification process — most carriers audit within 60 days.

HSA eligibility requires HDHP enrollment and no other disqualifying coverage (general-purpose FSA, Medicare, Tricare, or being claimed as a dependent). Set the per-paycheck contribution against the IRS annual limit; flag the 55+ catch-up if applicable. Confirm employer seed deposit timing.

HDHP enrollees can only use a limited-purpose FSA (dental / vision) without disqualifying the HSA. Dependent care FSA caps and use-it-or-lose-it / grace period rules differ from healthcare FSA — confirm plan-specific carryover or 2.5-month grace election before the employee chooses an annual amount.

Section 132(f) transit and parking accounts have separate monthly pre-tax limits and can be changed month-to-month — unlike FSAs they do not require a QLE. NYC, SF, DC, Philadelphia, NJ, and Chicago have employer mandates for pre-tax commuter offerings at certain headcount thresholds.

Capture deferral percentage (pre-tax and / or Roth split), beneficiary designation, and investment allocation. If the plan auto-enrolls, confirm the employee received the QDIA notice and the 90-day permissible withdrawal window. Note the match formula and vesting schedule in the confirmation.

Basic life and AD&D are typically employer-paid and auto-enrolled. Imputed income applies on coverage above $50,000 per IRS Section 79 — flag for payroll. Collect the beneficiary designation; missing beneficiaries default to estate, which delays carrier payout.

New-hire window typically allows guaranteed-issue voluntary life and STD / LTD buy-up up to a stated amount without evidence of insurability; later elections trigger an EOI form and carrier underwriting. Confirm spouse / child voluntary life sub-limits.

Most EAPs are auto-enrolled with no employee election needed — confirm the employee has the access code and counselor-network link. Wellness program elections (gym subsidy, biometric screening incentives, condition-management programs) often require separate consent under the GINA / ADA wellness rules.

Voluntary pet, legal, identity-theft, and accident plans are post-tax payroll deductions. Confirm the carrier-specific enrollment portal and effective date; some carriers (Nationwide, MetLife Legal) have a separate enrollment site outside the main benefits platform.

Tuition reimbursement under IRC Section 127 is tax-free up to $5,250 annually with a written plan and grade-based reimbursement rules — set expectations on pre-approval. ESPP enrollment runs on offering-period windows (typically 6 months), not the new-hire window; confirm the next enrollment date.

Cross-check the elections summary against the carrier feeds and payroll deduction setup. Common gotchas: HSA deduction missing the employer seed, FSA annual amount not divided correctly across remaining pay periods, dependent SSN missing for ACA reporting.

Send the final elections summary, WHCRA notice, Newborns' Act notice, Medicare Part D creditable-coverage notice, CHIP notice, and Marketplace notice. Capture the employee's signature on the confirmation statement; this is the artifact that defends against later 'I never elected this' disputes.

Move the signed confirmation, dependent verification, beneficiary designations, and waiver attestations to the secure benefits sub-folder of the personnel file. ERISA records retention is 6 years minimum; HIPAA-protected health information goes to the segregated benefits file, not the general personnel file.