Benefit Enrollments (USA/CAN)

Activate User's Guide
Version
2025.1
Benefit Enrollments (USA/CAN)

When all necessary benefit plan and option configuration is complete, use the Benefit Enrollments wizard to create and customize Annual and New Hire Enrollments for the USA or CAN. You can use this wizard to increase efficiency when configuring benefit enrollments by avoiding the repetitive actions involved in enrollment and the accidental duplication of eligibilities in Dayforce.

When you create a new enrollment, you answer questions like how it should work, who is eligible to complete it, and when it should be triggered. When the enrollment is completed, you confirm that your enrollments are configured and ready to be installed into the Dayforce environment.

Important: You aren’t required to configure the benefits in Activate. However, you must have at least one benefit plan already configured in Dayforce to use this wizard. If no benefit plan is currently configured in Dayforce, configure a new Benefit Plan in Dayforce. When you click Refresh, Activate recognizes the new benefit plan and you can use the Benefit Enrollment wizard.

Note: The Benefit Enrollments wizard is for the United States and Canada only.

Using this wizard

Create the enrollment plan

You can create the following plans:

Open Enrollment

Enables all benefit-eligible employees to elect benefits for the upcoming plan year.

For Open Enrollment plans, specify:

  • The date when the plan is available to an employee in Dayforce.
  • The last day that employees can complete the Open Enrollment in Dayforce.
  • The date when the elected coverage will take place.
  • Whether the employees can access the Enrollment after submitting it but before the deadline.
New Hire Enrollment

Enables eligible new hires to elect benefits for the current plan year. New Hire Enrollments are only available to employees for a limited period of time.

Example of New Hire Enrollment availability
If employees... Then, an employee with a hire date of 5/13...
Gain access to the Enrollment on the Most Recent Hire Date Has access to the Enrollment from 5/13 until 7/1.
Have access for at least 40 days
Lose access on the first of the following month

For New Hire Enrollment plans, specify:

  • The date that newly hired employees can gain role feature access to the Enrollment.
  • The minimum time (in days) that employees have access to complete the Enrollment.
Select the installment options

You must select the workflow for the Enrollment to use when the employee submits it. The workflow determines whether the Enrollment is routed to an administrator and, if it is, to which administrator. The workflow also determines who is notified when the enrollment is submitted, approved, or processed.

You can also select the forms to be available to the employee when completing the enrollment. Forms give employees access and the ability to update their information without leaving the Enrollment page. The form options available for selection are the most commonly associated with the enrollment type selected.

Assign eligibilities to the enrollment

You assign eligibilities to an Open Enrollment in Activate to reduce the manual effort for enrollment configuration in Dayforce and avoid creating duplicate eligibilities in Dayforce. When installing a New Hire Enrollment, Activate automatically creates and attaches the “New Hire/Rehire” HR Event qualifier.

Select the benefit plans and options to include in the enrollment

Select from the following to configure which benefit plans/options are included in the enrollment:

  • Copy from Existing Enrollment: Copy the Sections/Elections configuration from already configured enrollments in the same country that are in Dayforce. If minor changes are needed, you can update the Enrollment in the Dayforce after the installation.
  • Add Plans based on Plan type: Activate shows the given country's published benefit plans based on this selection on the next page. The selected options are installed as “individual” selections.
  • Configure in Dayforce: Configure the Sections/Elections directly in Dayforce after installation.
Install the enrollment plan

When the Enrollment Plan is complete in Activate, install it in Dayforce.

Prerequisites

You must already have your organization's benefit plans and options set up in Dayforce.

Tasks

To add an Open Enrollment plan:
  1. In Activate Central, click Build Dayforce. The Build Dayforce wizards show.
  2. Click Benefit Enrollments.
  3. On the Enrollment Summary page, click Add Enrollment and the Edit Enrollment page opens.
  4. Select Open Enrollment.
  5. Select the appropriate country for the enrollment:
    • USA
    • CAN

    Each enrollment is unique to a specific country. This field determines which enrollment to copy from the template.

    Note: Regardless of the country selected, this question shows during setup. The buttons that show are based on the configured pay groups. For example, if there are USA pay groups only, then only the USA button shows and you can’t clear it. If there are USA and CAN pay groups, then both the USA and the CAN buttons show and are selected by default. You’ll be required to select one before proceeding to the next page.

  6. Enter a unique name for the enrollment.

    You can enter a maximum of 64 characters. The name must be unique when compared to existing enrollments in Dayforce and enrollments created in Activate.

  7. Select the date that the Open Enrollment plan will be made available to employees in Dayforce

    The time defaults to 12:00 AM The enrollment begin date must be before the Enrollment End Date.

    Note: All dates must be in the future.

  8. Select the last day that employees can complete the Open Enrollment in Dayforce

    The time defaults to 11:59 PM. The Enrollment End Date must be after the Enrollment Begin Date.

  9. Select the date on which the elected coverage takes effect.

    This date must be after both the Enrollment Begin Date and the Enrollment End Date.

  10. Indicate whether employees can access the enrollment after submitting it but before the deadline.
    • Yes: If employees can make changes following submission of the enrollment, as long as the deadline hasn’t yet passed.
    • No: If employees can’t make changes after submitting the Enrollment, whether the deadline has passed or not.
  11. Click Next to move on to the Workflow and Profile Forms selection.
To add a new hire enrollment plan:
  1. In Activate Central, click Build Dayforce. The Build Dayforce wizards open.
  2. Select Benefit Enrollments.
  3. On the Enrollment Summary page, click Add Enrollment.

    The Edit Enrollment page opens.

  4. Select New Hire Enrollment.
  5. Select the appropriate country for the enrollment:
    • USA
    • CAN

    Each enrollment is unique to a specific country. This field determines which enrollment to copy from the template.

    Note: This question shows, no matter which country was selected during setup. The configured Pay Groups control which buttons show. For example, if there are only USA pay groups, then only the USA button shows and you can’t clear it. If there are USA and CAN pay groups, then both the USA and the CAN buttons show and neither is selected by default. You’re required to select one before proceeding to the next page.

  6. Enter a unique name for the Enrollment.

    You can enter a maximum of 64 characters. The name must be unique when compared to existing enrollments in Dayforce and enrollments created in Activate.

  7. Indicate when newly hired employees can gain access to the enrollment:
    • Most Recent Hire Date: This option is the default.
    • Seniority Date
    • Onboarding Date

    New Hire Enrollments are only available to the employee for a limited time.

    Example of New Hire enrollment availability
    If employees...Then...
    Gain access to the Enrollment on the Most Recent Hire DateAn employee with a hire date of 5/13 has access to the enrollment from 5/13 until 7/1.
    Have access for at least 40 days
    Lose access on the first of the following month
  8. Enter the minimum time (in days) that employees have access to complete the Enrollment.

    The value you enter must be a number greater than zero. You can leave the field blank, which is the default.

  9. Select when employees will lose access to the enrollment:
    • 1st of the Following Month: This option is the default.
    • Immediately
  10. Click Next.

    Activate checks to see if there is an existing “New Hire/Rehire” HR Event Qualifier configured in Dayforce. If there isn’t one, Activate makes a copy of the predefined qualifier from the TemplateDB with the following settings:

    • Name: New Hire/Rehire Enrollment
    • Qualifier Type: HR Event Qualifier
    • Initiating HR Event: New Hire/Rehire
    • XrefCode is installed as: NEW_HIRE_REHIRE_BENENROLLMENT
To select the enrollment options:
  1. On the Edit Enrollment page, select the workflow for the enrollment to use when submitted by an employee.

    The drop-down list shows all existing workflows in Dayforce in order by ShortName.

    This field defaults to “System Generated Direct to DB”. This default is the same as when configuring enrollment plans in Dayforce.

  2. Select the forms that you want to be available to the employee when completing the enrollment:
    • Address
    • Current Beneficiary Information
    • Current Dependent Information
    • Health and Wellness: This option is available only for Open Enrollment plans.
    • Health and Wellness
    • New Enrollment: This option is available only for New Hire Enrollment plans.

    All of the forms are selected by default. You can select none, some, or all of the forms that apply. If you don’t want to include a given form in your enrollment, clear it.

  3. Click Next.
To assign eligibilities to the enrollment:
  1. Indicate who should receive this enrollment:
    • To select from the existing eligibilities in Dayforce:
      a. Select Choose from Dayforce.
       A list of parent (top level) eligibilities that are currently configured on the Dayforce > Benefits Setup > Eligibility page are available for you to select from.

      Note: If no eligibilities are configured in Dayforce, this option doesn’t show.

      Note: If you select an eligibility that’s later deleted from Dayforce, the enrollment is considered “incomplete.” You must select another eligibility before you can do an installation.

      b. Select from the list of predefined eligibilities.
    • To create a new eligibility:
      a. Select Create New Eligibility.
       Select this option to select from the same eligibilities that show in the Employee Benefits wizard.
      b. Select the appropriate predefined eligibilities.

    Note: If duplicate names exist, you can’t continue.

    Note: The Eligibility Selection page only opens for Open Enrollments. When installing a New Hire Enrollment, Activate creates and attaches the “New Hire/Rehire” HR Event qualifier for you.

  2. Click Next.
To select benefit plans and options to include in the enrollment:
  1. On the Edit Enrollment page, select the option to configure the benefit plans/options to include in the Enrollment:
    • Copy from Existing Enrollment: Copy the Sections/Elections configuration from already configured enrollments in the same country that are in Dayforce. If there’s already one enrollment configured for the same country as the new enrollment, use this option and all of the same benefit options will be included. The enrollment shows in the drop-down list by ShortName. This button shows only if there are currently enrollments in Dayforce.
    • Add Plans based on Plan type: Activate will show the published benefit plans of the given country based on this selection on the next page. You can select a minimum of one and a maximum of four plan types. If you need to bundle your option selections in this enrollment, configure the enrollment directly in Dayforce. Plan types with no configured option in Dayforce for the specified country aren’t shown on the page. For example, if the enrollment is for the US and there are no US L&D plans configured in Dayforce, Life and Disability button shows.

      Note: If there are no configured options for any plan types for a country, the Add Plans based on Plan Type option isn’t available.

    • Configure in Dayforce: Configure the Sections/Elections directly in Dayforce after installation. This option is the best choice if the enrollment includes only a few plans/options per Plan Type or if the plan/option selections should be bundled.
  2. If you selected “Copy from Existing Enrollment”, select the enrollment to copy from.

    All enrollments configured in Dayforce for the same country are available for selection, even if it’s a different type. You can copy the Selections/Elections configuration from a New Hire Enrollment into an Open Enrollment, if needed.

  3. If you selected “Add Plans based on Plan Type”:
    1. Click Next.

      Activate shows all published benefit plans and options of the selected types for the Enrollment country. The plans and options show in alphabetical order by plan type, plan name, and option name.

    2. Select the benefit plans/options to include by doing any of the following:
      • Select and/or clear individual plans and options.
      • Expand/collapse all plans and options.
      • Expand each plan individually to see the options.
      • Select and/or clear all plans and options.
      • Select and/or clear all options in each plan.
  4. Select Done and the Enrollment Summary page opens.
To install an enrollment plan:

Enrollment Plans that are pending installation use the following naming convention: <Enrollment Name>: <Country> - <Enrollment Type>. The following is an example of a plan that’s pending installation: Dayforce OE 2021: USA - Open Enrollment. The enrollment's country is part of its title. For example, if you selected CAN, the title is “Stage Enrollment: CAN - Open Enrollment.”

  1. On the Enrollment Summary page, click Done & Install.

    The Load page opens with a list of the steps to complete and an estimate of how long the installation usually takes. During the installation, the current step in the process is bolded so you can monitor the progress.

  1. Click one of the following:
    • Add Email and enter your email address to be notified when the installation process ends instead of waiting for it to finish.
    • Next when the installation is complete.

    Activate Central opens with the wizard name now in green text and a green checkmark next to it. The day, date, and time of completion show, along with your name as the user who completed the wizard. The environment in which the installation was applied (Stage, Config, or Train) is also shown.

    Note: If you want to add more information, click I want to add more.  

To edit or customize an existing Open Enrollment plan:
  1. On the Enrollment Summary page, click Edit on the line containing the enrollment to be updated.

    The Edit Enrollment page opens.

  2. Update the fields as appropriate.
  3. Select Done.

    The Enrollment Summary page opens.

To delete an Open Enrollment plan:
  1. On the Enrollment Summary page, click Delete on the line containing the enrollment to be deleted.

    The Enrollment Summary page refreshes and the deleted enrollment no longer shows on the page.

Results

The enrollment Plan's values show in Dayforce on the Benefits Setup > Enrollments > Properties page as follows:

Enrollment plan values on the Properties page
Field in Activate Field on Properties Page
Coverage Effective Date Coverage Effective Date
Enrollment Accessible After Submission Allow Access After Completion checkbox
Enrollment Name Enrollment Title
Country Country
Enrollment Begin Date (OE) Communication Start Date
Enrollment End Date (OE) Communication End Date
Access Date for Employee (NH) Communication Start/End Dates

All other fields as they exist in the selected template are copied over to the installed enrollment.

Activate copies the appropriate enrollment template from the Template database:

Selections and the resulting templates
If you selected... Activate uses the...
USA / Open Enrollment US OE template.
CAN / Open Enrollment CAN OE template.
USA / New Hire Enrollment US NH template.
CAN /New Hire Enrollment CAN NH template.

Only those profile forms selected in the wizard are attached to the installed Enrollment (as seen in Dayforce > Benefits Setup > Enrollments > Profile Forms).

If you copied the Enrollment Plan from another enrollment, the sections/elections pane has the same information and configuration as the original enrollment.

If you selected to configure plans in Dayforce, Activate copies the Sections/Elections configuration from the TemplateDB and no changes are made.

Next steps

Complete the next wizard, as appropriate.