Benefit Rate Importer

Activate User's Guide
Version
2025.1
Benefit Rate Importer

Important: This page is for non-customer users only.

Use the Benefit Rate Importer wizard to update the employee and employer cost for benefit plan options in bulk by importing benefit rates using an Excel spreadsheet. This wizard improves the efficiency of collecting and updating rate data in Dayforce.

Each option in a Benefit Plan is configured with a different carrier rate, which is split into the Employee and Employer Costs. Only Health plans and Life & Disability plans are configured with rates. Reimbursement and Retirement plans aren’t. This wizard accepts only monthly amount-based rates. Percentage-based splits should be converted to monthly amounts before importing.

Note: The Benefit Option Rates report, which contains the benefit rate configuration, is available in Dayforce > Reporting. You can use it to populate the data template for this wizard.

Note: You can run this wizard more than one time.

Before you begin

Benefit plans and eligibilities must already be configured in Dayforce. See (the Employee Benefits Wizard).

Using this wizard

You’ll do the following in the Year-to-Date Payroll Totals (CAN) wizard:

Confirm the prerequisites

You must confirm that the following has been completed:

  • Configured benefit plans in Dayforce.
  • Configured eligibilities in Dayforce.
  • Verified any previous benefit rate configurations' start and end dates.
Upload the Import Benefit Rates template

The Benefit Rate Importer wizard includes a starter template called ImportBenefitRatesTemplate.xlsx. Download the template, update it with the benefit plan option rate information, and upload the template. You can also upload an empty template and complete the information in the wizard. When you’re finished with the template and continue, Activate validates the uploaded information.

Review and update the benefit rate plan information

You can review and update, if needed, the rate configuration information before installing.

The Review Benefit Rates page shows the:

  • Dayforce HCM Option Name
  • Start Date
  • End Date
  • Basis for Volume
  • Eligibility Name
  • Employer Monthly Cost
  • Employee Monthly Cost

If any errors exist, you must correct them before proceeding. You can either update the template document and import it again, or you can correct the errors in the grid on the Review Benefit Rates page.

Install the codes in Dayforce

When the benefit rate information is complete in Activate, install it in Dayforce.

Loading benefit rates and qualifiers

You can load benefit rates along with qualifiers (eligibility and basis of volume). You can also load a new field eligibility and new field basis of volume for the Benefit Rates.

Fields that default as part of the installation
When you enter the... This field... Defaults to...
Eligibility Name Table Type Qualifier
Basis for Volume Use Volume Based Rate True

Errors, warnings, and messages

The rules set up in Dayforce generate any Error or Warning indicators shown above the grid's column headings.

  • Errors prevent you from continuing with the Wizard.
  • Warnings are informational and indicate potential problems that you need to be aware of.
  • Messages are informational and identify a deviation from the rules.

To refer to the errors, warnings, and messages while you correct the data, click Download Errors File.

To correct the errors, messages, or warnings, do one of the following:

  • Update the information directly in the grid.
  • Click Download Errors File to download the list and then upload an Excel file containing the corresponding corrections.

Whether you edit the data directly in the grid or upload the file, Activate shows validation warnings or errors to indicate problems with the data. To review and correct any warnings or errors that display, either edit the records in the grid or upload the corrected information in a template again.

Enter the required changes in the Excel document to ensure that future uploads are accurate. If you make edits directly in the grid, click Download File and save the updated file for record keeping purposes.

Tasks

To confirm the prerequisites:
  1. In Activate Central, click Manage Your Data. The Manage Your Data wizards are shown.
  2. Click Benefit Rate Importer.
  3. On the What you need to confirm before you start page, review the required prerequisites and make sure that you have:
    • Configured benefit plans in Dayforce.
    • Configured eligibilities in Dayforce.
    • Verified any previous benefit rate configurations' start and end dates.
  4. To confirm that you’ve completed the tasks, selecting all checkboxes.
  5. Click Next.
To complete and upload the Import Benefit Rates template:

Use this page to enter or update benefit plan options. You can either import an empty starter template and complete it in the wizard or upload the Benefit Rates data file.

Note: The benefit plan must already exist in Dayforce. If it doesn’t, create the plan in the Benefit Enrollments (USA/CAN) wizard. You can then update the rates for the plan, if needed.

  1. On the Upload Benefit Rate page, click Download.
  2. Select the location where you want to save the template document.
  3. Open the ImportBenefitRatesTemplate.xlsx template on your computer.

    4. Note: The Activate release version shows in cell B3 on the Instructions tab of the template. This information helps you later determine the version of Activate you were using when you downloaded the template.

  4. On the BenefitRatesData tab, complete all columns with the data for all employees in the organization.

    Note: Instructions for populating the fields are in the Import Benefit Rates Template Fields section (below) and on the Instructions tab of the template.

  5. Click Save and close the template.

    You can use any file name for the template you upload. The file must be an Excel or CSV (Comma-Separated Value) document and contain the data in the required format.

    Important: Don’t change the name of the tab in the template. Activate uses it to validate that the correct template is being uploaded. Also, don’t change the column headings.

  6. On the Upload Benefit Rate page, click Upload.
  7. Go to your completed Employee Benefit Election template in the location where you saved it.
  8. Click Open. The Benefit Rate Importer wizard validates the data.

    Note: If the file you uploaded has errors, a Validation Failed message shows in red on the page. Correct the errors in the file on your computer and upload the file again.

  9. Click Next.
To review the Benefit Rates table:
  1. Review the Benefit Rates table information and verify that it’s correct.
  2. If data is incorrect or missing, do one of the following:
    • Click Back to correct the template and import it again.
    • Correct the errors in the grid.
  3. You can click Download File to get an Excel file containing a copy of the data on the page.
To review and confirm the data:
  1. Review the information shown in the grid.
  2. To make updates to data on the page:

    • To insert a new row in the grid, click the row where you want to insert it and click New.

    • To delete a row, click the row and click Delete.

    • To save information in the grid to your computer, click Download File and save it to the location you want. The download file includes only the following information: Employee Number, First Name, Last Name, Effective Start Date, and the respective global properties and values selected.

    • To upload the file from your computer, locate the file and click Upload File. The data in the file shows in the grid.

    • To remove changes that you don’t want to save, click Refresh.

  3. When the data is complete, click Done & Install. When you leave the page, the selected values stay in the grid.
To install benefit rate information:

When the rate information is complete in Activate, you must install the information in Dayforce.

  1. After making any necessary corrections on the Review Benefits page, click Load.

    A warning states that Activate is going to install the data in Dayforce. If Activate finds any errors, it does a database rollback to remove any manual changes that were applied in Dayforce during the installation attempt. Don’t continue with the Activate installation if users are actively making configuration changes. They might be removed if a failure occurs.

    Important: If users are actively making configuration changes, don’t continue with the installation. A failure might remove the users’ changes.

  2. Click one of the following:
    • Cancel to return to the Review page.
    • OK to continue with the installation.

    You can click Download user report to download a report containing the users who are actively signed into Dayforce and might be making changes. Review the list and contact the users in the report to confirm whether to continue.

    Important: If someone is signed directly in to Dayforce and potentially applying manual configuration, Activate shows a warning at Done & Install. Don’t continue with the Activate installation if users are actively applying configuration changes. Users’ changes might be lost if a failure occurs during the Activate installation. Download the User Report and follow up with the team members before you continue with the Activate wizard.

  3. 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.

Results

The following fields default by Activate during the installation:

  • Table Type is set to “Standard” for rows with no eligibility value.
  • “Rate Basis” always defaults to Monthly.
  • Carrier Rate is always the sum of the employer cost and the employee cost.
  • “Show Percentages” always defaults to False (Rate Type = Amount in the user interface).
Fields populated in Dayforce

The data uploaded from the Benefit Rate Importer template populates the fields on the Plans and Options page (Benefits > Plans and Options > [Benefit Plan Type], click the Rates tab in Dayforce.

Fields populated in Dayforce
Field in Template Field in Dayforce
Dayforce HCM Option Name Benefit Plan Option Name
Start Date Effective From
End Date Effective To
Basis of Volume Basis of Volume (Enabled when the
Volume Based Rate checkbox is selected.)
Eligibility Name Rates table > Qualifier
Employer Cost Employer Cost
Employee Cost Employee Cost

Next steps

Complete the next wizard, as appropriate.

Benefit Rates Tab template fields

All templates have the same basic structure:

  • Instructions tab: Helps you understand the purpose of the data and complete the fields in the template.
  • Data tab: Contains headers for the data to be included in the template. The headers remain the same, but you can change the column order. If you add more columns, Activate ignores them.

All number ranges in the templates include the numbers at both ends of the range.

To see the fields in the template, click here.
Dayforce HCM Option Name
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
1 String1 between 1–64 characters. The benefit plan option name for which rates are updated. Plan Option names must be unique to configure rates. CCIGNAOAP8NURNUR42EE This information is needed to map the rates to the correct plan option.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Start Date
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
2 Date. The start date for the option rate to be effective from.

The Start Date can be in the past or in the future.

 1/1/2020 This information is needed to correctly effective date the rates.
End Date
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
3 Date. The end date for the option rate. 12/31/2020 This information is needed to end the configured rate.
Basis of Volume
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
4 Numeric. If the plan option rate changes based on volume then enter this value. Entering a value in this field configures the flag “Use Volume Based Rate” to True. 1000 This field is for entering different rates based on volume.
Eligibility Name
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
5 String1 between 1–64 characters. The eligibility name for the benefit rate. Eligibility names must be unique to configure rates. SP 20-24 This field is for entering different rates based on the various eligibilities that are available in Dayforce.

1 Special characters accepted within the string include: alphanumeric, space, period, apostrophe, dash, number symbol #, comma, underscore, forward slash /, parentheses (), &

Employer Cost
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
6 Numeric. The amount paid by the employer for the benefit plan option. 1159.02 This value is the amount contributed by the employer towards the plan option.
Employee Cost
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This is Needed
7 Numeric. The amount paid by the employee for the benefit plan option. 237.39 This value is the amount contributed by the employee towards the plan option.