Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data

Activate User's Guide
Version
2025.1
Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data

Use the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data wizard to load your employee dependent and beneficiary personal data.

Because election information isn’t included, you can focus on the personal data only. You can preload dependent and beneficiary records before employees completing Open Enrollment for testing, which makes it easier to complete Open Enrollment immediately after Go Live. It also enables you to update personal data fields without having to make sure that the election information is correct.

You can upload a DependentBeneficiaryPersonalData file that doesn’t include election-related fields. If you do upload the election-related fields, they’re ignored during the upload.

Important: If you’re uploading Dependent or Beneficiary records as part of the Benefit Elections data load, use the same name spelling and SSN or SIN value in all of the data loads. This avoids potential duplication.

Note: You can only load dependent/beneficiary personal data, not elections.

Important: You can use this data load to load the demographic data for your employee's dependents and beneficiaries only. You can’t use it to associate the Dependent or Beneficiary records to the Benefit Plans for administrative and reporting purposes.

Before you begin

Before using the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data wizard, you must:

  • Verify that all names match exactly with the spelling and format in other data files.
  • Configure all of the Relationship Types included in the import file under HR Admin - Relationship Types in Dayforce HCM.
  • Update the “Is Child,“ “Is Spouse,“ “Is Legal Partnership,“ and “Benefits Group“ parameters for each Relationship Type.

Using this wizard

You do the following in the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data wizard:

Complete and upload the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data template

Use the Dep Ben Personal Data template to upload dependent and beneficiary personal data. Don’t include election data.

Review the data

Use the Validate page to review the data to make sure that it’s correct. If this page shows any errors, you must complete them to continue. You can correct data in the grid or update the template file and upload it again.

Data on the page
  • Employee Identifier
  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Dependent/Beneficiary First Name
  • Dependent/Beneficiary Last Name
  • Dependent Date of Birth Dependent SSN/SIN 
  • Dependent Gender
  • Dependent/Beneficiary Relationship Type
  • Is the Dependent a Tobacco User/Smoker?
  • Is the Dependent a Student?
  • Is the Dependent Disabled?
  • Is the person a Dependent?
  • Is the person a Beneficiary?
  • Dependent's Primary Country
  • Dependent Primary Address
  • Dependent Primary Address 2
  • Dependent Primary Address 3
  • Dependent Primary City
  • Dependent Primary State or Province
  • Dependent Primary Postal Code
  • Dependent Primary County
  • Effective Start Date of the Address
Install the information in Dayforce

When the employee dependent and beneficiary personal data information is complete in Activate, you must install it in Dayforce.

Tasks

To confirm that you’ve completed the required steps:
  1. In Activate Central, click Load Your Data. The Load Your Data wizards are shown.
  2. Click Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data.

    The Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data Import page opens.

  3. Review all information on the page.
  4. In the Before you proceed section, select the checkboxes to confirm that you have:
    • Verified that all names match exactly with the spelling and format in other data files.
    • Configured all of the Relationship Types included in the import file under HR Admin - Relationship Types in Dayforce HCM.
    • Updated the “Is Child,“ “Is Spouse,“ “Is Legal Partnership,“ and “Benefits Group“ parameters for each Relationship Type.
  5. Click Next.
To complete and upload the Dependent Beneficiary Personal Data template:
  1. On the Dependent/Beneficiary Upload page, click Download.

    Note: You can also download an empty Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data template from the Download Template Files page.

  2. Select the location where you want to save the template document.
  3. Open the DependentBeneficiaryPersonalDataTemplate.xlsx template on your computer.
  4. On the DependentBeneficiaryPersonData tab, complete all columns with the data for all employees in the organization.

    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.

    Note: Instructions for populating the fields are in the Dependent Beneficiary Personal Data 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: The uploaded template must be the current Excel template file downloaded from Activate. Old templates aren’t accepted.

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

  6. On the Dependent/Beneficiary Upload page, click Upload.
  7. Go to the completed Dependent Beneficiary Personal Data template in the location where you saved it.
  8. Click Open. The Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data wizard validates the uploaded file.

    When you import dependents, you don’t have to include National ID Number (NINO) information. If you don’t include NINO information, Activate includes this warning on the Download report: “Dependent SSN/SIN/NINO value shouldn’t be left blank (for <dep name>).” It’s recommended for benefit related processes.“ If the Dependent SSN/SIN field does contain any value, Activate validates the NINO format.

    Note: If you uploaded a file that resulted in warning validations only (there were no errors), a yellow bar shows across the bottom of the page that states "Validation completed with warnings." Review the file before proceeding. You can click View All Errors to download the error file containing the list of warnings so you can address them or you can click Next to continue.

    Note: If the uploaded file has errors, a Validation Failed message shows in red at the bottom of the page. You must correct the errors in the file on your computer and upload the file again.

    Note: When you upload an Excel file, Activate includes the name of the uploaded file into the name of the XML file it generates and loads to the Dayforce File Server. The format of the generated XML file name is <NamespaceName>_<Import Type>_<file name provided>_YYY-MM-DD_HHMM. This information makes it easier to audit files later.

  9. Click Next.
To generate the XML and validate the file:
  1. On the Validate page, review the different Error, Warning, and Info messages that result from validation.
  2. If any error messages are shown, you must resolve them to install the data.
    • If the errors are in the Dayforce Environment, you must resolve them in Dayforce.
    • If the errors are in the uploaded data, correct the data in the template and click Upload New File(s).
  1. When the error messages are resolved, click Re-Validate. Repeat until all error messages are gone.
  1. Click Download to download the Dependent Beneficiary Personal Data Validation report containing the populated messages from this data validation.
  1. Click Next.
To install information in Dayforce:
  1. When all error messages are resolved, click Done & Install on the Validate page.

    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.

    A prompt shows asking if you want to continue with the installation.

  2. Click one of the following:
    • Yes to continue with the installation.
    • No to return to the Validate page.

    The Review & Load page opens with a summarized list of the tasks to be completed and an estimate of how long the installation usually takes to complete. During the installation, the live task being completed in the process shows in bold text so you can monitor the progress.

  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. See for additional information.

Results

Fields populated in Dayforce

The data uploaded from the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data template populates the fields on the following pages in Dayforce:

Dayforce fields populated by the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data template
Field in Template Field in Dayforce Page in Dayforce
Employee Identifier Employee Reference / Number Employee (People icon)
First Name First Name  
Last Name Last Name  
Dependent/Beneficiary First Name First Name Dependents and Beneficiaries page
(People icon > Benefits >
Dependents and Beneficiaries)

 

 

 
Dependent/Beneficiary Last Name Last Name
Dependent Date of Birth Birth Date
Dependent SSN/SIN National ID
Dependent Gender Gender
(only if Dependent checkbox is enabled) 		Confidential Information
(Benefits > Dependents and
Beneficiaries > Confidential Information)
Depedent/Beneficiary Relationship Type Relationship Type Dependents and Beneficiaries page
(People icon > Benefits >
Dependents and Beneficiaries)
Effective Start Date Effective Start
Is the Dependent a Tobacco User/Smoker? Tobacco/Smoker Status
(only if Dependent checkbox is enabled) 		Confidential Information
(Benefits > Dependents and
Beneficiaries > Confidential Information)
Is the Dependent a Student? Student (checkbox)
(only if Dependent checkbox is enabled) 		Confidential Information
(Benefits > Dependents and
Beneficiaries > Confidential Information)
Is the Dependent Disabled? Disabled (checkbox)
(only if Dependent checkbox is enabled) 		Confidential Information
(Benefits > Dependents and
Beneficiaries > Confidential Information)
Is the person a Dependent? Dependent (checkbox) Dependents and Beneficiaries page
(People icon > Benefits >
Dependents and Beneficiaries)
Is the person a Beneficiary? Beneficiary (checkbox)
Dependent's Primary Country Country
Dependent Primary Address Address Line 1
Dependent Primary Address 2 Address Line 2
Dependent Primary Address 3 Address Line 3
Dependent Primary City City
Dependent Primary State or Province State / Province
Dependent Primary Postal Code Zip / Postal Code
Dependent Primary County County
Effective Start Date of the Address Effective Start
Files generated by the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data wizard

After you complete the Dependent and Beneficiary Personal Data wizard, Activate generates three import files automatically. It then puts them on the customer's FTP site, dependent on any configuration to be generated based on the data provided.

Employee Import:

  • FTP SubDirectory: Import/EmployeeImport
  • Filename: <Namespace>-EmployeeImport-<DateTime>.xml
For an example illustrating how translates data to XML, click here.
Copy 
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-<EmployeeImport>
    -<Employee>
        <XRefCode>3613</XRefCode>
        -<Dependents>
            <FirstName>Patrick</FirstName>
            <LastName>Phinisee</LastName>
            <BirthDate>1982-12-03</BirthDate>
            <SocialSecurityNumber>123456789</SocialSecurityNumber>
            <Gender>M</Gender>
            <RelationshipTypeXrefCode>SPOUSE</RelationshipTypeXrefCode>
            <EffectiveStart>2020-01-01</EffectiveStart>
            <IsTobaccoUser>true</IsTobaccoUser>
            <IsStudent>false</IsStudent>
            <IsDisabled>false</IsDisabled>
            <IsDependent>true</IsDependent>
            <IsBeneficiary>false</IsBeneficiary>
            <PrimaryCountryCode>USA</PrimaryCountryCode>
            <PrimaryAddressLine1>123 Test St</PrimaryAddressLine1>
            <PrimaryCity>Billings</PrimaryCity>
            <PrimaryStateCode>RI</PrimaryStateCode>
            <PrimaryPostalCode>02886</PrimaryPostalCode>
            <PrimaryEffectiveStart>2020-08-15</PrimaryEffectiveStart>
        </Dependents>
        -<Dependents>
            <FirstName>Jack</FirstName>
            <LastName>Merton</LastName>
            <RelationshipTypeXrefCode>PARENT</RelationshipTypeXrefCode>
            <EffectiveStart>2020-01-01</EffectiveStart>
            <IsTobaccoUser>false</IsTobaccoUser>
            <IsStudent>false</IsStudent>
            <IsDisabled>false</IsDisabled>
            <IsDependent>false</IsDependent>
            <IsBeneficiary>true</IsBeneficiary>
        </Dependents>
    </Employee>
</EmployeeImport>

Next steps

Complete the next wizard, as appropriate.

Dependent Beneficiary Personal Data 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 a list of the fields in the template, click here.
Employee Identifier (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
1 Alphanumeric. Unique value between 1-9 characters. It enables the system to identify employees uniquely. Use the same number assigned to the employee in the getting started HR data loads. 3241245
000000006
abc123499 		For this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name help users identify employees when completing the template. This required field is used to validate that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.
First Name (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
2 String1 between 1-64 characters.

The legal first name of the employee.

The value provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

 Joe For this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name help users identify employees when completing the template. This required field is used to validate that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

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

Last Name (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
3 String1 between 1-64 characters.

The legal last name of the employee.

The value provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

 Smith For this import, the Employee Identifier, First Name, and Last Name help users identify employees when completing the template. This required field is used to validate that the data being loaded is assigned to the correct employee record. The values provided must match exactly to an existing employee record in Dayforce.

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

Dependent/Beneficiary First Name (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
4 String1 between 1-64 characters.

The legal first name of the dependent or beneficiary.

Make certain that each dependent/beneficiary name is spelled and formatted the same for each of the benefit elections.

Jane This information is the dependent or beneficiary first name and is used to update Dayforce HCM. It’s included in Benefit Carrier Feed files if that data is required.

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

Dependent/Beneficiary Last Name (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
5 String1 between 1-64 characters.

The legal last name of the dependent or beneficiary.

Make certain that each dependent/beneficiary name is spelled and formatted the same for each of the benefit elections.

Smith This information is the dependent or beneficiary last name and is used to update Dayforce HCM. It’s included in Benefit Carrier Feed files if that data is required.

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

Dependent Date of Birth (required for dependents)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
6 Date. Excel right justified date format or Excel text format yyyy-mm-dd). The date of birth for the Dependent record.

Date formatted cells:

09/24/2015
24/09/2015

Text formatted cells:

2015-09-24

This data is required for the Dependent record.
Dependent SSn/SIN (recommended for Dependent records)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
7

String1.

9 characters.

 Social Security number / Social Insurance Number / National Insurance Number of the Dependent. 123456789 This data is only required if a Benefit Carrier Vendor requires it on the Carrier Feed file. It’s important for to identify the specific record.

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

Dependent Gender (required for dependents)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
8

Accepted Values:

F
M

This information identifies the gender of the Dependent record.

Accepted Values:

F
M

 This data is required for the Dependent record.
Dependent/Beneficiary Relationship Type
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
9

Accepted Default Values:

Child
Common Law
Domestic partner
Friend
Husband
Parent
Sibling
Spouse
Undefined
Wife

Relationship types that are defaulted during initial configuration.

Additional Relationship Types can be added before importing this file by going to HR Admin -> Relationship Types in Dayforce HCM.

Accepted Default Values:

Child
Common Law
Domestic partner
Friend
Husband
Parent
Sibling
Spouse
Undefined
Wife

This information is used to assign the Relationship Type to the Dependent/Beneficiary record. Additional Relationship Types can be added before importing this file by going to HR Admin -> Relationship Types in Dayforce HCM.
Is the Dependent a Tobacco User/Smoker?
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
10

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

This information is required only if the benefit plan requires the data for determining eligibility or benefit qualifier rates.

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

This information is only required if the benefit plan requires the data for determining eligibility or benefit qualifier rates.
Is the Dependent a Student?
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
11

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

The required only if the benefit plan requires the data for determining eligibility.

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

This information is required only if the benefit plan requires the data for determining eligibility.
Is the Dependent Disabled?
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
12

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

This information is required only if the benefit plan requires the data for determining eligibility.

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

This information is required only if the benefit plan requires the data for determining eligibility.
Is the Person a Dependent? (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
13

Accepted Values:

Yes No

If this person can be a Dependent for a Health or Life & Disability benefit plan, enter “Yes.”

Otherwise, set it to “No.”

Every person included must be a Dependent and/or a Beneficiary.

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

If this person is a dependent for any benefit plan, enter “Yes.” Otherwise, set it to “No.”
Is the Person a Beneficiary? (Required)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
14

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

If the person can be a Beneficiary for a Life & Disability or Retirement benefit plan, enter “Yes.” Otherwise, set it to “No.”

Every person included must be a Dependent and/or a Beneficiary.

Accepted Values:

Yes
No

If this person is a beneficiary for any benefit plan, enter “Yes.” Otherwise, set it to “No.”
Dependent's Primary Country
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
15

Accepted Values:

CAN
USA
GBR

 The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

Accepted Values:

CAN
USA
GBR

 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.
Dependent Primary Address
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
16 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. 1234 Vermont Ave
12-566 Simcoe St		 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Dependent Primary Address 2
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
17 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. Unit 709
Suite 65		 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Dependent Primary Address 3
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
18 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. Unit 709
Suite 65		 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Dependent Primary City
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
19 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. New York
Santa Monica
Toronto		 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Dependent Primary State or Province
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
20 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. FL
IL
ON		 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Dependent Primary Postal Code
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
21 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. M2H2L5
52953		 This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Dependent Primary County
  Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
22 String1 between 1-64 characters. The dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address. West Midlands This information is the dependent's primary address record if it differs from the employee's address.

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

Effective Start Date of the Address (Mandatory if an address is provided)
Order Data Type Description Examples Why This Is Needed
23 Date. Excel right-justified date format or Excel text format yyyy-mm-dd).

The Effective Start Date for the dependent's address.

If an address is provided, then the Effective Start Date is required.

Date formatted cells:

09/24/2015
24/09/2015

Text formatted cells:

2015-09-24

This information is the Effective Start Date for the Dependent's address.