Employee Benefits

Activate User's Guide
Version
2025.1
Employee Benefits

Use the Employee Benefits wizard to create, maintain, and automate the benefits configuration in Dayforce. You can create the benefit plans and options under specific benefit carriers and assign rates and eligibility to different benefit plans. You can also configure Activate to apply deductions and earnings to employees’ pay automatically, based on the payroll mappings associated with the plan options. If a benefit carrier doesn't open in the list of predefined benefit carriers, you can create it. Furthermore, you can use this wizard to configure tiered coverage, which automatically creates tiered coverage expressions based on standards and best practices.

Note: To reduce time and effort, use the Employee Benefit Elections for Employees, Dependents, and Beneficiaries wizard to load both employee and dependent/beneficiary elections. Activate validates the data.

Note: This functionality currently applies only to the United States and Canada.

Important: Make sure you review all of the rates before installing. When the data has been installed in Dayforce, you must log in to Dayforce or use the Benefit Rate Importer wizard to adjust the rates.

Note: Activate shares all of your mappings across all applicable environments so you don't have to reconfigure each time you use a different environment. If the changes you make in one environment invalidate the mappings in another environment, Activate notifies you when you access a wizard with invalid mappings that need to be updated.

Prerequisites

You must have completed the following wizards:

Key concepts

Benefit Carrier

Configuring benefit carriers enables you to associate plans and options with the benefits provider. You can record as many carriers as necessary to meet your organization's needs. For example, in the organization XYZ, health plans are provided through Blue Cross, but life insurance is offered through State Farm. Both carriers are configured and associated with the appropriate benefit plans.

Benefit Plan

Plans are configured by type and carrier. Each plan type can be assigned a specific subtype that can impact plan options. Eligibility qualifiers can be assigned to each plan that determine which employees are eligible to enroll in the plan, coverage periods, payroll mappings, and various options that can be configured with rates and participants. Each level of the plan can be configured with eligibility qualifiers to determine which employees are eligible for the plan, coverage period, or option.

Tasks

To open the wizard:
  1. In Activate Central, select Build Dayforce and the Build Dayforce wizards show.
  2. Click Employee Benefits.
To add benefit carriers:
  1. Click Add a Benefit Carrier and the Add a Benefit Carrier dialog box opens.
  2. Enter the Benefit Carrier information:
    1. Select the carrier enter. Custom Benefit Carrier is available at the top of the list.
    2. Enter the benefit carrier name.

    3. Enter a description.

    All of these fields are required.

    Note: You’ll enter the contact information directly in Dayforce later.

  3. Select the benefit carrier from the Carrier Type list.
  4. If you don't see the carrier you’re looking for, click Custom Benefit Carrier.
  5. Complete the form.

    All of the fields are required.

  6. Click Done and the new benefit carrier shows on the Benefit Plans page.
To add plans:
  1. On the Benefit Plans page, click Add a Plan next to the benefit carrier to which the plan is being assigned.
  1. Complete the benefit plan details.

    Answer all of the questions on the page. Select the answers that best reflect the benefit plan that you’re configuring. Based on your answers, questions might be shown to capture more detail.

    Note: For information on each question, see the Questions section (below).

    Note: At any time during this process, you can click Save in the bottom-left corner of the page and exit the wizard. This saved plan shows as an “In Progress” plan on the Summary page.

  2. Click Next to go to the next page.
  3. Click Done.
  4. Enter any employer and employee costs associated with the plan.
  5. Click Save. The new benefit plan shows under the appropriate benefit carrier on the Benefit Plan page.
To install benefit plans and carriers:

When the configuration is complete in Activate, you must install the benefit plans and benefit carriers in Dayforce.

  1. Click Done & Install.

    A warning states that Activate will install data into Dayforce. If it finds any errors, it will perform a database rollback to remove any manual changes applied in Dayforce during the installation attempt. In addition, don’t continue with the Activate installation if users are actively making configuration changes because they can be removed if a failure occurs.

  2. Click one of the following:
    • Cancel to return to the Benefit Plans page.
    • OK to continue.

    You can click Download user report to download a report that contains the users who are actively signed into Dayforce and might make 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.

    After you click OK, a message states that you’re about to install benefit plans and carriers in Dayforce and you can only change them directly in Dayforce after the installation.

  3. Click one of the following:
    • No to return to the Benefit Plans page.
    • Yes to continue with the installation.

    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.

  4. Click one of the following:
    • Add Email and enter your email address to receive an email when the installation process ends, instead of waiting for it to finish.
    • Next w hen the installation is complete.

    Activate Central opens with the name of the Wizard now shown in green text and a green checkmark to the left of the wizard’s name. The current day, date, and time of completion are included, 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 Executing a Rollback When Using the “Add More“ Feature in the Payroll Wizards.

To view the Benefit Plans Summary report:

This report is accessible when the installation of benefit plans and carriers to Dayforce is complete.

  1. Open Activate Central.
  2. Below the Employee Benefits row, click View Installed Dayforce Elements.

    The report includes the following information:

    For Benefit Plan Carriers:

    • Benefit Plan Carrier
    • Description

    For Benefit Plans:

    • Benefit Plan Name
    • Description
    • Policy Number
    • Plan Option
    • Eligibility Qualifier
  3. Click Print and save the report to the appropriate location on your computer.
  4. Click Back and Activate Central opens.
To define plan options:

Note: The Options page applies to Reimbursement and Retirement plans. You can add multiple options per plan.

  1. On the Tell us a little more about the plan's Options page, enter the option name.

    This field is required and can be a maximum of 48 characters.

  2. Select the contribution period.
  3. Enter the employee's minimum contribution amount (for reimbursement option) or percentage (for retirement option).

    This field is required and must be an integer between 0 and 100.

  4. Enter the employee's maximum contribution amount or percentage. This field is required and must be an integer between 0 and 100.
  5. Enter the employer's contribution amount or percentage. This field is required and must be an integer between 0 and 100.
  6. To insert a new row in the table to add another plan option, click Add a Option and complete the above steps.

    Note: To delete a plan option, click at the end of the row.

  7. Click Next.
To edit benefit plans:
  1. Click Get Started and the Benefit Plans page opens.
  2. Select the arrow to the left of the benefit plan name and the plan details show.
  3. Click Edit Plan and the Plan Details page opens.
  4. Complete the benefit plan details.

    Answer all of the questions. There’s no right or wrong answer. Select the answers that best reflect the benefit plan that you’re configuring. Based on your answers, additional questions might show to capture more detail.

    Note: For information on each question, see the Questions section (below).

    Note: At any time during this process, you can click Save in the bottom-left corner of the page and exit the wizard.

  5. At the bottom of each page, click Next.
  6. Click Done.
  7. Enter any employer and employee costs associated with the plan.
  8. Click Save. The Benefit Plans page opens and the plan is updated.
To edit plan rates:
  1. Click Get Started and the Benefit Plans page opens.
  2. Select the arrow to the left of the benefit plan name.

    The plan details are shown.

  3. Click Edit Rates. The plan costs show.
  4. Update the information as needed.

    Note: For information on each question, see the Questions section (below).

  5. Click Saveand the Benefit Plans page opens and the rates are updated.
To copy a benefit plan:
  1. In the benefit carrier section, hover the mouse over the benefit plan.
  2. Click Copy. The copied plan shows beneath the original benefit plan, with “- Copy” appended to the plan name.
  3. Edit the plan as necessary.
To delete benefit plans:
  1. In the benefit carrier section, hover the mouse over the benefit plan.
  2. Click Delete Plan.

    A message shows stating that you’ll be permanently deleting the benefit plan and the action can’t be undone. Click Cancel to close the dialog box and not delete the Benefit Plan or click Delete to continue with the deletion.

  3. Click Delete and the plan no longer shows on the Benefit Plans page.
To edit benefit carriers:
  1. Click Get Started and the Benefit Plans page opens.
  2. Click Edit () beside the benefit carrier name and the Add a Benefit Carrier dialog box opens.
  3. Update the fields as appropriate.
  4. Click Done.
To delete benefit carriers:
  1. Click Get Started and the Benefit Plans page opens.
  2. Click Edit () beside the benefit carrier name and the Add a Benefit Carrier dialog box opens.
  3. Click Delete Benefit Carrier.
  4. Click Confirm Delete. The benefit carrier no longer shows on the Benefit Plans page.

Results

The configured benefit carriers and plans are installed in Dayforce.

This wizard updates the Plans and Options page in Dayforce (Benefits Setup > Plans and Options).

Note: When you install a Benefit Plan, Activate creates an empty waive plan for each combination of plan subtype and country automatically. The naming convention for the plan is “Waive <Plan Sub-Type>.” It also creates an empty waive option for the waive plan that is named “Waive Plan” and has Taxability set to None. The Waived Option checkbox is selected for all waive plans. The no Cost checkbox is selected only for Health Plan > Waive Options. The Coverage Flat Amount is set to 0 for L&D > Waive Options.

XRefCodes installation convention

Activate populates the Employee Benefits XRefCodes so you don’t have to edit them manually for each plan and option after installation. The response you select for the question “Which of the following best describe who can participate in this plan?” controls the prefixes for the following XRefCodes.

Health Option XRefCodes

The name format for all Health plans is <Plan Name> - <Participant>.

The Health Plan XRefCodes use the full name with no spaces or special characters (such as $, #, %). The underscore (_) is acceptable.

For the Health Option XRefCodes, the participant selection determines the prefix as follows:

Health option XRefCode prefixed
This prefix... Indicates this participant selection...
EMP Employee Only
ESP Employee & Spouse
ECH Employee & Children
E1D Employee & 1 Dependent
FAM Employee & Family
EDP Employee & Domestic Partner
EDF Employee, Domestic Partner & DP Children
EDD Employee, Domestic Partner & DP Children
Life and Disability Option XRefCodes

The name format for all Life & Disability plans is <Plan Name> - <Participant>.

The Life and Disability Plan XRefCodes use the full name with no spaces or special characters (such as $, #, %). The underscore (_) is acceptable.

For the Life and Disability Option XRefCodes, the participant selection determines the prefix as follows:

Life and Disability Plan XRefCode prefixes
This prefix... Indicates this participant selection...
EMP Employee
ESP Spouse
ECH Children
Reimbursement Plan XRefCodes

The name format for all Reimbursement and Retirement plans is <Plan Name> - <Option Name>.

The selected answer works with the Select the type that best fits your plan field. to determine the prefix to apply to the Reimbursement Plan XRefCode.

Benefits Eligibility Workflow Installation

As part of the Employee Benefits installation, Activate associates the Benefits Eligibility workflow with the following HR events:

New Hire/Rehire (xref NewHireCompleted)
  • With an effective date of 1/1/2000 and no end date populated.
  • With the following Triggering forms:
    • Candidate Hire (XRef CandidateHireForm)
    • Internal Candidate Hire (XRef InternalCandidateHireForm)
    • New Hire (XRef NewHire)
    • Rehire (XRef RehireForm)
Employment Status Changed (xref EmploymentStatusChanged)
  • With an effective date of 1/1/2000 and no end date populated.
  • With the following Triggering Forms:
    • Job Assignment and Compensation Change (XRef BaseCompesantionChange)
    • Terminate an Employee (XRef Termination)
Assignment Changed (XRef AssignmentChanged)
  • With an effective date of 1/1/2000 and no end date populated.
  • With the following Triggering Forms:
    • Job Assignment and Compensation Change (XRef BaseCompesantionChange)
    • Job Assignment Change (XRef PositionChange)

Note: If these forms, workflows, and events have been associated in the Dayforce environment, Activate doesn’t introduce redundant configuration.

Next steps

Complete the next wizard, as appropriate.

Questions

Benefit Plans
To which country does this plan apply?

The country the benefit plan is associated with. The plan options change based on the selected country.

Let's name your plan

A unique name for the benefit plan. This field is required and you can enter a maximum of 64 characters. The name shows in Dayforce as the Benefit Plan Name and Dayforce uses this name as the basis of the plan's XRefCode. Spaces are converted to underscores and ampersands are converted to the word “AND.”

Note: The name format for all Health and Life & Disability plans is <Plan Name> - <Participant>. Health, Life, and Disability plan names can’t contain spaces or special characters, such as $, #, %. Underscores (_) are acceptable.

Note: The name format for all Reimbursement and Retirement plans is <Plan Name> - <Option Name>. Reimbursement Plan XRefCodes contain prefixes, such as “EMP_” and “FAM_,” that are based on the answers to the following questions: “Select the type that best fits your plan” and “Which of the following best describe who can participate in this plan?”

In your own words, describe your plan.

A description of the plan. The description should be detailed enough to differentiate the plan from other plans. This field is required and you can enter a maximum of 256 characters.

Which category does this plan fit best?
  • Health
  • Life & Disability
  • Reimbursement
  • Retirement
Select the type that best fits your plan.

The type options are shown based on the selected country and the plan category, in alphabetical order by plan subtypes.

Health plans include types such as medical, dental, vision, prescription drug, hearing, and employee assistance programs (EAP).

Life & Disability plans include types such as long-term disability, short-term disability, long-term care, accidental death, and dismemberment (AD & D), dependent life insurance, employee life, and critical illness.

Reimbursement plans include types such as flexible spending accounts, Health Reimbursement Account, Health Savings Account, Parking, and Transportation.

Retirement plans include types such as 401(k), 403(B), Federal Thrift Savings Plan, IRA, Money Purchase Plan, Retirement Annuity, and Pension Plan.

Note: The answer to this question helps to determine the prefix to be applied to the Reimbursement Plan XRefCode.

Do any of the following apply to this plan? Please select all that apply.

Note: This question doesn’t show for Canadian Retirement plans.

The plan options show dynamically based on the select plan country, category, and type.

  • Subject to ACA Reporting: Dayforce tracks information on coverage offerings for the plan in accordance with the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This option isn’t available for Reimbursement plans.

    Note: This option is available only when:
    - The country is USA.
    - The Plan Type is Health.
    - The Plan Sub Type is Catastrophic Health, Medical, Medical EPO, Medical HMO, Medical PPO, and Medical Indemnity.

  • High Deductible: The plan is considered a high deductible plan.
  • Self Insured: This option isn’t available for Reimbursement plans.
  • Subject to COBRA: The plan is included in processes, reports, and exports in accordance with the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
  • Subject to Section 125 of the Internal Revenue Code: The plan is subject to Section 125 regulations. This option is available only for Retirement plans. This option is the only available one for US Retirement plans.
  • Is Short Plan Year: This option is available only for Reimbursement plans in Canada.

Note: If you selected Life & Disability, click Self Insured, if applicable.

When was this plan first offered?

The first date that the plan was originally offered.

When does your plan year start and end?

The first and last date of the plan year. All plans associated with a carrier must have the same plan year start and end dates.

What is the policy number for this plan?

The number that identifies the plan with the associated carrier. Dayforce uses this number for reporting and carrier feeds.

What is the plan code for this plan?

The code that identifies the plan with the associated carrier. Dayforce uses this code for reporting and carrier feeds.

Which of the following best describe who can participate in this plan?

This field is required. Select who can participate in the plan. It’s important that you select the appropriate participants because this selection controls the configuration options, the eligibility associated with the options, and the associated rates.

For USA Benefit Plans, if you select Domestic Partner, Activate creates options for Pre-Tax and Post-Tax. The naming convention for the plans is <Benefit Plan Name> - <Participant Type> - Pre-tax and <Benefit Plan Name> - <Participant Type> - Post-tax. The pre-tax and post-tax versions of each domestic partner option are installed in separate benefit option groups.

Note: Benefit plans that were in progress but not yet installed in Dayforce before R23 show as in progress in Activate when old deprecated participants were used during configuration. You’ll need to select the participant list again for those plans.

Health and Life & Disability Plans

For Health and Life & Disability plans, the answer you select to the question “Which category does this plan fit best?” determines which options show in this field:

If you select this answer... These options are available:
Health
  • Employee Only (EMP)
  • Employee + 1 Dependent (E1D)
  • Employee & Spouse (ESP)
  • Employee & Children (ECH)
  • Employee & Family (FAM)
  • Employee & Domestic Partner (EDP)
  • Employee, Domestic Partner & DP Children (EDP_CH)
  • Employee, Domestic Partner & Children (EDP_DCH)
Life & Disability
  • Employee
  • Spouse
  • Children
Fields configured in Dayforce when you select Spouse

For Life & Disability plans, when you click Spouse, the following fields are configured in Dayforce:

Field Settings
Number of Participants Allowed
  • Minimum = 2
  • Maximum = 2
Allow Spouse to Enroll
  • True
  • Minimum Age = 0

Select from previously defined eligibilities in Dayforce.

Fields configured in Dayforce when you select Children

For Life & Disability plans, when you click Children, the following fields are configured in Dayforce:

Field Settings
Number of Participants Allowed
  • Minimum = 2
  • Maximum =<blank>
Allow Spouse to Enroll
  • True
  • Minimum Age = 0
  • Maximum Age = <blank>
  • Limit Children Age Range > Based on = “Event Date”
  • Allow Student & Disabled Child Status = True
  • Limit Student Age Range > Min age = 0
  • Limit Student Age Range > Max age = <blank>
  • Limit Student Age Range > Based on= “Event Date”
  • Limit Disable Child Age Range > Min age = 0
  • Limit Disable Child Age Range > Max age = <blank>
Do you want to choose an eligibility from Dayforce or create a new one?
  • Choose from Dayforce
  • Create New Eligibility
Choose from previously defined eligibilities in Dayforce.

If you selected Choose from Dayforce for the question Do you want to choose an eligibility from Dayforce or create a new one?, select the existing eligibility from the list.

Select from the list of available eligibilities in Dayforce. Only parent (top-level) eligibilities show. You can see these eligibilities on the Benefits Setup > Eligibility page in Dayforce.

Note: This question applies to Reimbursement and Retirement plans only and shows if you selected Choose from Dayforcefor the question Please select a predefined eligibility.

Note: No eligibilities in Dayforce can have duplicate names or XRefCodes. If there are any with duplicate names, a message identifies the duplicates by eligibility name and you must correct them before proceeding.

Note: The Choose from Dayforce option is available if there are existing eligibilities in Dayforce.

Please select a predefined eligibility.

If you’re creating a new eligibility, you can select a predefined eligibility that already exists in Dayforce.

Select one predefined eligibility for the plan that you’re creating.

Note: This question applies to Reimbursement and Retirement plans only.

Note: If you select an eligibility that was selected previously and has already been installed in Dayforce, Activate appends a number to the end of the new eligibility name to differentiate it from the already existing eligibility.

What do you base the plan coverage start date on for the newly eligible employees?

The plan coverage start date for newly eligible employees.

  • Original Hire Date: The date of the first time the employee was hired.
  • Most Recent Hire Date: Coverage dates for rehires are based on the date they were most recently hired.
  • Seniority Date: Dayforce manually tracks this date on the employee profile and it can be adjusted as needed.
  • Enrollment Submission Date: The date the employee submitted their enrollment. This date isn’t applicable when manually entering elections.
  • Other (please describe): Enter your explanation.
Please choose the probationary period that an employee must complete before coverage begins.

For many benefit plans, coverage doesn’t start immediately when an employee is hired. Select the appropriate number of days an employee must complete before coverage begins. Options include none, 30, 60, or 90 days, or Other. For Other, enter a positive integer.

How soon after the end of the employee's probationary period does coverage start?

Even after their probationary period ends, the employee's coverage might not start immediately.

  • Immediately
  • Start of Next Month: For probationary periods that end in the middle of the month, this option ensures that coverage starts on the first of the following month. For example, if the probationary period ends on January 15, then the coverage will begin on February 1.
  • Other (please describe): Enter the coverage start date criteria.
How soon after an employee is no longer eligible for this plan will their coverage end?
  • Immediately
  • End of the Month
  • Other (please describe)
Do you have a single set of employee and/or employer rates for each participant option or do you have multiple rate sets based on the employee's characteristics?
  • Standard Rate Set
  • Qualified Rate Set: Select this option if your rates vary based on whether the employee is Full Time or Part Time.
Which of the following attributes do you use to define this plan's rates?

This question shows if you selected Qualified Rate Set for the question “Do you have a single set of employee and/or employer rates for each participant option or do you have multiple rate sets based on the employee's characteristics?”

Select the appropriate attributes. The cost of many health plans fluctuates based on certain employee attributes.

About the Province option

The Province option is available only for Canadian Health and L&D plans.

Selecting this option creates the following types of rate entries for each category on Benefit Plan Rates:

  • Non-RST Province
  • Ontario
  • Quebec
  • Manitoba
Eligibilites created by the Activate installation
Eligibility Attributes
Non RST Province Employees
  • Qualifier: Employee Qualifier
  • Name: Employee lives in a province where RST isn’t applicable.
  • Description: Employees living in provinces where the Retail Sales Tax (RST) isn’t applicable.
  • Active= True
  • Exclude Primary Residence State / Province = Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba
Ontario Employees
  • Qualifier: Employee Qualifier
  • Name: Employee lives in Ontario.
  • Description: Employees living in Ontario where the Retail Sales Tax (RST) is applicable.
  • Active = True
  • Include Primary Residence State / Province = Ontario
Quebec Employees
  • Qualifier: Employee Qualifier
  • Name: Employee lives in Quebec.
  • Description: Employees living in Quebec the Retail Sales Tax (RST) is applicable.
  • Active = True
  • Include Primary Residence State / Province = Quebec
Manitoba Employees
  • Qualifier: Employee Qualifier
  • Name: Employee lives in Manitoba.
  • Description: Employees living in Manitoba where the Retail Sales Tax (RST) is applicable.
  • Active = True
  • Include Primary Residence State / Province = Manitoba
What happens if an employee's probationary period ends on the 1st of the month?
  • Coverage starts immediately
  • Coverage starts on the 1st of the next month
How soon after an employee is no longer eligible for this plan will their coverage end?

Select when the coverage ends.

  • Immediately
  • End of the Month
  • Other (please describe): Enter the coverage end date criteria.
What is the coverage amount based on?

Use the following fields for Activate to create the coverage expression automatically. If you have multiple options, the selections you make there will be installed into all of your accounts. You can hover the mouse over the Information icon () next to the field to show information about which field this question updates in Dayforce.

  • Flat Amount: Employees get a fixed coverage amount that can’t be changed. If you select this option, the following field shows:
    • Enter the coverage amount: This field is required. Enter a numeric value with a maximum of 10 digits before the decimal and two digits after the decimal. Hover the mouse over next to the field to show information about which field this question updates in Dayforce
  • In Units: Employees can select their desired coverage amount within an allowed range. If you select this option, the following fields show:
    • Enter incremental units for the coverage: If you enter 100, employees can only select coverage in units of 100. For example 100, 200, 300 and so on. This field is required. Enter a numeric value with a maximum of 10 digits before the decimal and two digits after the decimal.
    • What is the minimum coverage amount allowed for an employee?: The final coverage amount can’t be less than the minimum. This field is required. Enter a numeric value with a maximum of 10 digits before the decimal and two digits after the decimal.
    • What is the maximum coverage amount allowed for an employee? The final coverage amount can’t be greater than the maximum. This field is optional.
  • Compensation: The coverage amount is calculated from the employee's compensation. If you select this field, the following fields show:
    • Which type of compensation is used in coverage calculations?: Select from the following:
      • Base Compensation: The employee's base salary or base rate multiplied by their normal weekly hours. Enter a numeric value with a maximum of three digits before the decimal and four digits after the decimal. This field is the default, and it defaults to one.
      • Benefit Compensation: The employee's Benefit Compensation defined in Benefit Properties. If none exists, the base compensation is used instead. The variable “BenComp” is used in the expression. If “BenComp” doesn’t exist, the expression uses “BaseComp.”
      • Base Compensation + Benefit Compensation: The employee's base salary is added to the Benefit Compensation defined in Benefit Properties. The coverage expression uses both variables “BaseComp” and “BenComp.”
    • What is the compensation frequency?: Select from the following:
      • Weekly Amount: The employee's annual compensation is divided by 52 and then used in coverage calculations. If you selected “Base Compensation + Benefit Compensation,” Activate uses “(BaseComp+BenComp/52)” in the coverage expression.
      • Monthly Amount: The employee's annual compensation is divided by 12 and then used in coverage calculations. If you selected “Base Compensation + Benefit Compensation,“ Activate uses “(BaseComp+BenComp/12)” in the coverage expression.
      • Annual Amount: The employee's annual compensation is used in coverage calculations. This option is the default.
    • What is the multiplier to calculate the coverage amount from the compensation?: Enter 5 for coverage equal to 5x compensation, or 0.67 for coverage equal to 67% of compensation.
    • How should rounding apply to the coverage amount?: Select from the following options:
      • Round To Next: Coverage is always rounded up to a specified value. If you select this option, selection from the following:
        • 0.09
        • 1: This is the default for LTD/STD plans.
        • 100
        • 1000: This is the default for Basic Life plans.

      • Round To Nearest: If the coverage is less than half of the specified unit, it’s rounded down. If coverage is equal to or greater than half the specified unit, it’s rounded up. This option is the default. If you select this option, select from the following:

        • 0.09
        • 1: This is the default for LTD/STD plans.
        • 100
        • 1000: This is the default for Basic Life plans.
      • No Rounding: The coverage amount isn’t rounded at all.
    • What unit amount should coverage be rounded to?: Select from the four most frequently used options to align with Best Practices.
    • What is the minimum coverage amount allowed for an employee?: The final coverage amount can’t be less than the minimum. This field is optional. Enter a numeric value with a maximum of 10 digits before the decimal and two digits after the decimal.
    • What is the maximum coverage amount allowed for an employee?: The final coverage amount can’t be greater than the maximum. This field is optional. Enter a numeric value with a maximum of 10 digits before the decimal and two digits after the decimal.
Which type of expression is used in coverage calculations?

This question shows only when the plan's Coverage Amount Type is Compensation (if it applies to Life & Disability Plans).

  • Non-Tiered: The coverage amount is calculated on a single rate multiplier for the entire compensation range that you enter below. (The prompt shows when you select this option.) When you select this option, the question “What is the multiplier to calculate the coverage amount from the compensation?” shows.
  • Tiered: The coverage amount is calculated incrementally based on the different rate multipliers for increasing ranges of compensation that you enter below. (The prompt shows when you select this option.) When you select Tiered, the question “Enter the compensation range and rate percent multiplier for each tier in the expression” shows.
What is the multiplier to calculate the coverage amount from the compensation?

This question shows when you click Non-Tiered for the question “Which type of expression is used in coverage calculations?”

Enter a value coverage equal to the compensation rate. For example, enter 5 for coverage equal to 5 times the compensation, or enter 0.67 for coverage equal to 67% of compensation. This number is the coverage expression in the Coverage Tab - Coverage Amount field in Dayforce.

Enter the compensation range and rate percent multiplier for each tier in the expression

This question shows when you click Tiered for the question “Which type of expression is used in coverage calculations?”

Enter the compensation range and rate percent multiplier for each tier in the expression. The Compensation From field is noneditable and is calculated based on the value entered in the Compensation To field in the next row. The last row always shows “Indefinite” in the Compensation To field. Click Add Tier to insert new rows in the table. You can click to delete any row in the table except the first row, if needed.

Do you have a single set of employee and/or employer rates for each participant option or do you have multiple rate sets based on the employee's characteristics?

Set any rate qualifiers for this plan. You can add a specific carrier/employer/employee cost for a specific date range.

  • Standard Rate Set: Single set of employee and/or employer rates for all participants.
  • Qualified Rate Set: Select this option if your rates vary based on an employee attribute. Make sure that you define the attributes that will be used (for example, full time versus part-time employees and hourly versus salaried employees).
Which of the following attributes do you use to define this plan's rates?

The cost of many health plans fluctuates based on certain employee attributes.

  • Age: If you select this qualifier, when you click Next, the What age ranges do this plan's options need? page opens.
  • Tobacco Use
  • Gender
  • Wellness Participant
  • Manager vs. Non-Manager
  • Other: Enter the information in the text field.
Does this plan have a volume-driven rate?

Many Life & Disability Plans calculate rates based on the volume of the participant's elected coverage. In this case, the total rate for the plan would be variable based on how much coverage the individual has.

  • Yes, this plan's rates are based on volume of coverage
  • No, this plan's rates are fixed
What is the coverage volume amount (in dollars) that the specified rates will be based on?

This question shows if you click Yes, this plan's rate are based on volume of coverage for the question “Does this plan have a volume-driven rate?”

Enter the amount. For example, if the plan rates are calculated based on every $1,000 of coverage, you would enter a coverage volume amount of 1000.

What age ranges are used to define the plan’s rates?

Specify your age ranges for the plan's options.

Note: The initial age range is from 0 years to “indefinite.” You can’t delete or change this initial age range.

To specify your age ranges for the plan's options

Note: The initial age range is from 0 years to “indefinite.” You can’t delete or change this initial age range.

  1. Click Add a Range to add a new row to the table.
  2. Enter the starting number for the age range. You must enter a positive value of three digits or less.
  3. Enter the ending number for the age range. You must enter a positive value of three digits or less.
  4. Click Save at any time to save the entered information. You can enter as many age ranges as wanted. For each age range you add, the beginning number must be larger than the ending number of the previous range. You aren’t required to enter the ending number for the age range. If you want to delete the age range, select the row containing the age range.

    Important: If you edit a plan that has existing rates, Activate deletes the existing rates.

  5. Click Next.

    The age ranges are shown on the Plan Rates page. Upon installation, these age ranges become the Benefit Eligibility Qualifiers with the ages ranges in them.

Are there employer or employee costs associated with this plan that should be mapped to a payroll code?

Select the deduction and earning code to map the employee and employer costs, respectively associated with the plan.

  • Yes: Employee and/or employer costs apply. Select the employee and employer cost for each benefit option.
  • No: There are no employer and/or employee costs to apply.

If you selected one of the Domestic Partner options (Employee & Domestic Partner, Employee, Domestic Partner & DP Children, or Employee, Domestic Partner & Children), you can select the Employee and Employer Cost for Pre-Tax and Post-Tax. On the Benefit Plan Rates page, you can configure them separately.

Employee and Employer Cost

This question shows if you select Yes for the question “Are there employer or employee costs associated with this plan that should be mapped to a payroll code?”

For each benefit plan, add the employee and employer costs associated with the plan based on participation and enrollment.

Important: Make sure you review all rates before installing. When installed in Dayforce, the rates can only be adjusted in Dayforce.

Benefit Carriers

Configuring a plan carrier allows you to associate plans and options with the benefit provider. You can configure as many benefit carriers as required to meet your organization's needs.

The Name and Description are mapped into the Benefit Carrier Name / Description in Dayforce (Dayforce > Benefits Setup > Plan Carriers).

Carrier Type

The benefit carrier. Select a benefit carrier from the list. If you don't see the carrier that you’re looking for, click Custom Benefit Carrier.

Name

Enter a unique name for the benefit carrier. This name shows wherever you can select a carrier in Dayforce. This field is required.

Description

A unique description of the benefit carrier. This field is required.

Recommended actions

Thoroughly review all rates and costs entered in this wizard before installing into Dayforce. When installed, it’s cumbersome to make corrections because you can’t re-configure the plan setup with Activate.