Yes. We offer carrier connections, which is an automated process in BambooHR that delivers enrollment data to your carriers. However, you will need to have a conversation with your carriers to see if you meet their requirements and if they qualify for the automation. 

If you do not qualify for carrier connections, BambooHR makes this process as easy as possible for you through two other options. Once you approve benefit elections, you can either download your enrollment data as a CSV/Excel file or use our PDF Form Builder and then send the data to your carriers.

If you choose to outsource this information to your broker, we make it super easy for you to set up broker access to Benefits Administration in BambooHR! This allows your broker to have access to what they need so that it is less of a hassle for you. 

The relationship between BambooHR, your broker, and the benefits carrier is a simple one. BambooHR will help your company capture and store your employees' benefits enrollment data all in one place and in real time so that your broker can easily export the data and provide it to the necessary benefits vendors. This eliminates the need to use a third party for benefit enrollment. BambooHR can help answer questions about how we track your employees' benefits data and capture enrollments. The broker will be able to answer your questions about plan-specific details offered by different carriers. Below are some examples: 

• Ask BambooHR: "Does BambooHR calculate HSA matches based on our policy?"
• Ask your broker: "What would be a competitive HSA match for us to offer?"

After we enable Benefits Administration in your account, you will be able to set up Benefits Administration according to your company’s needs. However, if you are expecting to reach out to Support or plan on adding carrier connections, you will need to set up Benefits Administration at least four weeks in advance of the enablement or open enrollment start date.

Employees will need to add their dependents to the Benefits tab in BambooHR or in the first step of the enrollment process for an active enrollment window they are part of. Employees will also need to make sure they have filled out the required fields* for their dependents, as those fields will determine if the dependents can be included in enrollment for specific benefit plans. 

*Required fields:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Birth Date
• Gender
• Relationship

No. However, to ensure each employee's enrollment data gets the attention it deserves, you will need to approve each submission individually.

You can edit an employee's approved benefit elections within a specific enrollment window. The edits will then show in the reports, PDF forms (upon download), and sync via carrier connections. Click here to learn more.

Yes. If you start an enrollment window and realize you need to update a plan, you can do so prior to the start date of the enrollment window. If the start date has passed, you can still make changes. Click here to learn more about how to make those changes.

For example, if the employee is in a new hire enrollment window and an open enrollment window, they will see the Start Enrollment button on Home in BambooHR. The button does not specify which enrollment window, but the employee be able to complete the enrollment window and then click Start Enrollment again for the other enrollment window they need to complete.

Yes. Currently, you can set up an automated enrollment window for new hires in BambooHR. Click here to learn more.

Yes. Your employees can update their dependents during enrollment. If the employee has submitted their benefit elections, they will be unable to change their dependents' information for the enrollment window. It is best practice to ensure your employees' information about their dependents are up to date and accurate prior to enrollment.

When an employee starts electing benefits, BambooHR will autosave their progress. "Progress saved" will show at the bottom right corner of the screen as the employee goes through each enrollment step. If the employee chooses to exit the enrollment process before submitting their benefit elections, they will be able to return and pick up where they left off by clicking Continue Enrollment from Home in BambooHR.

You will need to add new benefit plans to the enrollment window in the enrollment window setup. Navigate to Benefits > Enrollment Windows and then click on the enrollment window name. In the setup, mark the new plan you want to include in the enrollment window.

No. You will not have access to an employee's enrollment process. The Preview as This User option is not available for reviewing or completing the enrollment process on behalf of your employee. If you hover over Start Enrollment on an employee profile in preview mode, a message will appear: "Enrollments cannot be reviewed and completed while previewing as an employee."

BambooHR offers three ways in which a customer can process and send enrollment data to their carriers. Listed below are the three ways, and you can determine which best fits your company's needs and carriers' requirements:

1. CSV File Export: Standardized enrollment reports are available for you to download data in a CSV or Excel format. Before download, you can configure the report to show data based on a plan year, enrollment window, and include any enrollment changes within a specified time frame. After downloading the report, you will be able to send it to your carriers outside of BambooHR.
2. PDF Form Builder: BambooHR provides you a way to configure your carrier's specific enrollment forms so that you can download your employees' enrollment data directly onto the forms after an enrollment window closes. You can then send the downloaded forms to your carriers (email or SFTP upload) for processing. 
3. Carrier Connections: We offer an automated data feed between your carrier's system and BambooHR, but you will need to review if your carrier meets the requirements for this process. If you qualify, BambooHR will send enrollment data via an API integration that we have developed with a third-party data processing partner.