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Participant resources

General

Your account email address can be updated on the plan website by navigating to My Profile. Select Change Your Email Address and then enter your password, new email address, and click Save.

To change the emails for plan notifications, from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Plan > Plan Overview > Edit. Please note these changes will take effect immediately, but some notifications may have already queued for transmission using the existing email.

To change the email address of your user access to the plan website, please notify your client service team.

For 401(k) plans: To update the plan's address, complete the Client Contact Change Form and return to the plan provider for processing. This form is available on the plan website, from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Resources > Forms > Client Contact Change Form. You may return the completed form via fax or email to your client service team.

For 403(b) plans or PEP: Contact your client service team for the applicable form.

To update the authorized plan contacts, complete the Client Contact Change Form and return to Ascensus for processing. This form is available on the plan website, from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Resources > Forms > Client Contact Change Form. You may return the completed form via email to your client service team.

To update your billing payment method or banking information for fees, please call your client service team for further assistance.

Most forms will have instructions listing the applicable location to return to. Otherwise you may send to requests@ascensus.com or mail to 200 Dryden Road, Dresher, PA 19025.

Applicable only for ERISA 403(b) plans and 401(k) plans. Plan fees are described in the 408(b)(2) Notice (employer fee disclosure), which is available on your plan website. From the Dashboard > Plan Information > Library > Documents. If you have an Individual(k) plan or do not have access to the notice, contact your client service team.

Your Plan Document should indicate participant eligibility criteria and would require an amendment to change it.

Contribution Processing

Contributions can be submitted online via the plan website. From the Dashboard, click the Submit Payroll Contributions link on the Plan Administration tile or Plan Administration > Contributions. You will then have the option to manually enter contributions or upload a file.

The Department of Labor (DOL) regulation states that employers must deposit employee contributions to the plan as soon as administratively possible. To learn more, review this guide for information on timely deposits.

The IRS sets annual limits that apply specifically to the amount employees, employers, or a combination of both can be put into an employee's account. Refer to the Annual COLA Limits chart to review the annual limit.

The deadline for same-day trading of payroll contributions received in good order and submitted is generally 1pm ET. Payroll contributions submitted after the deadline will generally trade on the following business day. The available balance will display the business day following the trade date.

Hours must be entered in whole numbers only, please round to the nearest whole number when entering partial hours for employees.

After contribution submission, an Automated Funding Request email will be sent, but in addition, you can generate a report located on the plan website. Navigate from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Reports > Reports Menu > Participant Payroll Detail. If you manually submitted the contributions, a success banner will display. You can also view contribution Tracking Details for 30 calendar days.

When your payroll site was setup in the system it was assigned a frequency that should mirror your company's payroll schedule. If the payroll dates does not align with your payroll schedule, please contact your client service team to update your site schedule.

When your payroll site was set up in the system it was assigned a frequency that should mirror your company’s payroll schedule. Each year we generate a list of the expected contribution dates for this site based on that frequency. If your payroll schedule has changed, please contact your client service team to update your site’s frequency.

To add a new payroll site, please call your client service team with the following details: Payroll Site name, payroll frequency, start date of new submissions to that site, name and email address of the individual who should receive the Automated Funding Request email for the payroll site.

A contribution date can be added on your plan website. From the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Contributions. Under Quick Links, select Add a Contribution Date. Select a date from the calendar and select the reason for the one-time contribution date. Once complete, click Confirm Date. If you are looking to add a contribution date for the prior plan year and the payroll date is not available in the calendar, or if the contribution date was previously used, please call your client service team for further assistance.

Prior contributions submitted can be found on the plan website from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Transactions (right hand side) > View History.

You can check the status of a contribution by navigating from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Contributions and scroll to the contribution history to find the applicable payroll date and select Tracking Details.

A Census only file is generally used to make a large scale census update, such as adding new hires or adding work emails for eDelivery/maintenance. This allows the plan to mass-upload the employee information quickly and efficiently. The Census file requires Employee Name and Social Security number, however, it is recommended to include address, date of birth, date of hire, and if applicable, date of termination, prior date of hire, and prior date of termination. If you calculate eligibility outside of the system, you should include eligibility date. Census only files cannot contain any data that relies on a specific payroll date or period, such as employee or employer contributions, compensation, or hours of service.

A Contribution file is generally used to remit information tied to a specific payroll date or period. The most common use is for payroll contributions each payroll period, but may also include compensation for compliance testing data, end of year employer contributions, or hours of service updates for vesting. It is best practice to submit current census data with a contribution file when possible. Refer to 'What information do you need for a Contribution file?' for more details.

To upload a Census only file that contains employee demographic information, from the Dashboard, click the Submit Payroll Contributions link on the Plan Administration tile or Plan Administration > Contributions. Select site Z - Comp only or Z - Compliance. Next click the Upload Census File link (located under Quick Links), then upload the file, and click Submit. The information will be updated as of the date the upload file is submitted.

From the Dashboard, click the Submit Payroll Contributions link on the Plan Administration tile or Plan Administration > Contributions. Select Upload Contribution File. Select the applicable Contribution Date. If your applicable Contribution date is not available, you may add a one-time date within 30 days, or contact client services if the date is prior to or after this range. Next, upload the file and click Review.

On the Review screen, if no alerts are present, you can proceed with the Contribution Totals, and if the totals appear accurate, click Submit.

It is best practice to include census updates on the contributions, allowing you to update employee data timely and efficiently.

The information required for a Census file is the employee's first and last name and Social Security number. Minimum information to add a new employee is address (including city, state, zip), date of birth, date of hire, and date of termination (if applicable).

Other fields on your file format are optional but may help with data maintenance such as prior date of hire or prior date of termination, if applicable.

The following information should be provided on a contribution file: employee's first and last name, Social Security number, and the contributions being submitted for the pay period. Common contributions may include employee deferrals as Pre-tax and/or Roth and/or employer contributions like employer non-elective, match, Safe Harbor match, Safe Harbor non-elective (based on your plan design and structure), and loan repayments.

It's best practice to include compensation and hours on payroll contribution files, as well as current census data. If submitting an annual employer contribution, the file may contain compensation or hours, if this data was not previously provided throughout the year.

Note: PEPs are required to include compensation and hours on every payroll.

If your plan uses our standard file template, there will be a link available on the upload file pages by navigating from Dashboard > Plan Administration > Contributions > Upload Contribution File or Upload Census File.

If your plan does not have sample file templates, contact your client service team for additional assistance with your specific format.

All columns included in your plan's template should remain on the file, however not all fields need to be filled in. Certain data fields, such as prior date of hire or prior date of termination, may not be applicable for a given participant while other fields may not apply to your plan design, such as Union Status.

You can submit a file to pay off a loan or you can mail a check to the Trust with a Loan Payoff Transmittal Form located on your plan website. To locate the form, navigate from the Dashboard to Plan Administration > Resources > Forms. Alternatively, you can mail a check to the Trust and process a loan payoff from your plan website by navigating to Dashboard > Plan Administration > Select an Employee. On the employee's profile, select Navigate to > Loans > Pay off a Loan. Enter the payoff amount submitted and the date the check was sent to the Trust.

Distributions

Withdrawal options will vary by plan. If you have a full service plan, you can find your specific plan features, review your Summary Plan Description (SPD) by navigating from the Dashboard > Plan Information > Library > Documents > Summary Plan Description (SPD). The Distributions section will outline the available options within your plan.

Some types of distributions may be requested via the website. If your plan does not offer online distribution options, you can provide the applicable transaction form to the participant from your plan website. Navigate from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Resources > Forms.

Residual distributions are automatically processed on a monthly basis for terminated or retired participants with balances under $100 and for those who took a total distribution in the last 60 days. Participants may request residual distributions at any time via form or the employee website.

If the plan allows for loans, an employee can use the loan modeler on their employee website. The loan modeler allows the employee to structure the loan and view the payment amounts before submitting the request.

If the plan does not have the online request option, the employee must apply via a paper application.

The beneficiary has to work with a Plan Administrator to confirm that the participant has passed. There may need to be approval of the death distribution before submission of the Distribution Due to Death Form. Once submitted, the Plan Administrator has to approve the Distribution Due to Death Form.

A Form 1099-R is used to report distributions a participant may have received from pensions, annuities, retirement plans, IRAs, insurance contracts, or profit-sharing plans.

If a participant took a withdrawal in the prior year at Ascensus, a Form 1099-R will be issued and delivered via mail (USPS), post marked no later than January 31. Form 1099-Rs may also be available on the employee website for participants to download.

Employee Contributions

To see changes made during a specific timeframe, from the Dashboard > Reports > Run Reports. In the Reports search field, type HRIS Management Report. Select Run and in the pop-up window, enter the desired timeframe in the start date and end date fields. Do not check the "Include all Contribution Elections" box, and then click Run Report.

There are two options available to initiate a rollover contribution. You can provide the employee with a rollover contribution form from the plan website to complete: From the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Resources > Forms > Rollover Contribution Form, or you can initiate the rollover request on your plan website: From the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Employee > Select an Employee > Navigate To > Rollover Request. Complete the necessary fields to initiate the request and then click Continue.

For 403(b) plans only, your plan may allow for a participant to move money into the plan via a contract exchange or a plan to plan transfer from another 403(b) provider. You can provide the employee with the Contract Exchange or Transfer In Form via the plan website > Dashboard > Plan Administration > Resources > Forms > Contract Exchange or Transfer In Form.

If your plan allows for online savings rate changes:

To find an employee's savings rate, navigate from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Employee > Select an Employee. Find and select the participant, then from Navigate to > Savings Rate.

To update an employee's savings rate, navigate from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Employee > Select an Employee. Find and select the participant, then select Navigate to > Savings Rate. Select the source of deferral to update (Deferral or Roth Deferral, if applicable). Then click Change Savings Rate.

Employee Maintenance and Enrollment

For 401(K) plans: An employee should be added to the plan as soon as administratively feasible after they are hired. Refer to the Employee Maintenance Guide for instructions on how to add employees to the plan.

For 403(b) plans: Employee maintenance varies by the type of custodial agreement your plan has. For further assistance, contact your client service team.

Follow the Employee Maintenance Guide for instructions on how to edit General Employee Information on the plan website.

Follow the Employee Maintenance Guide for instructions on how to edit an employee on the plan website. To terminate an employee, you will need to edit the employment information section with the applicable status and termination date.

To rehire an employee, you will need to edit their employment information on the plan website. Refer to the 'Special Steps for Rehiring an Employee' in the Employee Maintenance Guide.

For 401(k) plans: To find a list of employees that are eligible to participate in the plan and their eligibility dates, from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Reports > Report Menu > Participant Demographics & Balances.

For 403(b) plans: There is universal availability and employees have immediate entry into the plan for salary deferrals.

To find a list of participants with balances, from your Dashboard > Reports > Participant Balances or Dashboard > Plan Administration > Reports > Reports Menu > Participant Demographics & Balances.

Terminated employees with a balance must receive most, if not all, notices active employees would be provided. Ensure they are aware of the need to keep you updated on address and contact information changes. If the employee is below the Force Out threshold set in your plan document, you can provide them a hardcopy notice that you're engaging a Force Out distribution.

For 403(b) plans, Force Out eligibility will depend on your custodial agreement. Please contact your client service team for options.

Participants can add/edit beneficiary information directly on their employee website. You may instruct them to navigate on their employee website to Plans > Beneficiaries to complete their changes.

Login

Your username is generally your email address. If you previously created a different username, but do not remember it, please call your client service team. To reset your password, you can click Forgot Password from the login screen and an email will be sent with a temporary password to login. If unsuccessful, please call your client service team for further assistance.

For 401(k) plans: Your account gets locked after too many unsuccessful login attempts. To unlock, you can reset your password by clicking the Forgot Password link on the login screen or call your client service team to unlock your account.

For 403(b) plans: Contact your client service team for assistance unlocking your account.

No. For the protection and security of the account, each website user must have their own username and password. If you have a contact that needs access, please complete the Client Contact Change Form and return to Ascensus for processing. You can access this form on the plan website from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Resources > Forms > Client Contact Change Form.

For 401(k) plans: If a participant is locked out of their account, to unlock, they may reset their password directly on the login page by selecting Forgot Password.

For 403(b) plans: Have the participant contact your client service team for assistance.

Payroll Integration

The payroll vendor will default all new participants to Site A on your file, if you do not have multiple site codes set-up for your plan. If you have multiple affiliates, employees will default to the site applicable to the participant level affiliate. If the default isn't the correct frequency, it is the employer's responsibility to go to the website and edit the participant payroll frequency.

View the Payroll Integration Solutions flyer for more information on the benefits of payroll integration, a complete list of our Payroll integrated partners, and steps to get started.

Year End

If your plan is subject to ERISA, a copy of your Form 5500 is available directly on the Department of Labor website. To obtain a copy, go to https://www.efast.dol.gov/5500Search/. Choose EIN from the dropdown, type in your company's EIN, then select Search. Once you've located the appropriate Plan Year End and EIN, select the file to open a PDF copy.

The Form 5500 is a tax form, for ERISA plans, that reports plan financial and census data that must be filed annually by IRS & DOL requirement. View the Form 5500 Guide to determine if your plan is required to file and when.

The content is intended for general information and educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied upon as such. The content may not apply to all individuals, situations, or circumstances, and may vary depending on the context and the source. The reader is responsible for verifying the accuracy, validity, and applicability of the content before taking any action based on it. The author and the publisher of this document disclaim any liability or responsibility for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use or misuse of the content.