Sponsor Help Center
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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.
To update the plan's address, 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 fax or email to your client service team. Please contact your client service team to determine if an amendment request form is required to update your plan document.
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. For 401(k) plans, send to requests@ascensus.com or mail to 200 Dryden Road, Dresher, PA 19025. For all other forms, please contact your client service team.
Plan fees are described in the 408(b)(2) Notice (Sponsor 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. Participants who are already eligible would remain eligible, and the amended changes would only be applicable for those who had not previously met the original eligibility requirements. Eligibility amendments typically take 6-8 weeks to prepare and sign. Contact your client service team to obtain an amendment request form.
Contribution Processing
Contributions can be submitted online via the plan website. From the Dashboard > 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.
Contribution dates that you create outside of your regular frequency will automatically be deleted 10 calendar days after the contribution date if it is not submitted. To cancel a regular contribution date that has not been processed, you will need to contact your client service team.
Prior contributions submitted can be found on the plan website from the Dashboard > Plan Administration > Reports > Payroll Detail. You can enter dates for a specific timeframe and run the report to generate in your reports inbox. Contributions submitted in the last 30 days are always visible in the Tracking Details page under Plan Administration > Contributions.
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.
Distributions
Withdrawal options will vary by plan. To 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.
Distributions can be requested via the employee website. If your plan does not allow for 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, a participant can use the loan modeler on their employee website. The loan modeler allows the participant to structure the loan and view the payment amounts over time before submitting the request.
The beneficiary has to work with a Plan Administrator to confirm that the participant has passed. 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 find a participant'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 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.
Employee Maintenance and Enrollment
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.
Follow the Employee Maintenance Guide for instructions on how to add an employee on the plan website.
Follow the Employee Maintenance Guide for instructions on how to edit an employee's contact 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.
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.
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. 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 user ID is generally your email address. If you previously created a different user ID, 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.
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.
No. For the protection and security of the account, each website user must have their own user ID 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.
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.
Payroll Integration
The payroll vendor will default all new participants to Site A on your file, if you do not have multiple affiliates 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 plan sponsor'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
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 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.