This article is for admins who manage their company’s health benefits in Gusto and employees who want to find their company’s benefits renewal date.
Small-group health insurance plans renew every year. Renewal is the date your company's current plan year ends and a new one starts, often with updated rates or plan options. Open enrollment is the set window of time around your renewal date when your team can enroll in, change, or waive coverage. This article explains what to expect at renewal and how to choose your company's renewal package in Gusto.
Employees: Go to this article for steps to enroll in or waive coverage during open enrollment. To find your open enrollment dates, go to the Find your company’s health benefits renewal date section of the article.
Employers and employees can use this section to find out when their company will go through open enrollment. If Gusto is your broker or you use the broker integration, follow the steps in the Employers/admins section.
To find your benefit renewal dates:
Go to Benefits.
Scroll to Active benefits. The plans listed under Active benefits are the plans we manage for your renewal and open enrollment.
If your company sets up different lines of coverage at different times, they may have different renewal dates. We’ll ask you at your next renewal if you want to align the renewal dates.
Click Manage on the tile for the coverage you want to view.
Find the Effective dates.
The first date is the day this coverage period began.
The second date is the last day of coverage for this period. The day after is your renewal date.
Open enrollment starts before the renewal date.
Go to the Timeline for renewing your health benefits section of the article to learn what to expect before open enrollment. We email benefits admins when it’s time to sign in and choose which plans to offer your team.
If you’re not enrolled in coverage or another broker manages your company’s benefits, ask your employer for your company’s next renewal date.
If you’re enrolled in your company’s benefits through Gusto:
Go to Benefits.
On the Medical tile, click View.
Look at the Coverage Period.
The first date is the day your coverage began.
The second date is the last day of coverage for this plan. The day after is your renewal date. Changes you make at open enrollment take effect that day.
Open enrollment during the weeks before your renewal date.
We email all eligible employees when it’s time to sign in and make their selections in Gusto.
This timeline explains each step in the benefits renewal process so you know what happens, when it happens, and what actions you need to take.
105 days before your renewal date
Benefits admins get an email to complete a survey in Gusto.
Your responses help your benefits advisor understand what’s working and what you want to change.
If your carrier requests a recertification audit, we may contact your benefits admins for the required information. Read more about the recertification process.
About 6-8 weeks before your renewal date
We follow up with your carriers to get your plan options and rates.
Carrier timelines vary. We’ll notify you as soon as you can start choosing plans in Gusto.
Once we get your renewal info, a licensed benefits advisor reviews your survey responses, employee demographics, and carrier requirements. We then recommend package options.
If you did not complete the survey, we’ll send only the updated default package. You can request more plan options in your account.
4-8 weeks before your renewal date
Benefits admins get an email when it’s time to review renewal options. You have about one week to choose, so your team can start open enrollment soon after.
This is your annual chance to change your plans, carriers, company contribution, new hire waiting period, or employee eligibility rules.
You can make updates in Gusto (go to the Choose your company’s health benefits renewal plans section of the article). If you have questions, reply to your renewal emails to speak with a licensed advisor.
About 1 week after you choose your package
After you sign for your renewal package, we take about one week to prepare your paperwork and set up open enrollment.
Open enrollment typically lasts one week, but this timeframe can vary depending on carrier deadlines or your company’s size.
We email all benefits-eligible employees, including new hires when they become eligible, when it’s time to choose their coverage in Gusto. This is their annual chance to enroll, switch plans, update dependents, or waive coverage.
Employees who do not enroll must sign a waiver in Gusto. Carriers use waiver reasons to confirm your company’s eligibility for group coverage.
After open enrollment
We submit all open enrollment paperwork to your carriers.
Carriers can take 2-4 weeks to process coverage. We follow up with them every 3-5 business days and keep you updated.
Carriers may request more information, like a voided check or details of the workers’ compensation plan.
Carriers may confirm coverage after the renewal effective date. This is common in small-group insurance. Refer to this article for steps employees can take if they need to visit a doctor before ID cards arrive.
2-4 weeks after open enrollment
Once carriers approve your coverage, we review each enrollment and notify you when your renewal is complete.
Employee payroll deductions update to match their enrollment choices.
Deductions stay in your company bank account, allowing you to pay your carriers each month.
Carriers mail new ID cards within 2 weeks of approval. Employees who renew with the same carrier can keep using their current ID cards.
Once the insurance carriers send us your renewal details and our licensed advisors prepare your options, we email benefits admins when it’s time to choose your company’s renewal plans in Gusto.
Here’s what you can do in Gusto:
View changes to your current plans (insurance carriers update their plans and rates every year).
Renew with your current carrier.
Choose an alternate plan package.
Change the company contribution or the new hire waiting period.
Add new benefits.
Find contact information for your licensed advisor.
Before you start, review these common questions:
Q: Why can’t I choose my old plan?
A: Most medical insurance carriers change their plan deductibles and copays each year. If you’re comfortable with the changes, you can renew with the default plan. If you’re not, you can explore other options.
Q: How many plans can I offer?
A: Each carrier has different rules about how many plans you can offer. We recommend offering up to 4 plans to make enrollment easier for your team.
Q: What types of benefits can I offer?
A: You can offer medical, dental, vision, basic life, voluntary life, short-term disability (company- or employee-paid), long-term disability (company- or employee-paid), Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs), dependent care flexible spending accounts (DCFSAs), and commuter benefits.
You need benefits permissions to view renewal info.
Go to Benefits.
If your renewal info is ready, you’ll find a tile at the top that says Select renewal plans by [date]. Click Select plans.
If you do not find this tile, your insurance carriers may not have sent us your renewal info yet. We’ll email benefits admins when your renewal options are ready.
The selection deadline helps keep open enrollment on track and meet carrier deadlines.
Click Let’s get started.
The next page lists each line of coverage up for renewal. Choose one and click Select plans.
Insurance carriers update their plans and rates every year. The Review what’s changing page shows:
A summary of premium changes
The successor for each plan you currently offer. The successor is the carrier-designated plan most similar to last year’s.
How to review details:
Click Download plan details for a summary of the renewal plans’ coverage and premiums. Changes from last year’s plan appear next to the main column, with an up or down arrow showing an increase or decrease.
Click a plan name to open its Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC).
To open an expiring plan’s SBC, click the i icon next to the plan name.
How to proceed:
After the summary, your renewal options appear in a comparison table. The table shows the renewing version of each of your current plans, along with any alternatives your advisor recommends. If your advisor built a recommendation, it appears with a Recommended for you label.
Pick the plans you want to offer at open enrollment.
To see every option: Click the All packages tab at the top of the table.
To keep the renewing versions of your current plans: Click Keep default plans, then skip to step 4.
To choose a package: Scroll to the bottom of the column you want and click Choose the [package name] option.
The comparison table shows your packages side by side.
Each column is one package. For example, Renew current plans with [carrier], or Switch to similar, lower-cost plans with [carrier]. Your advisor's notes and the reasoning behind their recommendation appear at the top of the page.
Review the packages
Compare plan types:
Compare metal tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum
Click a plan name to open its Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC).
Click Download plan details for a spreadsheet that compares plans across all packages.
Note: The same plan can appear in more than one package, in different combinations.
Understand the costs
The comparison table shows three types of cost information:
Average employee-only premium: The average monthly premium for employees who were enrolled in this plan (or a comparable plan) last year. This excludes dependents so you can compare plans on equal footing. Because premiums are often age-based, individual costs will vary.
Estimated total cost: Shown at the top of each package column. This includes both employee and dependent premiums based on last year's enrollment. It won't always equal the sum of the per-plan averages because it accounts for dependents separately.
Cost breakdown by employee: Click the expected enrollees count on any plan to see who's estimated to enroll and their individual premiums, including any dependents. To adjust your company contribution or download a full cost breakdown, continue to the next step.
Select a package
To choose the package you want to offer:
Click Choose the [package name] on the package you want.
Click Continue. This saves your selection so you can review costs on the next page — it does not finalize anything.
Offering an HSA:
You need to offer a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to offer an HSA.
Look for a package that has at least one plan labeled HDHP or HSA.
After you select an HDHP, we automatically add an HSA to your package.
To review details, change the company contribution, or remove the HSA, click Edit next to the HSA.
If you remove the HDHP, the HSA is also removed.
On the Edit plan settings and review costs screen, you can set the new hire waiting period and try different company contributions. You can change these again later. Nothing is final until you sign and confirm.
Pick the new hire waiting period:
Click Select. The dropdown menu shows all waiting periods allowed by your carrier.
Choose the period you want.
Click Save.
Set the company contribution:
Choose whether the contribution applies to a percentage of any plan or a percentage of a base plan. Some plans require a base plan contribution.
Difference between any plan and a base plan:
For example, suppose your company offers 3 plans: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.
Percentage of any plan: If you set the contribution as 75% of any plan, the company pays 75% of each employee’s total premium for whichever plan they enroll in. Company costs are lower for employees who choose Bronze and higher for employees who choose Gold.
Percentage of a base plan: If you set the contribution as 75% of a base plan and choose Silver as the base, the company pays up to 75% of the Silver premium. If an employee chooses Gold, the company covers 75% of the cost of Silver, and the employee pays the difference. If an employee chooses Bronze, the contribution goes further toward the lower-cost premium, and the employee pays less.
Next:
Enter the percentage for employee and dependent premiums.
To compare with last year, click Compare to last year’s selection.
Click Save.
You can still make changes after saving by clicking Edit.
Review a cost breakdown:
Scroll down and click Download cost breakdown.
A new tab opens with a summary of selected plans, contributions, and each employee’s premiums.
Dependent premiums appear if employees added dependents in Gusto.
To review costs for different plans or company contributions, return to this button and download a new breakdown each time you make changes.
Pro Tip: Save the first breakdown to your computer to compare with later downloads.
Generate a new breakdown for a different company contribution:
Go to the Review contribution scheme section and click Edit.
Select and save your desired contribution.
Click Download cost breakdown again. Employee and company costs totals will update to reflect the updated contribution.
Generate a new breakdown with a different plan package:
Scroll down and click Back to package selection.
Click Select instead for the other package you want to review, then click Save selection.
On the Edit waiting period and company contribution scheme page, click Download cost breakdown.
Once you’ve selected the new hire waiting period and company contribution, scroll to the bottom and click Continue. This saves your progress and returns you to the Benefits renewal overview screen.
The Benefits renewal overview screen shows each renewing benefit and any new options. Click Edit to change a benefit.
Renew other benefits:
Click Select plans for each renewing benefit.
Repeat the previous steps to review changes and choose renewal plans.
Add new benefits:
Click Add plan to view options and quotes.
Click View full details for a plan’s SBC.
Above the plan options, click Edit to choose the company contribution.
Basic life and company-paid disability plans are non-voluntary, meaning the company must pay 100% of employee premiums and automatically enroll all eligible employees. Voluntary life and employee-paid disability plans are optional, meaning employees can elect or waive coverage, and 100% of the premiums are paid by the employee.
To offer a benefit, click Add this plan.
To skip a benefit, click Remove plan.
Click Save & continue.
Manage tax-advantaged accounts (HSA, FSA, DCFSA):
Existing accounts renew automatically unless you make changes. Click Edit to change the company contribution or cancel the benefit.
To add a new account, click Add plan.
Commuter benefits:
Add commuter benefits now or any time by going to Benefits and selecting Commuter benefits.
HSA eligibility:
You must offer an HDHP to offer an HSA.
If your company is not eligible, return to the medical plans and choose a package that includes at least one plan labeled “HDHP” or “HSA.” Then, return to this section and click Add plan.
Download a cost breakdown:
Scroll near the bottom of the Benefits renewal overview screen and click Download cost breakdown.
Pro Tip: Each time you change selected plans or company contributions for any benefit, you can download a new cost breakdown. The breakdown shows costs for every benefits-eligible employee for all types of renewal coverage you’ve selected so far.
Scroll to the bottom of the Benefits renewal overview screen and click Sign forms.
Sign forms:
Click a document name to review it.
Click Sign form.
Draw your signature in the box.
Check I agree to electronically sign this form and click Sign.
Once you’ve signed all forms, click Continue.
Confirm and submit your package:
Review the plan package you want to offer.
Scroll down and click Confirm & submit.
Next steps:
Our team prepares open enrollment based on your selections.
A dedicated open enrollment specialist emails benefits admins within a week to coordinate timing.
When open enrollment begins, benefits-eligible employees receive an email to enroll, switch plans, update dependents, or opt out.
If you’re within 105 days of your company’s benefits renewal date, our licensed benefits advisors can assist you.
Ways to get in touch:
If we’ve emailed you about your renewal options and you have not yet finalized plan selections for open enrollment, go to the Benefits section of your Gusto admin account. At the top of the page, you’ll find your renewal advisor’s name and phone number, plus a link to schedule a call with them.
Note: Once you’ve selected your company plans, you’ll be assigned a new point of contact for open enrollment.
To reach your advisor by email, reply directly to the renewal email sent by [email protected].