Submitting your completed census is perhaps one of the most important steps during your onboarding process with Sun Life.
In this article, we'll cover how to:
- Download your custom census template
- Upload your completed enrollment elections
- Review file upload alerts (if applicable)
- Review validation results (if applicable)
- Submit your uploaded file
- Frequently asked questions
Download your custom census template
You will be able to submit your census file to Sun Life using a customized census template that you can download from Sun Life Onboard. Your Activity Log email will notify you once your Implementation Consultant makes this census template available in Sun Life Onboard.
Download your custom template file by clicking on the link directly from the census task in Onboard. This will download an excel file to your computer where you can then begin to add your employee and enrollment information.
Note: If you have benefits with more than one effective date and/or policy number, you will see a separate task to submit a census for each effective date/policy number.
We recommend that you use the customized template provided as this format enables our team to quickly identify any missing information or questions. This will help keep your timeline on track and align everyone on the information needed to set up your benefits.
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Note: Clients setting up the Maxwell Health platform during onboarding will work with their Implementation Consultant to provide census information rather than uploading that in Onboard. |
The census template made available to you through Onboard is customized based on your benefit lines and employee classes. The information that will be required is based on your specific setup.
Learn more about completing your census file>>
Upload your completed enrollment elections
You will be able to submit your census file to Sun Life securely through Onboard. Once you’ve completed filling out your customized census template, you can upload it back into Sun Life Onboard in the same section where you originally downloaded the template.
Select the Upload files button on the enrollment elections task in Onboard to get started. You’ll then follow the steps to complete the upload.
1. Upload your file
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Drag and drop the file or use the file navigation to select the file from your computer and upload.
2. Confirm your file format
- Let us know what file format you chose to use to submit your elections - whether that is the Sun Life provided census template, an export from a different system, enrollment forms or something else.
Recommended: Keep in mind that by using Sun Life’s custom template, you’ll be able to use real-time validation to check the basic data and format of your file for common errors before you submit it. This can help save you time and ensure your data looks good.
Review file upload alerts (if applicable)
Using Sun Life's custom template allows you to take advantage of real-time data validation, but there are several file issues that can stop it from being validated. If you receive an alert that your file cannot be validated, you are able to correct the indicated issue and upload a revised file.
File is password protected
Onboard is unable to validate password protected files. To allow the real-time validation to run, remove the password protection and upload your revised file in Onboard.
Please note: All information uploaded to Onboard is secure and confidential.
If you prefer to submit your file with the password protection, please provide your Implementation Consultant with the password so that they may review the file.
File doesn't have a tab named 'Member Data'
The Sun Life custom template collects your census information on a spreadsheet tab named 'Member Data'. If the tab has been renamed, the validation cannot run. Correct the tab name before uploading your revised template.
File has wrong or missing column headers
Onboard's census validation is unable to run if the column headers on your file do not match what was initially provide on the custom template. Before uploading a revised file, check the following:
- All column headers are in Row 6 of your spreadsheet.
- Column headers are in the same order as the original template - look for columns that may have been added, deleted, or moved.
- Column header names match what was provided on the original template - check for columns that have been renamed.
File is empty and has no data
Review your file to ensure it contains the completed census and election information. Then upload your revised file.
Review validation results (if applicable)
If you’ve uploaded enrollment elections using Sun Life’s custom template, Onboard will check your data for missing information or incorrect data formats. You’ll then see the results of this review. If we’ve spotted anything you may want to check on, you can view the validation results.
- Note: Currently the census validation workflow will only be available to those Clients who upload their employee enrollment election information using the Sun Life provided census template file format (.xlsm).
- Errors
You’ll see an error noted if there is a required field of information that was left blank or in an incorrect format. -
Warnings
You’ll see a warning if Onboard has noticed something that doesn’t match what we would expect. In this case, you may want to double check that you’ve provided the information needed based on your setup.
Steps to take when validating a file
If you see errors or warnings showing for the file that you've uploaded to Onboard, we recommend that you go back and make any necessary corrections in your original excel file. You can then re-upload a revised census.
Tip: You can download your validation report in an Excel file to easily review your results.
Note: While we recommend Clients correct errors or warnings that appear, Onboard does not require these items to be corrected before you can submit the file. If you have questions or want to discuss these items with your Implementation Consultant, you can choose to 'Submit with errors'.
Submit your uploaded file
Once you’ve completed the steps to upload and/or validate your census results, you can submit your completed enrollment elections.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some commonly asked questions about submitting your census:
- Can I submit my census in another format?
- Can I upload more than one file?
- Can I download a completed census file that was previously uploaded to Onboard?
- Can I automate this process and set up a data feed?
- What if I have changes to employee information or enrollments after I've uploaded the census file?
| If you have specific questions unique to your company and/or benefits, please feel free to reach out directly to your Implementation Consultant. |
Can I submit my census in another format?
It is best to send your enrollment data to our team formatted into the customized template file provided to you in Sun Life Onboard. Utilizing this format enables our team to quickly identify if we have any questions and enroll your employees in a timely fashion. Enrolling your employees timely and accurately ensures that your bill is delivered on time and your employees can access coverage on their effective date.
If other formats are submitted, Sun Life will need to review any files to ensure all necessary information has been collected, and then consolidate it into Sun Life’s customized template file. This additional work may have an impact on your overall timeline. If you need to utilize another format for submitting your census information, please reach out to your Implementation Consultant to discuss.
Can I upload more than one file?
We encourage you to consolidate your census information onto the customized template file provided. This makes the process easier and straightforward for both you and your broker as well as Sun Life. If multiple files are submitted, this will impact your overall timeline as it will take some time for Sun Life to review each file and consolidate on your behalf onto the customized template.
Note: An exception to this is if multiple files are being submitted due to multiple effective dates or policies. In those instances, your Implementation Consultant can help advise the best way to submit your information.
Can I download a completed census file that was previously uploaded to Onboard?
Onboard accounts with multi-factor authentication (MFA) set up are able to download previously completed enrollment election or census files that were uploaded to Onboard.
If this option is available to you, you'll see the download icon next to the file on the Submit Enrollment Elections task page:
Please note: If your account is not set up with multi-factor authentication, you will not see an option to download the census file from Onboard.
For Onboard accounts that do not have multi-factor authentication, you can remove or replace the existing file by uploading a new version, but are not able to download the file from Onboard. If you need to access that specific file, please reach out to your Sun Life implementation consultant.
Can I automate this process and set up a data feed?
Please note you won’t be able to set up a data feed (EDI) to provide enrollment information for your initial benefits setup. Sun Life requires a completed census for the initial setup.
Automation can be set up for ongoing service with Sun Life after your onboarding has been completed. You can request this on your Company Profile page in Sun Life Onboard.
What if I have changes to employee information or enrollments after I've uploaded the census file?
If you have new enrollments, changes, or realize you missed submitting something with your census upload, please reach out to your Implementation Consultant before uploading another file. They can advise the best method for handling. It will be especially important to communicate any changes impacting an employee’s coverage as of your benefit effective date with Sun Life. Once onboarding is complete, you will be able to manage your employees in Sun Life Connect.
Learn more about managing employee eligibility on Sun Life Connect. >>