Working with the Employee Census

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The Employee Census is, in most cases, a required part of Annual Data Collection. During this step, the Plan Sponsor has the opportunity to provide a list of that year's employees, along with relevant wage and contribution information. This article will detail how to use the employee census, and can be applied to interacting with the census directly within PensionPro, as well as via PlanSponsorLink.

 

Tier Availability: Team, Business

 

Article Contents

 

 

 

Overview of Census Data in PensionPro

 

Before proceeding, it may help to be familiar with the concepts presented in the article Data Collection - Annual Data Collection, as the employee census represents a part of the Annual Data Collection process.

 

An employee census can be added to yearly Data Collection in one of two places:

 

  • The Employees view in the Data Collection category found in the relevant Project or Plan Cycle record (depending on tier)
  • The Employees step during Year End Data Collection on PlanSponsorLink

 

Although there are some differences in how the census grid and available functions are presented, most instructions below are relevant to both applications.

 

If PensionPro was used to perform Annual Data Collection for the prior plan year, the employee census for that year will roll forward into the current year's Data Collection as soon as it's launched. This means that edits can be made to last year's census, as opposed to starting anew.

 

The columns used on the census can be customized for each Plan Type. Refer to the article Customizing the Employee Census for more information.

 

 

Adding Employee Census Data

 

Employee census data can be added one line at a time. Alternately, it can be imported from an Excel workbook template or via payroll integration.

 

 

Adding a Single Employee

 

To add one employee to the census as a new line, select Addadd.png at the top-right of the census grid. This step is the same in both PensionPro and PlanSponsorLink.

 

The Add Employee window includes all census fields used by the Plan, as determined by Plan Type. When finished, select Save.

 

 

Importing a Census Spreadsheet

 

An employee census can be imported from an Excel workbook. To obtain a template, refer to the instructions found in the section Exporting a Census.

 

Note: Importing a census will overwrite all existing data. If necessary, export a copy of the existing census prior to importing the new version.

 

To import a template:

 

  • In PensionPro, select Moremore_options.png > Import Employees.
  • In PlanSponsorLink, select Moremore_options.png > Import.

 

The Import Employees from an Excel Spreadsheet window contains a File Selection box; navigate to and select the Excel workbook template, then select Upload or Import.

 

Assuming the census data was added to an exported template, the imported census data will match what was entered on the template. However, if using an import sheet that is not standardized to the template, PensionPro may have difficulty importing the data directly. This is especially common if the column names or order do not match PensionPro exactly. The outcome is dependent on where the import is being performed, as well as the Census Import Column Mapping setting in PlanSponsorLink Preferences:

 

  • If Census Import Column Mapping is set to Yes and the import is performed on PlanSponsorLink, the Plan Sponsor will be asked to match unidentified template columns to expected column names.
  • If Census Import Column Mapping is set to No and the import is performed on PlanSponsorLink, or if the import is performed in PensionPro, unidentified columns will be ignored and the data will not be imported.

 

 

Importing a Census via Payroll Integration

 

If the TPA firm is enrolled with any of PensionPro's payroll integration partners, payroll data can be imported into the census more simply than importing from an Excel workbook.

 

Note: This option is not available on PlanSponsorLink.

 

The benefit to importing census information in this way is that the data comes directly from the Client's payroll system and is automatically formatted for PensionPro compatibility. Payroll files sent from the integrating partner arrive in PensionPro and are imported by the TPA prior to Data Collection so that the Plan Sponsor can review and approve the census as opposed to providing it themselves.

 

To import a payroll file in PensionPro:

 

  1. Select Moremore_options.png > Import Pay File at the top-right. The Import Payroll window displays.
  2. Choose the appropriate Payroll File for the plan year.
    • Payroll files have Period Start and End dates to indicate which time period they apply to.
  3. Select Import. The payroll data will be added to the census; any existing data will be overwritten.

 

For more information on working with payroll files, refer to the article Client Payroll Integration - Census Import.

 

 

 

Copying a Past Census

 

If Annual Data Collection was performed for prior plan years, finalized census data from any previous year can be copied into the current year's census. This option will not be available if there is no previous census data to copy from.

 

To copy a census:

 

  1. Open the Copy Census Data window
    • In PensionPro, select Moremore_options.png > Copy Employees.
    • In PlanSponsorLink, select Moremore_options.png > Copy Prior Year Census Data.
  2. In the Copy Census Data window, use the dropdown to select the correct census based on the correct Period End.
  3. Select Copy.

 

 

Editing & Deleting Census Data

 

Line items on the census may be edited or removed using the Editedit.png or Deletedelete.png options on the right side of the grid. This step is the same in both PensionPro and PlanSponsorLink.

 

If necessary, all employee census data can be deleted at once. This action cannot be undone:

 

  • In PensionPro, select Moremore_options.png > Delete Employees.
  • In PlanSponsorLink, select Moremore_options.png > Delete All Employees.

 

 

Exporting a Census

 

Census data can be exported from both PensionPro and PlanSponsorLink, with some notable differences between the two.

 

Plan Sponsors can export a copy of their submitted census data to Excel workbook format at any point; this can be a helpful way of obtaining a backup census file. Alternately, if no employees have been added yet, exporting the census will provide the Plan Sponsor with a file containing appropriate columns but no data—in other words, a template they can fill out to import their census.

 

To export the census from PlanSponsorLink, select Moremore_options.png > Export above the census grid. The census data is downloaded in .xlsx format.

 

In PensionPro, exporting the census works slightly differently. TPAs have the ability to export the census data into different layouts for various purposes, such as import into another software. These layouts are called export templates; for information on creating export templates, refer to the section Census Export Templates of the article Customizing the Employee Census.

 

To export the census from PensionPro:

 

  1. At the top-right of the census grid, select Moremore_options.png > Export. The Select Export window displays.
  2. Choose an Export Template.
    • The chosen export template may impact what columns are included or alter the names of these columns. To export the census as-is, use Current Layout.
  3. Select a file Format. The census can be exported as .csv or .xslx.
  4.  Enter a File Name.
  5. Select Export.

 

A copy of the census, formatted to match the selected template, will be saved to the device.

 

Sometimes when I export the census, the export shows a Total row, but other times it doesn't. Why?

The inclusion of the Total row containing column sums is based on the chosen export template; this row can be toggled on and off independently in the template's options.

 

 

Identifying Census Issues

 

PensionPro can automatically review census data to highlight common issues, such as inconsistent dates and missing information. This can help eliminate errors and reduce the likelihood of returning the census to a Plan Sponsor for correction.

 

To use this functionality, ensure that the Enable Census Scrubbing on PSL setting has been enabled in PlanSponsorLink Preferences.

 

When Census Scrubbing is enabled, if an issue is detected in PlanSponsorLink, a warning message will display above the census grid; select Click to view the issues for a list of all errors and warnings. In PensionPro, the same can be accomplished by selecting Errorserror.png at the top-right of the grid. In either case, the window that appears will separate any issues into general errors, which affect the entire sheet; and participant errors, which affect a single line.

 

Additionally, within PensionPro, participants with warnings or errors will be displayed in red text to indicate a potential issue.

 

 

Other Census Functions on PSL

 

The following functionalities are available as part of Year End Data Collection on PlanSponsorLink; they do not possess an equivalent within PensionPro.

 

 

Field Descriptions

 

Field Descriptions are the instructions and formatting for each column on the census. A Plan Sponsor can review this to ensure they are entering the correct information in a proper format. If the Plan Sponsor is using an exported template, this information is also found on the Instructions worksheet of the Excel file.

 

To view, select Moremore_options.png > Field Descriptions at the top of the census grid. The information displayed here can be customized as necessary; refer to the article Customizing the Employee Census for details.

 

 

Data Summary

 

PlanSponsorLink can provide a summary of census information, such as the total number of employees and total compensation. This can be accessed by selecting Moremore_options.png > View Summary at the top of the census grid.

 

 

Validating a Column's Total Amount

 

To provide an extra layer of data validation, the TPA firm may request that the Plan Sponsor verify the total amount of certain columns, such as the Hours Worked.

 

When this is enabled, PlanSponsorLink will display a banner above the census grid asking the Sponsor to Set Total Amounts. The corresponding window will include fields for all columns the TPA is requesting validation for. The Sponsor should use these fields to enter their expected totals for each column across all employees. More information about a field can be reviewed by hovering over the Infoinfo.png icon to the right of each.

 

If the expected total entered by the Sponsor doesn't match the total that PlanSponsorLink calculates for that column, this may indicate that data was entered incorrectly or is missing. PlanSponsorLink will not allow the census to be submitted until all totals are entered and the values agree.

 

For more information on enabling this validation, refer to the section Customizing the Census Layout with Formats of the article Customizing the Employee Census.

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • My Plan Sponsor imported their census data, and the values for one or more columns are blank. Why aren't these populating in PensionPro?

    In order for the data to import, the column headers on the import template must directly match the the column headers in PlanSponsorLink. Alternately, enable the Census Import Column Mapping setting in PlanSponsorLink Preferences to provide the Plan Sponsor the ability to manually match template columns to PSL columns when a connection cannot be made automatically.
     
  • When importing an employee census, my Plan Sponsor is receiving an error that an employee's Separation Reason is invalid, even though this census field is not marked as required. Why are they getting this error?

    When the Separation Reason census field is used, the acceptable responses are governed by List Values, located in the List Values tab under Core > Project. This prevents the Plan Sponsor from providing illegitimate separation reasons. A list of acceptable responses can be provided to the Sponsor by editing the Field Descriptions, located in PlanSponsorLink Preferences; this description will be included in the Excel workbook that is downloaded when the Sponsor exports a blank employee census template from PlanSponsorLink. For more information on Field Descriptions, refer to the article Customizing the Employee Census.