As Plan details can vary from year to year—particularly since many of these details must be reported annually on the Form 5500—PensionPro utilizes the Plan Cycle tab to store this information. Although simple to use, the Plan Cycle tab contains some interesting functionality, and this article will serve as a starting point for finding and using it.
For information on creating and using Plan Cycle records, refer to the article Plan Cycles.
Opening a Plan Cycle tab
- Use the Search bar to search by Plan name.
- Expand the Plans result list and select the desired Plan. The corresponding tab opens.
- Select the Plan Cycles view from the list on the left.
- In the Plan Cycles grid, double-click the record representing the desired time period.
Tier Availability: Track, Team, Business
Article Contents
The Plan Cycle Tab Header
The Tab Header is displayed at the top of the tab, above any selected view. The header contains the following items, presented from left to right:
- The Plan Name that the Plan Cycle has been added under. Selecting the Plan Name returns the user to the Plan tab.
- The Plan Cycle Period.
- The Help
icon, which opens this article in a new browser window.
- The More
icon, which contains menu options for ftwilliam.com Navigation Assistance.
Navigating Views
The Views Panel of the Plan Cycle tab includes yearly Plan details and offers the following views: General, Participant, Filings, Milestones, Test Results, Actuarial, Financial, Files, Data Collection, To-Dos, Time, Notes, and Projects.
Editing Attributes
Security Rights Required: Add/Edit Plan Cycles
Some views, such as the General and Test Results views, contain attributes and information that define the Plan. To edit these attributes:
- Select Edit
at the top-right of the view.
- Make any necessary changes in the window that appears.
- Select Save.
Adding Records
Other views, like the Files and To-Dos views, contain lists of records attached to the Plan. In these views, records can be added by performing the following steps:
- Select Add
at the top-right of the view.
- Complete the required fields in the window that appears.
- Select Save.
Plan Cycle Integrations
Throughout the Plan Cycle tab, PensionPro can populate many fields with data retrieved from the following sources:
- The 5500 filed with the Department of Labor (DOL)
- Information entered into ftwilliam.com
This article will note in general terms the areas where this integration takes affect. For more specific details, refer to the article Plan Cycle Data Syncing.
Views
The aim of this guide is not to provide an exhaustive list of Plan Cycle fields and properties. However, any items of particular note are covered in each view's section, below.
General
The General view contains basic information about the current Plan Cycle, such as the Plan Period that the cycle is relevant to and whether or not the Plan had Safe Harbor status during that cycle.
For Business tier users, this view also contains a selection of fields from the 5500, such as those relating to plan type, business code, and fidelity bonds. This information can be filled automatically from the DOL.
The More menu for this view contains the following options:
- Add Data Collection: (Team tier) If the Plan Cycle record was created without an annual data collection element, one can be added using this option.
- Refresh Plan Cycle Data: Can be used at any time to manually refresh data that can be populated using the Plan Cycle Integrations.
Participant
Tier Availability: Business
The Participant view contains a selection of fields to record beginning and end of year participant counts. This information can be filled automatically from the DOL.
Filings
The Filings view records an assortment of dates relating to the completion of the Form 5500, including when it and related forms were signed, filed, and accepted. Signer names can also be recorded here.
For Business tier users, this view also contains a selection of fields to indicate which schedules were attached to the filed 5500.
Some fields in this view can be filled automatically from the DOL and/or ftwilliam.com.
Milestones
Tier Availability: Track, Team
The Milestones listed in this view are used to follow a Plan through its annual administration, tracking when various aspects of administration have been completed and indicating what steps still need to be performed. These are the dates that appear on the Milestones Dashboard.
Test Results
Tier Availability: Team, Business
The Test Results view can be used to record the results of various types of testing performed for that cycle, such as ADP/ACP and Top Heavy testing. This information can be filled automatically from ftwilliam.com.
Actuarial
Tier Availability: Business
The fields in the Actuarial view are used to record information pertinent to performing funding calculations and projections. Much of this information can be filled automatically from the DOL.
Financial
Tier Availability: Business
The Financial view is used to record various monetary amounts, such as net assets and employer/participant contributions. This information can be filled automatically from the DOL.
Files
Tier Availability: Team
The Files view contains any files that have been uploaded and stored alongside the Plan Cycle. This view is only available if Data Collection has been added.
New Files may be added by selecting Add
- The following are required fields: Title, Type
- The following field is a List Value located under Core > File Types: Type
- To choose a file for upload, use the File Selection box to navigate to and select the desired file using the file explorer. Alternately, drag-and-drop a file from the file explorer into the File Selection box.
Double-clicking a File record opens the File in a new browser tab, where it can be downloaded.
Hovering over any File record displays the Edit and Delete
options on the right-hand side.
If Show on PSL is selected, the File can be accessed and downloaded by PlanSponsorLink users under the Documents tab.
Selecting View Access Log in the Title column opens a popup window displaying the name of any Plan Sponsors or PensionPro users who accessed the File, as well as the date and time the File was accessed. This tracking ability can assist in managing Data Security, as well as determining whether the Plan Sponsor ever opened the File.
Files can be Archived by selecting the Archived checkbox in the Edit Plan File popup window. Archived Files will be hidden from the Files view by default; to view these records, select More > Show Archived.
For more information on using Files, refer to the article Files & Documents.
Data Collection
Tier Availability: Team
If the Plan Cycle is using Data Collection to obtain annual administration data, the relevant views will appear under this grouping. Otherwise, the Data Collection grouping will not be available. For more information on these views, refer to the article Data Collection with PensionPro TEAM.
To-Dos
Tier Availability: Team
The To-Dos view displays To-Do items for the Project, allowing their progress to be tracked. This view is only available if Data Collection has been added to the Plan Cycle.
New To-Dos may be added by selecting Add
- The following fields are required: Title, Assigned To
- The following field is a List Value located under Core > General: Status
Hovering over any To-Do record displays the Edit and Delete
options on the right-hand side.
If the To-Do's Priority field is set to Critical, a Critical icon will display next to it in the grid.
For more information on To-Dos, refer to the article To-Dos.
Time
Tier Availability: Team, Business
The Time view displays all Time Slip entries that are linked to the Plan Cycle. This view is only available if Data Collection has been added (Team) or if the Plan Cycle is associated with an Annual Administration Project (Business).
Time Slip records cannot be manually created within this view; instead, the grid automatically populates when Employees add new Time Slip entries. For more information on timekeeping, refer to the article Recording & Tracking Time.
Notes
Tier Availability: Team
The Notes view displays any Notes pertaining to the Plan Cycle. This view is only available if Data Collection has been added.
New Notes may be added by selecting Add
- The following field is required: Note
- The following field is a List Value located under Core > General: Category
Hovering over any Note record displays the Edit and Delete
options on the right-hand side.
If the Important checkbox has been selected for a Note, an Important icon will display next to that Note in the grid.
Notes can be Archived by selecting the Archived checkbox in the Edit Note popup window. Archived Notes will be hidden from the Notes view by default; to view these records, select More > Show Archived.
For more information on Notes, please refer to the article Notes.
Projects
Tier Availability: Business
The Projects view displays Projects that are connected to the current Plan Cycle. In practice, this will act as an easy means for accessing the cycle's associated Annual Administration Project.
Double-clicking a Project will open it in a new Project tab.