ftwilliam.com - Creating and Linking Records from PensionPro

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The partnership between PensionPro and ftwilliam.com provides the ability to link certain information between the two applications. This article walks users through creating a new Client, Plan, and 5500 Signer on ftwilliam.com using the PensionPro user interface. It also covers linking existing Client, Plan, and Signer records between the two applications so that information such as 5500 filing dates and compliance testing results can be updated in PensionPro when completed on ftwilliam.com.

 

Tier Availability: Team, Business

 

Article Contents

 

 

 

Overview of ftwilliam.com Record Linking

 

In order to make the most of the integration with ftwilliam.com, records in PensionPro will need to be linked to corresponding items in FTW. This will help PensionPro identify where in FTW that data and updates should be sent. The following PensionPro records can be linked to items in ftwilliam.com:

 

  • Clients (to companies)
  • Plans (to plans)
  • Contacts (to 5500 signers)

 

In some cases, PensionPro is also able to create a new item in ftwilliam.com if one doesn't exist to link to. The following chart indicates the various methods by which these items can be created or linked:

 

  Company Plan 5500 Signer
When adding a record to PensionPro, create corresponding in FTW & link

Yes

Yes

No
When viewing a record in PensionPro, create corresponding in FTW & link

Yes

Yes

No
When viewing a record in PensionPro, link to an existing FTW item

Yes

Yes

Yes
Link multiple PensionPro records to multiple FTW items via Power Tools

Yes*

Yes

Yes

*Using Power Tools, Clients cannot be linked directly, but are linked when their Plan is linked.
Methods for creating or linking ftwilliam.com items from/to PensionPro records

 

Each of these methods will be covered in this article. Before getting started:

 

  • Ensure the integration has been properly established by providing an ftwilliam.com API key.
  • Review the Create Records in ftwilliam.com preference in Integration Settings. This must be set to Yes in order to use PensionPro to create new items in FTW.

 

For more information on both of these requirements, refer to the article ftwilliam.com - Integration Setup & Preferences.

 

Note: Deleting a Client or Plan in either PensionPro or ftwilliam.com will not delete the record from the other application.

 

 

Creating ftwilliam.com Items when Adding PensionPro Records

 

When adding a new Client or Plan, PensionPro is able to create a corresponding company or plan in ftwilliam.com and link the two records. This is the simplest method of linking records, but assumes that the records do not exist in either application prior to beginning this process.

 

To use this method, either:

 

 

When adding a Client/Plan via any of these methods, ensure the Create In ftwilliam.com option is selected before saving the changes. After saving, PensionPro will create the record(s) in both applications, then link them together.

 

Note: Before creating the matching record in ftwilliam.com, PensionPro will attempt to determine if it already exists in that system. If a record with the same name is found in FTW, another won't be created at this time; review the item in question and create or link using one of the alternate methods in the following sections.

 

 

Creating ftwilliam.com Items from Existing PensionPro Records

 

In the event that a Client or Plan record already exists in PensionPro but does not yet exist in ftwilliam.com, PensionPro can still create a new item in FTW. Doing so will also link the records. The process is similar for both Clients and Plans; refer the instructions in the sections below.

 

 

Adding a New Company to ftwilliam.com

 

Requires Security Rights: Add/Edit Client

 

  1. Open an unlinked Client record in a new tab and navigate to the General view.
  2. At the top-right of the Client Information grid, select Moremore_options.png > Create in ftwilliam.com.
    • A new Company record will immediately be created on ftwilliam.com.
    • The following fields will be populated for the new ftwilliam.com record: Company Name, Client ID, Address (primary Address only), Phone Number (primary Phone Number only), Entity Type, EIN, and Fiscal Year-End.

 

During the creation process, the current ftwilliam.com database will be scanned for duplicate Client IDs before creating a new Company record. If a duplicate is found, a dialog will display the notification “A Client with the ID [ClientID] already on file for this company. Try using the linking tool to link this Client.”

 

 

Adding a New Plan to ftwilliam.com

 

Requires Security Rights: Add/Edit Plan

 

  1. Open an unlinked Plan record in a new tab and navigate to the General view.
  2. At the top-right of the General Plan Information grid, select Moremore_options.png > Create in ftwilliam.com.
    • A new Plan record will immediately be created on ftwilliam.com.
    • The following fields will be populated for the new ftwilliam.com record: Plan Name, Plan Type, TPA Plan ID, IRS Plan #, Plan Year-End, and Trust EIN.

 

Note: A Plan cannot be created or linked to ftwilliam.com until its corresponding Client has been created or linked.

 

During the creation process, the current ftwilliam.com database will be scanned for duplicate TPA Plan IDs before creating a new Plan record. If a duplicate is found, a dialog will display the notification “A Plan with the ID [TPAPlanID] already on file for this company. Try using the linking tool to link this Plan.”

 

 

Linking Clients, Plans, and 5500 Signers Between PensionPro and ftwilliam.com

 

When a Client, Plan, or Contact/5500 Signer already exists separately in both PensionPro and ftwilliam.com, the records from both applications can be linked together. The instructions in the following sections should be used to link individual items; to link multiple items at once, refer to the section Linking Multiple Records to ftwilliam.com Using Power Tools.

 

 

Linking to an Existing ftwilliam.com Company

 

Requires Security Rights: Add/Edit Client

 

  1. Open an unlinked Client record in a new tab and navigate to the General view.
  2. At the top-right of the Client Information grid, select Moremore_options.png > Link Client to ftwilliam.com. The corresponding window displays
  3. Use the Company to Link field to search for and select the desired ftwilliam.com company.
  4. Select Save.

 

Upon a successful link, the ftwilliam.com Integration field on the General view of the Client tab will display Yes.

 

 

Linking to an Existing ftwilliam.com Plan

 

Requires Security Rights: Add/Edit Plan

 

  1. Open an unlinked Plan record in a new tab and navigate to the General view.
  2. At the top-right of the General Plan Information grid, select Moremore_options.png > Link Plan to ftwilliam.com. The corresponding window displays.
  3. Use the Plan to Link field to search for and select the desired ftwilliam.com plan.
  4. Select Save.

 

Upon a successful link, the ftwilliam.com Integration field on the General view of the Plan tab will display Yes.

 

 

Linking to an Existing ftwilliam.com 5500 Signer

 

Unlike with Clients and Plans, it is not possible to create a new 5500 Signer/Portal User in ftwilliam.com from PensionPro. However, Plan Contacts in PensionPro can be linked to portal users in ftwilliam.com.

 

Note: Linking a Contact and portal user between PensionPro and ftwilliam.com is only necessary if the TPA wants to direct their Plan Contacts to PlanSponsorLink to file the Form 5500.

 

To link to a 5500 Signer/portal user, the following criteria must be met within ftwilliam.com:

 

  • The portal user must be linked to the correct Plans, and be linked to the correct year(s) within those Plans.
  • The portal user must possess the correct rights and signing role.
  • The portal user cannot exist more than once.

 

Additionally, the following criteria must be met within PensionPro:

 

  • The Contact must be Active.
  • The Contact must have an email address that matches the portal user's email address in ftwilliam.com.
  • The Plan(s) the Contact is assigned to must be Active.
  • The Plan, as well as the Client, must already be linked to ftwilliam.com.
  • The Contact must be assigned to a Plan as a Contact Role.
    • Instructions for this process can be found in the article Plan Contact Roles.
    • The specific Plan Role that the Contact is assigned to in PensionPro does not matter; the distinction is purely for user reference and organization.

 

If this criteria is met, a Contact may be linked:

 

  1. Open an unlinked Contact record in a new tab and navigate to the General view.
  2. At the top-right of the General Information grid, select Moremore_options.png > Link Contact to ftwilliam.com. The corresponding window displays.
  3. Enter the Year which corresponds to the Plan Year the Portal User is assigned to in ftwilliam.com.
  4. Use the Contact Name field to search for and select the name of the portal user.
  5. Select Link Contact.

 

Upon a successful link, the Contact's ftwilliam.com username will appear on the General view of the Contact tab in the ftwilliam.com portal username field.

 

Once a Contact has been linked, the Sign My 5500 button should appear in the upper-right corner of the My Active Tasks screen of PlanSponsorLink. Selecting this button will take the Contact to the ftwilliam.com site for signing. Any 5500 forms the Contact is required to sign will display on that page.

 

Note: The Plan details stored in PensionPro have no influence on which 5500 forms the Contact is asked to sign in FTW.
Note: A Contact only needs to be linked once. The Sign My 5500 button will remain on PlanSponsorLink for that Signer until their Contact record is unlinked.

 

 

Linking Multiple Records to ftwilliam.com Using Power Tools

 

Requires Security Rights: Access Power Tools

 

A user who has access to Power Tools can use the integration functionality to link multiple Plans and Contacts between PensionPro and ftwilliam.com at once. Any prerequisites listed in the above sections for linking Plans and Contacts must still be met to create a successful link.

 

Note: Using Power Tools to create links only applies to Plans and Contacts. There is no tool to link multiple Clients at the same time; each will have to be linked individually using the integration methods discussed earlier in this article.

 

 

Linking Multiple Plans to ftwilliam.com

 

  1. Navigate to Power Tools > ftwilliam.com > Linking. The ftwilliam.com Linking Power Tool opens at Step 1.
  2. Use the I want to field to select Link Plans.
  3. Select a status from the Plan Status dropdown.
    • This option will filter potential Plans by their status as listed in PensionPro.
  4. Select Next to continue to Step 2.
  5. The grid will populate with Plans in PensionPro that are currently unlinked, along with their IRS Plan Number and EIN. Each entry displays a status message confirming if a matching plan name or plan number has been found in ftwilliam.com, indicating whether the given Plan can be linked.
  6. Select the checkbox to the left of each Plan record to be linked.
    • If a matching Plan isn't found in ftwilliam.com, it cannot be selected. Ensure that the Plan exists in ftwilliam.com, and that the EIN and IRS Plan Numbers are the same in both applications.
  7. Select Link Selected Records. A confirmation will display the number of Plans linked.

 

 

Linking Multiple 5500 Signers to ftwilliam.com

 

  1. Navigate to Power Tools > ftwilliam.com > Linking. The ftwilliam.com Linking Power Tool opens at Step 1.
  2. Use the I want to field to select Link portal users.
  3. In the Plan Year field, enter the plan year that the 5500 Signer/portal user is assigned to in ftwilliam.com.
  4. Select a Plan Contact Role.
    • This option will filter potential Contacts by their Plan Contact Role, as listed on the Plan tab in PensionPro.
    • Set this field to All to view all unlinked Contacts.
  5. Select Next to continue to Step 2.
  6. The grid will populate with Contacts in PensionPro that have been assigned Plan Contact Roles and are currently unlinked. Each entry also displays a status message confirming if a matching portal user has been found in ftwilliam.com, indicating whether the given Contact can be linked.
  7. Select the checkbox to the left of each Contact record to be linked.
    • If a matching portal user cannot be found in ftwilliam.com, the Contact cannot be selected. Ensure that the portal user exists in ftwilliam.com, that their email address is the same in both applications, and that the portal user is attached to the correct plan year.
  8. Select Link Selected Records. A confirmation will display the number of Contacts linked.

 

 

Unlinking Clients, Plans, and 5500 Signers from ftwilliam.com

 

If unlinking a Client, Plan, or Plan Contact from ftwilliam.com becomes necessary, a user can remove the link. Once the record is unlinked, information for that record will no longer pass between PensionPro and ftwilliam.com.

 

Note: A Client cannot be unlinked unless all associated Plans have been unlinked.

 

  1. Open the appropriate tab for the Client, Plan, or 5500 Signer
    • For the Client, this is the Client tab.
    • For the Plan, this is the Plan tab.
    • For the Signer, this is the Contact tab.
  2. From the General view of the relevant tab, select Moremore_options.png > Unlink [record type] from ftwilliam.com.

 

 

Finding Plans not Linked to ftwilliam.com

 

To aid in locating Plans that have not yet been linked to ftwilliam.com, PensionPro offers a Report option listing unlinked Plans.

From the navigation menu on the left, select Reporting > Plans > Plans Missing Integration Link. Set any filters as desired, then select View Report. The generated report lists any Plans meeting the filter criteria that are not linked between PensionPro and ftwilliam.com.

For more information on Reports, refer to the article PensionPro Reports.

 

 

Troubleshooting "Sign My 5500" for Contacts

 

There is a number of criteria that must be met for the Sign My 5500 button to appear on PlanSponsorLink for a Contact. If they do not see this button, review the items below to ensure all prerequisites are in place.

 

Checklist Item Notes
In ftwilliam.com Preferences, confirm that PSL SSO Enabled shows Yes. This setting toggles the Sign My 5500 button for all PSL users.
Confirm that the Contact is set up as a signer in ftwilliam.com. Their FTW email address must match PensionPro. Also confirm that the Contact does not have multiple ftwilliam.com entries.
Review the General view of the Client tab to confirm the Client is linked. If linked, ftwilliam.com Integration will show Yes.
Review the General view of the Plan tab to confirm the Plan is linked. If linked, ftwilliam.com Integration will show Yes.
Review the General view of the Contact tab to confirm the Contact is linked. If linked, the ftwilliam.com portal username field displays the Contact's FTW username. Confirm that this is the correct username for the signer.
The "Sign My 5500" Checklist

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions

 

  • My API Key was verified in the ftwilliam.com Settings, but I do not see the Integration options on the Client or Plan tabs. What am I missing?

    On the General view of Maintenance > Preferences > Integrations > ftwilliam.com, ensure that Create Records in ftwilliam.com is set to Yes.
     
  • If I update the Company Name in PensionPro, will it also be updated in FTW?

    Yes, updating the Company Name in the PensionPro application will also update the Company Name in ftwilliam.com. 
     
  • Why don't I see the option to create/link the Client/Plan/Contact in the More menu?

    Ensure all of the following:
    • The ftwilliam.com integration is set up correctly per the article ftwilliam.com - Integration Setup & Preferences.
    • The General view of the Client/Plan/Contact tab is selected.
    • The Moremore_options.png icon being selected is the smaller icon located directly over the information grid.
    • The Client/Plan/Contact is not already linked to ftwilliam.com.
       
  • A number of the ftwilliam.com linked fields are not populating on Plan Cycles for a few Plans. How can I make sure these are linked correctly?

    First, confirm that ftwilliam.com integration is set up correctly per the article ftwilliam.com - Integration Setup & Preferences. The Government Forms Enabled and Compliance settings must be enabled. If these settings are correct, then follow these steps to manually unlink and re-link the Plan and Client:
    1. Unlink the Plan and Client (steps).
    2. Re-link the Client (steps).
    3. Re-link the Plan (steps).
    4. When the Client and Plan are re-linked to ftwilliam.com, refresh the Plan Cycle Data. Navigate to the Plan Cycles view of the Plan tab, then double-click on the desired entry to open it in a new Plan Cycle tab. From this tab, select Moremore_options.png > Refresh Plan Cycle Data.
       
  • One of my Contacts is not appearing as an unlinked Contact in the portal user Linking Power Tool. How can I troubleshoot this?
    1. Confirm that ftwilliam.com integration is set up correctly per the article ftwilliam.com - Integration Setup & Preferences.
    2. Confirm that all criteria listed in the Linking to a 5500 Signer section are satisfied.
    3. Confirm the Contact is not already linked by navigating to the General view of the Contact tab and reviewing the ftwilliam.com portal username field.
      • If the ftwilliam.com portal username field displays the Contact's ftwilliam.com username, then the Contact is already linked.
      • If a link is established but not functioning as expected, unlink the Contact by selecting Moremore_options.png > Unlink Contact from ftwilliam.com, then attempt to re-link the Contact using the ftwilliam.com Power Tool.
    4. Unlink the Plan and Client (steps).
    5. Re-link the Client (steps).
    6. Re-link the Plan (steps).
    7. Re-attempt to link the Contact using the ftwilliam.com Power Tool.