Published on November 17, 2025

What you need to know

The benefits you elected as part of Annual Enrollment will go into effect on January 1 and will be yours for 2026. Before the new year starts, you may have a few housekeeping items to take care of.

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Late-year new hires: First, complete your onboarding and the related benefits enrollment task in Workday. The benefits you pick as part of your onboarding will cover you from your start date through the end of 2025. Do not start the Annual Enrollment task in your Workday inbox until after you’ve submitted the onboarding task. Once you’ve submitted both, read on.

Now what?

First priority: Double-check your benefits for 2026. Whether you made changes, or not, review your 2026 Benefits Statement to make sure everything is correct. That includes making sure your dependents are covered.

If you didn’t save a copy of your statement, navigate to Workday > View Profile > Benefits, select the My Benefit Election History tab, and select US Annual Enrollment, January 1, 2026, from the table.

If something looks incorrect, you have a limited time to fix errors. Refer to the How to Make Corrections section of the How to Enroll in Workday Guide for help making changes to your Annual Enrollment and resubmitting your elections.

Note: Corrections are only possible until December 19, 2025. Be sure to make any corrections before that deadline. Additionally, keep in mind that if you make any late changes to your benefits, our benefits vendors may not have your information on January 1.

If everything looks good, review the following checklist items to see if you have any other action items before the new year.

For step-by-step instructions on making corrections and elections in Workday, view our How to Enroll in Workday Guide.

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If you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), spend down your balance

If you’re currently enrolled in an FSA, make sure to spend the remaining money in your account on qualified expenses by December 31, 2025.

Why is that deadline important? Per IRS regulation, up to a maximum of $660 of your unused 2025 Health Care FSA funds can carry over to 2026. Whereas the Dependent Care FSA doesn’t allow you to carry over any amount—you lose any excess funds you don’t use.

Once you've spent those funds, submit your claims to Benepass via their mobile app or website. Remember, you’ll have until March 31, 2026, to file your claims for qualified expenses incurred in 2025.

Have questions on qualified expenses? Visit the Benepass Help Center page, or contact the Benepass Support team.

If you increased your voluntary life insurance, complete evidence of insurability (EOI)

If you increased your voluntary employee life insurance by over $100,000, and/or you increased spouse or domestic partner voluntary life by over $50,000, you’ll need to answer some health questions. You’ll see a task in your Workday inbox with a link that takes you to the Unum EOI site. Follow the steps on the Unum site, and when you’re finished, navigate back to Workday and click Submit on the task in your Workday inbox.

If you’re currently enrolled in accident, critical illness, and/or hospital insurance, claim your 2025 wellness benefit

If you’re currently enrolled in the supplemental Unum accident, critical illness, and/or hospital insurance plans for 2025, remember to claim your annual Be Well Benefit. Unum will pay you $100 for each covered individual, per line of coverage, who completes an eligible Be Well Benefit screening test and whom you file a claim for by December 31, 2025. Learn more.

If you’re currently enrolled in the Student Debt 401(k) Match program, confirm your 2025 loan payment history

If you’re currently participating in the Student Debt 401(k) Match program, remember to confirm your student loan payment history in Fidelity by December 31, 2025, to ensure you receive the eligible match. Workday will make a corresponding true-up contribution to your 401(k) by the end of February 2026.

Check if you’re getting a new medical ID card for 2026

Maybe! If you’re enrolled in the SimplePay Health plan or one of the Kaiser plans for 2026, you will receive a new medical ID card by the start of January at the home address on file in Workday. Digital versions of your ID cards will also be available through the SimplePay Health and Kaiser mobile apps starting in the new year.

Cigna members: Cigna only issues digital ID cards. You’ll be able to access yours by January 1, 2026, by logging in to your account on my.Cigna.com or through the Cigna mobile app.

SimplePay Health plan members: Your new card will reflect SmithRx as your new prescription benefit provider. Make sure to start using your new card with your doctor and pharmacy beginning January 1, 2026.

HSA reminders

If you enrolled in the Cigna Smart plan or Kaiser Smart plan, keep the following in mind when it comes to your HSA:

  • If you just switched to a Smart Plan for the first time, it’s critical for you to set up your HSA with Fidelity. If you don’t set it up, your contributions cannot be deposited in your account, either your own and/or those from Workday. Look for an email notification from Fidelity in mid-December to take care of it.
  • In 2026, you can contribute up to $3,400 (employee only) or $6,750 (employee + one or more dependents) to your HSA, not including the contributions from Workday. Contribute up to $1,000 more if you’ll be age 55 or older in 2026.
    • Note: You can change your HSA contributions at any point during the year in Workday. Read how.
  • Workday’s contribution will be credited to your HSA each pay period (spread out over 24 pay periods), just like your contributions.

Tip: Review this HSA Reference Guide, and talk with Fidelity if you have questions about your HSA.

Need support?

Reach out to our Benefits Buddies or contact our vendors directly for help. If you have a Workday-specific question, ask Workmate Companion in Slack.

Required notices

There are some required notices that your state and federal government agencies want you to know are available.

CHECK THEM OUT