What To Test Before Annual Enrollment and How To Get It Right 

A Few Extra Hours of Diligence Now Can Save Your HR Team Thousands Later 

Picture this: it’s day one of annual enrollment. Your CEO’s benefits page is showing the wrong payroll deduction. Within hours, employees start flagging discrepancies between their rates and the benefits guide. By the end of the day, you and your benefits administration vendor are scrambling. If you’ve experienced this before, you know how challenging it can be when unexpected problems surface during AE. While you can’t control everything, thorough AE testing is one of the most important steps to minimize risk and help ensure a smooth launch. Just like test driving a car before taking it out on the open road, testing your benefits administration platform before AE is essential to ensure a smooth and successful enrollment season. 

So let’s dive into why pre-annual enrollment testing matters for HR, how to test your current benefits administration platform, and ways to avoid costly mistakes. 

Why Testing Matters 

Your current benefits administration or enrollment platform manages critical decisions and data that affect the lives of your people—from health coverage, retirement, life insurance, and more. When systems fail, trust evaporates, compliance risks rise, and your team spends more time putting out fires than serving people. 

HR teams that prioritize testing can catch issues before launch, leading to a better enrollment experience and employees who trust the process. 

1. Build a proactive testing mindset 

If you wait till the last minute to test your platform for AE, you may find there isn’t enough time to fix issues that arise. Block out time to thoroughly test your platform. Depending on the size and scale of your organization, this could be anywhere from 4 to 8 weeks in advance of AE kickoff.  

Make sure to request the right info from your vendor prior to testing, such as:  

• Eligibility grids (who can enroll in what) 
• Up-to-date rate sheets
• A checklist of test scenarios for various employee types and personas 

2. Guide test case selection 

It’s important you help ensure testing is just that: testing. If you’re using real employee data, make sure the environment is safe. No one wants real payroll or insurance actions triggered by mistake. Set clear protocols with IT to ensure your tests won’t affect actual records or trigger downstream effects.  

Choose test cases strategically, ensuring each eligibility group is represented—including executives, as they often will be the first to notice if something doesn’t look right and can help catch those issues early.  

Pro tip: include unusual scenarios like mid-year new hires or unique job arrangements. 

3. What to double-check 

There are several details that you’ll want to double check for accuracy. Such as:  

• Eligibility Rules: Do employees see the right plans, with correct restrictions and messages? Run through all scenarios and don’t assume any group is “standard.” 
• Rates and Deductions: Check rates and payroll deductions against your sheets. Validate things like age-banded or family pricing and run examples for bi-weekly vs. monthly pay. 
• Guarantee Issue & Evidence of Insurability (EOI) Rules: Life and disability insurance can be complicated. Test guarantee issue limits and make sure EOI prompts work properly. 
• Confirmation Page: This is your last line of defense. Does your confirmation page reflect accurate plans, deductions, dependents, and beneficiaries? Be sure to check this in every test case. 

4. Establish a clear communication with your vendor 

As your team encounter errors, it’s important to document everything. Write down exactly how to recreate it, add screenshots, describe what should have happened, and note any affected employee types. Good documentation with your vendor helps efficiently and effectively resolve testing discrepancies that may come up.  

• Track Issues: Use a log to document what you found, when it was addressed, and if it’s really resolved. This keeps things from falling through the cracks. 
• Re-Test After Fixes: Don’t just assume errors are resolved—run the scenario again, and test similar situations to be sure nothing else was affected. 
• Post-Go-Live: Stay Vigilant Even with great prep, issues can sneak through. Keep an eye out for anything that doesn’t look right once AE is live for employees.  

5. Keep things running smoothly after launch 

You’ll want to continue to monitor a few key areas, such as: 

• Review the First Payroll: Check deduction totals, make sure new enrollees show the right amounts, and confirm those who waived benefits aren’t charged. Early detection prevents ongoing headaches. 
• Check Carrier Bills: Compare headcounts, premiums, and coverage dates against your own reports. Quick reconciliation uncovers any data transfer issues. 
• Listen to Employees: The first few weeks, pay attention to questions or complaints—they often surface hidden problems. Watch for missed confirmation emails, missing ID cards, or claims delays. 

Make Testing Part of Your Culture 

Embracing a “What could go wrong?” mindset before AE isn’t about negativity or assuming the worst—it’s about being proactive. It’s about approaching an important event for your employees with a sharp eye, asking the right questions, and being ready to adapt in case challenges arise. 

Every hour you invest in testing before AE can save you days of stress and correction later. Trust the process and give your future self some peace of mind. 

A successful annual enrollment isn’t luck—it’s preparation. Prioritize your testing, follow your plan, and you’ll give your employees (and yourself) the smooth experience everyone deserves. 

Looking for more ways to help prepare for a successful annual enrollment? Subscribe to Businessolver’s Benefits Pulse on LinkedIn for more great insights to make your upcoming AE the best one yet.