Employer Benefits Optimization
Review and configure available employer benefits to improve the value of your total compensation package.
What Employer Benefits Optimization gets you.
By the end of this upgrade you will have configured your available employer benefits to capture the maximum value you're entitled to.
- Open enrollment guide or benefits portal login
- Current benefit elections
- Household healthcare needs/usage estimate
- 401(k)/retirement plan summary
- Any HSA/FSA balances
Run the upgrade.
- 01
Inventory every available benefit
List all benefits offered, including ones you're not currently using: health/dental/vision plans, HSA/FSA, retirement match, life/disability insurance, tuition reimbursement, commuter benefits, EAP, and wellness stipends.
- 02
Check your retirement match capture
Confirm your contribution percentage is at least enough to capture the full employer match — leaving match on the table is leaving guaranteed money unclaimed.
Minimum contribution % = match threshold set by employer plan
- 03
Reassess your health plan selection
Compare last year's actual usage (visits, prescriptions, procedures) against premium and deductible differences across available plans to confirm you're on the cheapest plan that covers your real usage.
- 04
Evaluate HSA/FSA eligibility
If eligible for an HSA, confirm you're contributing enough to cover predictable medical costs and, if possible, up to the annual limit for its tax advantages; for FSA, estimate spending carefully since funds may not roll over.
- 05
Check underused perks
Review tuition reimbursement, professional development stipends, commuter benefits, and wellness reimbursements — these often go unused simply because employees forget to enroll or claim them.
- 06
Update elections during the enrollment window
Make any changes needed before the open enrollment deadline; most benefit elections cannot be changed outside this window without a qualifying life event.
- You've reviewed every available benefit, including unused ones
- Retirement contributions capture the full employer match
- Your health plan selection matches your actual usage pattern
- You've claimed any applicable stipends or reimbursements
Annually
- Reassess during every open enrollment period
- Update elections after a qualifying life event (marriage, birth, move)
- Recheck HSA/FSA contribution limits each year, as they change annually
Tax treatment of HSA, FSA, and retirement contributions varies by plan and jurisdiction — confirm details with your plan administrator or a tax professional.