Can I Do a Mid-Year Election Change to my Section 125 Plan?
Last Updated on October 21, 2022 / Benefits & Compensation
Question:
I just went through open enrollment and now I want to change my election. Can I?
Answer:
This question, or some similar variation, is all too common for employers to hear after the open enrollment period has ended. A response is not always a quick yes or no – per Section 125, which provides the rules for administrating a Section 125 plan (commonly referred to as a “cafeteria plan”), participant elections are generally irrevocable for the plan year. In other words, participants ordinarily may not change an election mid-year. As with many rules, there are applicable exceptions, discussed below.
If certain conditions are met, a plan may allow for a mid-year election change – that is, a change requested outside of open enrollment. In order for a participant to change an election mid-year, the change must be (1) allowed by the plan and (2) one of the IRS recognizes permitted election change events. While plans do not have to allow for employees to change their elections, most do.
For a mid-year election change to be allowed, the cafeteria plan must permit it in the written Section 125 plan document. While allowing a mid-year election change is a matter of plan design, the plan can only allow a mid-year election change as permitted by the IRS. Those permitted election change events include:
- Change in marital status
- Change in the number of dependents
- Change in employment status
- A dependent satisfying or ceasing to satisfy dependent eligibility requirements
- Change in residence
- Commencement or termination of adoption proceedings
- Significant cost changes
- Significant curtailment (or reduction) of coverage
- Addition or improvement of benefit package option
- Change in coverage of spouse or dependent under another employer plan
- Loss of certain other health coverage (such as government provided coverage, e.g. Medicaid)
- HIPAA special enrollment rights (contains requirements for HIPAA subject plans)
- COBRA qualifying event
- Judgment, decrees, or orders
- Entitlement to Medicare or Medicaid
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave
- Pre-tax health savings account (HSA) contributions (employees are free to change their HSA contributions whenever they wish, in accordance with the their payroll/accounting department process)
- Reduction of hours
- Exchange/Marketplace enrollment
While a cafeteria plan does not have to allow for all of the permitted election change events as listed above, it cannot be more generous than the IRS permits. When an employee experiences a mid-year election change event as recognized by the IRS and allowed by the plan, the change must be effective prospectively (with the exception for retroactive changes permissible under HIPAA special enrollment events such as birth or adoption). In addition, the requested change must be consistent with the event – an election change must correspond with requested change in status. For example, if an employee requests to change elections due to a divorce, the employee may drop coverage for the former spouse.
Employers should reference their Section 125 plan document to not only determine what is permitted when an employee asks about a mid-year change, but confirm that the plan allows for mid-year changes as intended. Please contact your HORAN representative with any questions.
THANK YOU to HORAN for providing the content for this Question of the Week. HORAN serves as a trusted advisor on employee benefits, wealth management and life and disability insurance. To learn more about HORAN, please contact your HORAN for additional information.
Strategic HR is ready to assist you with any of your challenging situations around Benefits and Compensation. We offer assistance with everything from job descriptions to policy development to help address your difficult issues that impact employee compensation or benefits. Please visit our Benefits and Compensation page for more information on how we can assist you.
