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How To Format Your Census File For Uploads

  • Updated

Below is the list of column headers that appear on the census grid or census template, accompanied by a brief definition & correct data format.

SSN

  • Social Security Number of the employee
  • All employees must have a valid SSN. If any of your employees do not have a valid SSN, please contact annualtesting@vestwell.com
  • Required for all employees
  • Format = xxx-xx-xxxx

Last Name

  • Last name of the employee
  • Required for all employees
  • Format = Text

First Name

  • First name of the employee
  • Required for all employees
  • Format = Text

Date of Birth

  • Birthdate of the employee
  • Required for all employees
  • Format = Date

Date of Hire

  • Date, the employee, was originally hired
  • Required for all employees
  • Format = Date

Date of Termination 1

  • The date that the employee was terminated 
  • If an employee has been rehired and subsequently terminated again, provide the oldest Date of Termination.    
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Date

Date of Rehire

  • Date, the employee, was rehired
  • If an employee has been rehired multiple times, provide the most recent Date of Rehire.  
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Date

Date of Termination 2

  • If an employee has been rehired and subsequently terminated again, provide the most recent Date of Termination.    
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Date

Hours  

  • Total number of hours worked by the employee during the plan year  
  • Required for all employees (if your payroll system does not track hours, estimate the equivalent hours worked.)
  • Format = Numeric

Gross Compensation

  • Generally, gross compensation for the entire 12 months of the plan year   
  • For self-employed owner-employees, please provide net income-eligible for pension (net of employer contributions); please contact us if additional assistance is required.
  • If the plan existed for the entire year but was only with Vestwell for part of the year, please include compensation for the entire plan year.  
  • Different plans may have different definitions of gross compensation. Please check your plan document if you are unsure what to report here or email annualtesting@vestwell.com to check.
  • Required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

Prior Year Gross Compensation

  • Gross Compensation for the 12 months prior to the beginning of the plan year.    
  • The amount should be for the entire 12 month period prior to the beginning of the plan year, regardless of whether the plan was with Vestwell or existed at all, for any or all of that period.    
  • This amount is used to determine whether the employee should be classified as a Highly Compensated Employee (HCE) for certain testing purposes *If you started with Vestwell during the 2021 year & did not provide us the prior year compensation, your compliance package & testing results may not be accurate and a $150 per hour revision fee will apply.
  • If an employee was not at the company in the year prior to the plan year, this can be left blank.    
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

Eligible compensation 

If you are using the pre-populated census grid, this column is intentionally left blank. It is your responsibility to provide us with this compensation information if it is applicable to your plan.

  • You will only need to include this type of compensation if your employer contributions are based on eligible compensation only or partial year compensation.
  • Eligible Compensation
    • To see if this applies, check Section A16 of the Adoption Agreement in effect for the 2022 year is checked off.
      • If this is applicable, this column should contain only the compensation earned after each employee became eligible.
    • If you are unsure if this applies, email annualtesting@vestwell.com
  • Partial year compensation will be required for your plan if both of the following is true:
    • Your plan started in 2022
    • Section A3 of the Adoption Agreement has a date other than 01/01/2022
    • If this is applicable, this column should contain only the compensation earned after the plan effective date noted in A3.
    • If you are unsure, email annualtesting@vestwell.com
  • Format = Numeric

Pre-Tax Contribution

  • The total pre-tax 401(k) contribution the employee made to the plan during the plan year.  
  • Include pre-tax catch-up contributions if applicable
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

Roth Contribution

  • The total Roth 401(k) contribution the employee made to the plan during the plan year.  
  • Include Roth catch-up contributions if applicable
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

Employer Discretionary Match

  • The amount the employer contributed to the employee's account during the plan year
  • This does not include Safe Harbor Contributions, Profit Sharing, or any other contributions that have not yet been funded.
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

Employer Safe Harbor Contribution

  • The amount the employer contributed to the employee's account as a Safe Harbor match or nonelective contribution.  
  • This does not include any contributions that have not yet been funded  
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

Profit-Sharing Contribution 

  • The amount the employer contributed to the employee’s account as a Profit-Sharing Contribution.
  • This does not include any contributions that have not yet been funded  
  • Not required for all employees
  • Format = Numeric

QNEC

  • Qualified Non-Elective Contributions (QNEC) are contributions that are given to employees in rare situations.
  • If any employees received QNECs, they should be reflected here
  • Format = Numeric

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