Year-end checklist for brokers and consultants

Here’s a short list of key items to check off your list before checking out for the year:

1. Encourage utilization of what’s left of this plan year by reminding clients to communicate with their workforces about spending any remaining flexible spending account (FSA) funds before they expire, scheduling any remaining procedures or treatments if they’ve already reached their deductible or out-of-pocket limit, and claiming or cashing out on any rewards or incentives earned through wellness programs. Reminding clients’ workforces to take advantage of any benefits or programs they have access to that they may not have selected or enrolled in for 2026 is another good idea.

2. Gather open enrollment feedback by supporting clients in conducting employee surveys or listening sessions to pinpoint ways to improve next year’s open enrollment experience while it’s still fresh in their employees’ minds. 

3. Educate clients’ workforces about their benefits — especially new ones — as soon as possible, considering only 20% of those on employer-sponsored health plans report confidence in their health insurance knowledge.¹ This can include scheduling educational sessions with clients’ employees or helping them send benefits communications or even reminding them about working with their UnitedHealthcare representative to identify additional opportunities. The UnitedHealthcare Getting Started Toolkit can be a great place to start: This toolkit provides resources and out-of-the-box communications to help clients’ employees make the most of their benefits in the weeks leading up to their plan's start date, once their plan takes effect and during the first few months of coverage. 

4. Support clients in making a 2026 employee communications plan to ensure their employees are aware of and engaging in the benefits that have been made available to them. You can remind them about exploring the creation of customized communications for different channels or employee populations, especially with the varying preferences and needs of a multigenerational workforce. 

5. Help them stay on top of regulatory deadlines both on the federal and state level. It can be critical to remind clients about the regulatory deadlines and reporting requirements coming down the pike, which may include:

• Affordable Care Act (ACA) reporting deadlines 
• State-specific requirements
• Gag Clause Attestation
• Annual notices 
• Non-discrimination testing 
• Summary Plan Descriptions (SPDs) 

6. Ensure appropriate documentation and audit checks to confirm reporting accuracy and compliance. For example, accurate ACA reporting requires regular audits to verify employee status, work hours and other details.² Clients may need support in tracking all plan documents, including amendments to SPDs and enrollment forms. It’s also important to remind clients about the need to record all benefits-related communication.  

7. Review enrollment and dependent eligibility to ensure clients’ employees are receiving the right deductions in their first paycheck under a new plan year and verify dependent eligibility so that your clients aren’t inadvertently covering and paying for ineligible dependents. What’s more, ineligible dependents leave organizations exposed to liability and can risk incompliance with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).