What is a Census File?

A census file is the starting point for most group benefits work. It describes an employer's workforce in enough detail for a carrier to price coverage and for an administrator to set members up. Census files are usually Excel or CSV and are exchanged by email or SFTP between employers, brokers, carriers, and benefits administration platforms.

How Census Files Are Used

• Quoting and renewals. Brokers send a census to several carriers so each can price the group. Carriers want the data in their own template, so the same census is often reformatted several times.
• Enrollment setup. Benefits administration platforms and carriers load census data to create member records before open enrollment.
• Ongoing changes. Employers send updated census files as people join, change status, or leave, which keeps carriers and vendors in sync.

Census File vs. Eligibility File

A census describes the workforce. An eligibility file tells a specific vendor who is entitled to its service and for what dates. Eligibility files are often built from census data, filtered and reshaped for each receiver.

Common Census File Problems

Census files are frequently assembled by hand from an HRIS or payroll export. Column names change between files, dates arrive in mixed formats, dependents are listed inconsistently, and required fields such as salary are missing. Each problem turns into back-and-forth email before a quote or setup can move forward.

Census Files and Integrate.io

Integrate.io takes a census in whatever layout the HRIS or payroll system produces, standardizes it, and delivers it in the format each carrier or administrator expects, on a schedule. See how this works for employers, payroll and HRIS providers, and benefits brokers.