Overview
The Insurance Costs report shows what each employee's selected insurance coverage cost over a period, split into Employee Cost, Client Cost and Plan Cost. Two new options make it easier to use for benefit-cost audits, carrier invoice reconciliation and MLR rebate allocation:
- Benefit Type groups employees into sections by benefit type, such as Medical, Dental and Vision. Each section has its own total, and a Grand Total follows the last section.
- Monthly adds a cost column for each month in the period, plus an Annual Total Rate column that adds them up.
Both options are on by default. Turn both off to see one row per employee with all selected plans combined, like the previous layout, with SSN and DOB columns added.
These updates are part of our ongoing Ease Parity reporting work. The report was designed to resemble Ease's Annual Benefits Contribution report, down to its total-row labels, so if you've used that report in Ease, the output will look familiar.
Where to find it: Company > Reports > Audit Reports > Insurance Costs.
Who can use it: broker and HR users. HR users with Access Control List (ACL) restrictions can't open this report.
Running the report
- Go to Company > Reports > Audit Reports > Insurance Costs.
- Choose the Starting and Ending month and year. The plan list updates to match the period. If the Starting month is after the Ending month, you'll see "The start period must be on or before the end period."
- Select the plans to include, or check Select All.
- Under Report Options, choose your cost breakdown and any demographic columns.
- Click Generate.
If you change any options, click Generate again to update the results.
Report Options
| Option | Default | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Starting / Ending | — | Sets the period in whole months. The period starts on the first day of the Starting month and ends on the last day of the Ending month. For example, July 2025 to June 2026 covers 07/01/2025 through 06/30/2026. |
| Select All | — | Selects every plan in the list. |
| Benefit Type | On | Groups employees into sections by benefit type, with a total for each section and a Grand Total. |
| Monthly | On | Adds a cost column for each month in the period, plus an Annual Total Rate column. |
| Optional Demographics | Off | Adds a column for each item you check, such as Class, Department, Business Unit, Division or Office. |
Benefit Type and Monthly are under Optional Cost Breakdown.
Benefit Type grouping
With Benefit Type on, employees are grouped into a section for each benefit type, such as Medical, Dental and Vision.
- Each row shows its benefit type in the Benefit Type column, including in the export.
- An employee enrolled in more than one benefit type appears once in each section. For example, someone with Medical and Dental appears under both. An employee only appears in a section if they have coverage in one of the selected plans for that benefit type during the period. Waived coverage doesn't count.
- If an employee has more than one plan of the same benefit type, those plans are combined into one row.
- A benefit type with no enrolled employees during the period doesn't get a section.
Totals
Each benefit type section ends with a total row, such as Medical Total Rate Totals, that adds up Employee Cost, Client Cost and Plan Cost for that section. A Grand Total row after the last section adds up Employee Cost, Client Cost and Plan Cost across all selected benefit types combined. When Monthly is also on, the total rows include the monthly columns too. The total row labels are intended to match Ease's Annual Benefits Contribution report.
Total rows appear in bold. The "Records:" number shown on the report counts employee rows only, not section totals or the Grand Total.
Example with Benefit Type on, Monthly off and no demographics selected (sample data, not a real company):
| Benefit Type | First Name | Last Name | SSN | DOB | Hire Date | Termination Date | Employee Cost | Client Cost | Plan Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical | Jane | Doe | ***-**-1234 | 04/12/1985 | 03/01/2019 | $1,200.00 | $4,800.00 | $6,000.00 | |
| Medical | John | Smith | ***-**-5678 | 09/30/1990 | 06/15/2021 | $1,500.00 | $4,500.00 | $6,000.00 | |
| Medical Total Rate Totals | $2,700.00 | $9,300.00 | $12,000.00 | ||||||
| Dental | Jane | Doe | ***-**-1234 | 04/12/1985 | 03/01/2019 | $240.00 | $360.00 | $600.00 | |
| Dental Total Rate Totals | $240.00 | $360.00 | $600.00 | ||||||
| Grand Total | $2,940.00 | $9,660.00 | $12,600.00 | ||||||
Monthly cost breakdown
With Monthly on, the report adds a column for each month in the period, labeled by month and year (for example, "Jul 2025"), followed by an Annual Total Rate column. A July 2025 to June 2026 period shows 12 monthly columns. With Monthly on, the period can be up to 24 months. A longer period shows the message "Please select a range of 24 months or fewer." This limit doesn't apply when Monthly is off.
Each monthly amount is the month's Employee Cost plus Client Cost:
- With Benefit Type on, it covers only that row's benefit type.
- With Benefit Type off, it covers all of the employee's selected plans.
Costs for employees who are added, terminated or change coverage partway through a month follow each plan's Billing Wash rules, set in the plan's Advanced Options. If a plan has no rule, cost is counted as of the 15th of the month.
Annual Total Rate adds up the row's monthly amounts. It covers the period you selected, even if it isn't 12 months.
Example with Benefit Type and Monthly on, a July 2025 to September 2025 period, and a Medical plan with no Billing Wash rule, so the 15th applies (sample data; SSN and DOB columns left out for space):
| Benefit Type | First Name | Last Name | Hire Date | Termination Date | Employee Cost | Client Cost | Plan Cost | Jul 2025 | Aug 2025 | Sep 2025 | Annual Total Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical | Jane | Doe | 03/01/2019 | $300.00 | $1,200.00 | $1,500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $1,500.00 | |
| Medical | John | Smith | 06/15/2021 | 08/10/2025 | $125.00 | $375.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $0.00 | – | $500.00 |
| Medical Total Rate Totals | $425.00 | $1,575.00 | $2,000.00 | $1,000.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $2,000.00 | ||||
| Grand Total | $425.00 | $1,575.00 | $2,000.00 | $1,000.00 | $500.00 | $500.00 | $2,000.00 | ||||
John's Medical coverage ends 08/10/2025. That's before the 15th, so his last billed month is July. He was still employed in August, so August shows $0.00. September is after his termination with no cost, so it shows a dash. With only one benefit type, the section total and Grand Total match.
Reading the report
Who's included
The report includes every employee who was active for any part of the period, including employees who were terminated during it. Employees with no active days in the period aren't included. With Benefit Type on, only employees with coverage in the selected plans appear. Turn Benefit Type off to see every active employee.
Columns
- Benefit Type (when Benefit Type is on)
- First Name, Last Name
- SSN, DOB
- Hire Date, Termination Date
- A column for each demographic you selected
- Employee Cost, Client Cost, Plan Cost
- A column for each month, then Annual Total Rate (when Monthly is on)
$0.00 and dashes
| You see | It means |
|---|---|
| An amount | The employee was enrolled in that coverage. |
| $0.00 | The employee was active, but no cost was counted for that coverage. For example, with Monthly on, a new hire whose coverage starts the following month shows $0.00 for their hire month. With Benefit Type off, $0.00 can also mean the employee has no coverage in the selected plans. |
| – (dash) | Monthly columns only. The employee wasn't active that month, for example before their hire date or after their termination. If their coverage continues past their termination date, the cost for those months shows instead. |
Total rows never show a dash. A dash counts as zero in the Annual Total Rate and in totals.
Totals and rounding
Each row is rounded to the cent before it's added to a total, so every total matches the rows shown above it. If you add up unrounded amounts from another source, your result may differ by a cent.
Other details
- SSN shows masked (for example, ***-**-1234) or in full, depending on your access. The last four digits always show.
- Termination Date is blank when an employee hasn't been terminated.
- Demographic columns show each employee's current value, not their value during the period.
- Search: a search of only numbers, such as the last four of an SSN, matches SSNs only, not years or amounts. Total rows are hidden while you search.
Exporting
You can export the report to CSV or Excel (.xlsx). The export matches what's on screen, including benefit type sections, total rows, the Grand Total, the monthly columns and Annual Total Rate.
- Cost columns export as numeric values that match the amounts on screen.
- A dash on screen exports as $0.00.
- The export is a single sheet.
FAQ
Why is an employee listed more than once?
With Benefit Type on, an employee appears once for each benefit type they're enrolled in.
Why is an employee missing?
Check that the period includes when they were active, that their plans are selected, and that no search is entered. With Benefit Type on, employees without coverage in the selected plans don't appear.
Why does a terminated employee appear?
Anyone active for part of the period is included. See John's row in the Monthly cost breakdown example for how their months appear.
Can I see enrollment dates or mid-month changes?
Not in this report. Use the Row-Based Report, in the Ad Hoc section of the Reports tab, for enrollment dates and mid-month adds, terminations, and tier or plan changes.
Can I choose a specific day or week for the period?
No. The period can only be set in whole months.
Can I see costs for each dependent?
No. The report shows costs per employee only.
Comparing and reconciling amounts
Why does a new hire show $0.00 for their hire month instead of a dash?
The employee was active that month, but their coverage didn't start until the following month under the plan's Billing Wash rules. Active but not enrolled shows as $0.00. The same can happen in an employee's last month.
Why is a plan grouped under a different benefit type than I expected?
Sections use the standard name of each plan's benefit category. If a category was renamed under Benefits > Actions > Edit Categories, the report will still show the standard name.
Why does an employee show $0.00 under a benefit type?
They have coverage of that type that overlaps the period, but the plan's Billing Wash rules (the 15th of the month if none is set) moved its cost outside the period. For example, coverage starting 6/20 in a period that ends in June is counted from July, so the row shows $0.00. Waived coverage doesn't appear in the report.
Why doesn't the report match my carrier invoice, or why isn't a monthly amount the full premium?
Common reasons:
- When an employee is added, terminated or changes coverage partway through a month, this report follows each plan's Billing Wash rules, or the 15th of the month if no rule is set. That may differ from how the carrier bills partial months.
- Changes entered after the invoice was produced, including retroactive changes, show in this report but not on that invoice. The report always uses current enrollment data.
What is Plan Cost, and how does it relate to Employee Cost and Client Cost?
Plan Cost is the total cost of the coverage. Employee Cost and Client Cost are the employee's and employer's shares of it. For voluntary life, Plan Cost includes spouse and child coverage.
How does a rehired employee appear?
They have one row. Months during each period of employment show an amount or $0.00, and months between the periods show a dash. An employee who left during the period and was rehired after it ends is still included, and costs from their earlier employment count toward the totals.
Exports and spreadsheets
My spreadsheet no longer lines up with the export. Why?
The export now has new columns: SSN and DOB after Last Name, plus Benefit Type as the first column when that option is on. Anything set up to read data by column position will now pick up the wrong column. The Excel download is also an .xlsx file instead of .xls. Update any spreadsheet that relies on the old column order or the .xls file type.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.