This guide will show you the steps required to get started with an integration to Ascensus. Remember, in addition to their own plans, Ascensus also processes contribution files for:

 

• Mutual of Omaha
• Vanguard - plans on the VRPA platform

Section 1 - Getting started as a Payroll/HCM Provider

If you've never worked with Ascensus before, getting started as a new payroll/HCM provider is simple. The first and only thing to do is email Rick Hymanson at [email protected] sharing your interest in using the Ascensus integration through detamoov.

 

Rick will contact our integration contacts at Ascensus with your payroll company name so Ascensus knows your relationship with detamoov.

 

Section 2 - Implementing a client to use the Ascensus integration

For each client that needs the integration with Ascensus, the process is quite simple.

 

1. Your client initiates the process by contacting their retirement plan client service team.

 

The service rep from the client service team will ask your client for details including:

 

• Their payroll provider name
• Contact name and email address

Be sure to instruct your client the information above you'd like them to use and have them submit that information. Remember, this is your company's name as their payroll provider and contact on your team who Ascensus can work with in configuring the automation through detamoov.

 

2. The Ascensus service team will submit a ticket to the Ascensus integration support team.

 

This will kick off the integration effort for this client.

 

3. The Ascensus integration team will contact the client via email.

 

A sample of this email is below:

 

"Good afternoon,

 

I understand the [client name] 401k Plan is requesting integration between [payroll company name] and Ascensus/Vanguard.

 

Client,

 

Please let [contact name at the payroll company] know if you have employees who will never become eligible to participate due to exclusions set in your Plan, and if there are any types of earnings that are not 401k eligible.  Ineligible employees and compensation can be filtered off the file. *Your Client Service team at Ascensus/Vanguard can assist you with any Plan settings or exclusions should you have any questions.

 

As part of the file testing, we compare demographic information coming from [payroll company name] to the demographic information in our records.  Please review to confirm Ascensus/Vanguard has the same birth, hire, termination, and possibly rehire dates, as what is in their records, which will greatly assist in the testing process.

 

Testing can take multiple pay cycles.  Until the integration has been approved as correct, you will need to submit your own 401k and loan payments to avoid late contributions.

"

 

4. The Ascensus integration team will contact you the payroll provider via email.

 

A sample of this email is below:

 

"

[contact name at the payroll company],

 

You can use the standard format for this client.

 

• The plan number is [plan number] and the site code is [site code]
• Dashes are required in the social security numbers, as well as all nine digits.
• The files will have pre-tax deferral, Roth deferral and Safe Harbor Non-elective, as well as period compensation and hours.
• Each employee should be in only one row.

• Employees with plan-eligible compensation, whether they are contributing or not, should be included on the file.
• Please do not include any formulas in the body of the spreadsheet (other than the formulas in the totals row), or use multiple sheets in one file.
• The plan does not use division codes, so this field can be left blank.
• None of the columns to the right of column Z are required to be populated if you don’t have the information, but please note we are also now accepting employees’ work emails, if they are available.

 

Test files can be sent via sftp to transfers.ascensus.com when available, and I’ll intercept for review.

"

 

Good news for you is all the heavy lifting above is taken care within detamoov (the file format, SFTP transfer, etc...). You just need to ensure you create a new moov configuration for this client using the Standard 401k to Ascensus moov definition.

 

• Set the moov configuration to "Testing" status.
• Add in the Plan Number and Site Code overrides on the header row.

 

Last thing, ensure that the standard 401k file generates correctly out of payroll for this file. This will help speed up the testing processing with Ascensus.

 

5. Complete a full testing cycle with the Ascensus integration team

 

This simply entails running payroll and sending the client's contribution data through detamoov. You and the Ascensus integration team will communicate throughout the process.

 

6. Once testing is complete, update the moov configuration's status

 

Once it's been confirmed by the Ascensus integration team that testing is complete, update the moov configuration for this client to "Active" mode. For more information on the importance of a moov configuration's status, reference "The Importance of a moov Configuration's Status" knowledge base article.