2027 Open Enrollment

Benefits Guidebook | 2027 OE Presentation | HSA, FSA, DCFSA | Benefits Video Library | Virtual Benefits Fair | Additional Resources

Enrollment Period: Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026 - Friday, Oct. 23, 2026

The College’s benefits open enrollment period runs from Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026 through Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. The yearly open enrollment period is your opportunity to make changes to your medical, dental, vision, and other benefit elections, enroll or unenroll yourself and your dependents, update your domestic partnership and marital status, add or remove beneficiaries, and more.

Unless you experience a qualifying life event, this is the only time each year when you can make these changes. The choices you make during the open enrollment period will take effect on January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2027.

PLEASE be aware that THE DEADLINE FOR OPEN ENROLLMENT IS FRIDAY, OCT. 23, 2026.  NO OPEN ENROLLMENT CHANGES WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THIS DATE.

Benefits Guidebook

• Benefits Guidebook
• Benefits Guidebook [PDF]

2027 Open Enrollment Overview Presentation

• 2027 OE Presentation

Health Savings Account (HSA), Medical Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Dependent Care Account (DCFSA), Commuter FSA

If you are enrolled or newly enrolling in one of the College’s High Deductible Health Plans (the Enhanced HDHP), you need to actively enroll in the associated Health Savings Account (HSA) during the open enrollment period, and be in a 75% or greater FTE status,  in order to be eligible to receive the College’s contribution. You do not need to make your own contributions to receive the College contribution, but you do need to enroll in the HSA.  

HSA contribution limits for 2027 are as follows (these maximums include the above HSA contribution the College makes on your behalf. If you are age 55 or over, you can also make an annual “catch-up” contribution of up to $1,000):

• $4500 for employee only HDHP coverage
• $9000 for all other HDHP coverage tiers

You must also enroll/re-enroll in the Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for Medical, Limited Purpose, Dependent Care Account, Parking, and Transit FSAs to continue your participation in these benefits for the 2027 plan year.  If you do not re-enroll during open enrollment, your current participation will end with a last day of coverage on Dec. 31, 2026.

Workday Enrollment System

Our benefits enrollment system, Workday, serves as the enrollment tool for Swarthmore College employees to manage their benefits elections. Workday allows employees to learn about their benefits options, select the plans that are right for them, and easily manage their enrollment in medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans. It also lets employees manage their HSA and Commuter FSA benefits, and more. Workday is also available for employees to make mid-year life event qualifying changes, as allowed by plan rules, and will act as the document repository for such changes.

You will receive an open enrollment change benefits task in your Workday inbox.  It is recommended that you review each benefit offering  to view, enroll, or waive. 

Workday Differences and Notes

• Social Security Numbers (SSN) in Workday are referred to as National ID.  
• You will be required to add at least one primary beneficiary to each of the following benefit plans:  Basic Life, Basic AD&D, Voluntary Employee Life, and Voluntary AD&D.  
  • You will click on the word "Manage" for Basic Life and Basic AD&D, click confirm and continue to move forward to add your primary and secondary beneficiaries, as well as, percentage allocation.  
  • Address is a Workday required field for beneficiaries, click on the contact tab to add an address.
• HSA College contribution will display as a per paycheck amount.  However, the College will continue to process the employer HSA contribution on a bi-annual basis.
• HSA and Flexible Spending Accounts will default to waived.  You must re-enroll for these benefits to continue in 2027. 
  • If you will be 55 years of age or older in 2027 the HSA benefit plan name that will display will say "Health Savings Account Catch Up", this allows you to elect to contribute the additional $1,000 catch up contribution as per IRS rules, whereas employees who are under age 55 are not eligible to contribute the additional $1,000 so the HSA benefit plan name that will display will just say "Health Savings Account"
• The 2027 IRS limits for Flexible Spending Accounts have not been released yet.  What you currently see in Open Enrollment are the existing 2026 IRS limits.  Once the 2027 limits have been released, we will update accordingly.  
  • When you are viewing your Flexible Spending Account enrollments in Workday, it will only show the annual amounts - the per pay amount will display on your benefits page starting in Jan 2027.   Since the per pay amount is not displayed it is also not factoring into the Projected Total Cost Per Paycheck, this will also update starting in Jan 2027.
• Voluntary AD&D Family will require you to add dependents.  Dependent children up to age 26 are eligible to be covered.  
• Voluntary 403(b) Retirement Plan contribution changes will continue to be done using the  Salary Deferral Agreement (SDA) until further notice and will not be able to be done through Workday.  The 2027 IRS limits have not been released at this time.