Partnership Press

New Year Employer Checklist

Feel free to copy and paste some of these important reminders with your clients to help them stay on track as they kick off the new year.

📅 Complete these tasks within the first month or two of the new year.

▢ Audit invoices: Review self-billed or list-billed invoices for the first two months to confirm enrollment, rates, and other details. Correct errors quickly to prevent repeats.

▢ Plan communications: Start with a usage audit, then craft messaging that drives smarter benefit use (not just selection) for real cost savings.

▢ Test life events: If this was your first online enrollment, check life event functionality now before an employee needs it.

Stay Informed on Businessolver’s Latest & Greatest Updates

2025 Recap: Big outcomes. Even bigger plans for 2026

2025 brought no shortage of exciting updates and incredible partnerships.

60+ client and partner events
18+ million members engaged
Over 5,000 Hours of Giving Back through the Businessolver Foundation
1 Sofia to keep it all together with year-round support

We couldn’t have accomplished everything we did without our broker, advisor, and consultant partners, who have connected us with incredible clients, provided feedback, and helped us elevate collaboration into innovation.

Our Solver engineers have been busy building Sofia’s biggest update yet, so stay tuned! You won’t want to miss this.

Businessolver advances AI benefits support and HR analytics in 2025, reporting 83 client NPS
Businessolver closed strong on the 2025 chapter, with an 83 client NPS and 97% retention rate. How? Through expanded Benefits Insights dashboards, advancements to Sofia’s AI-powered support, and real-time issue resolution.

What does this mean for your clients? Employees are still confused about benefits, and employers are under pressure to deliver clarity, confidence, and results. In 2025, Businessolver’s people and technology proved that reducing noise—not adding to it—drives better enrollment decisions, faster resolutions, and higher trust across the entire benefits experience.

January Compliance Updates

IRS releases Notice 2026-5 with FAQs related to the OBBBA changes to Health Savings Accounts

The IRS has issued Notice 20265, offering new clarity on Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and how they interact with telehealth services, bronze and catastrophic exchange plans, and Direct Primary Care Service Arrangements (DPCSA). This guidance includes FAQs related to each of these categories, designed to mitigate confusion about the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) changes to coverages that are now compatible with a Health Savings Account.

This notice includes FAQs tailored to each category, designed to ease confusion over OBBBA-related changes and help employers understand which coverages remain HSA-compatible.

Read the IRS notice

Dependent Care FSA changes may require plan document updates

With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act raising the contribution limits for Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (DC FSAs), plan sponsors should review and possibly revise their plan documents to align with the new cap. Consider conducting your nondiscrimination testing earlier in the year to give yourself plenty of time to address any issues—especially if you’re adopting the higher contribution limits.

DOL, IRS & PBGC release 2025 Form 5500 package for 2025 annual benefits plan report & return filings

The Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration, IRS, and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation have released drafts of the 2025 Form 5500 series, including Form 5500, Form 5500SF, Form 5500EZ, and IRS Form 5558, along with instructions. Paper copies of the Form 5500EZ and instructions will follow on the IRS website after Jan. 1, 2026.

These forms are required for filing annual reports on employee benefit plan finances, investments, and operations.

Read the forms

The Consultant Corner: News You Can Actually Use on Your Next Client Call

What AI means for burnout, benefits and trust at work in 2026

AI is accelerating a shift toward personalized, employee‑centric benefits. Over the next few years, benefits like wellness, mental health, payroll, and learning are predicted to utilize AI for anticipating needs, reduce admin work, and flag burnout early. Advisors play a key role in ensuring ethical use, clear communication, and trust as personalization increases in 2026.

The risky trend that's putting secure retirement in danger

Employer‑sponsored emergency savings accounts can significantly reduce 401(k) leakage, as hardship withdrawals have doubled in recent years. Data shows a risky trend: employees without emergency savings are twice as likely to tap into retirement funds. However, advisors can help employers protect long‑term retirement outcomes by pairing retirement plans with accessible, low‑fee short‑term savings and ongoing employee education.

How to make the most of your annual enrollment insights

Your clients have a treasure trove of data that could help make 2026 the best year yet. Every choice their employees make during enrollment tells a story. Advisors can help make sense of what story that is. Are they picking the cheapest plan because it fits their budget, or because they’re unsure about other options? Maybe convenience matters more than coverage. The patterns you find will reveal what’s most important to your clients.