Frequently asked questions

The Optum employer portal is used by employers to manage their employees' consumer-directed health and commuter accounts. The Optum employer portal is an integrated point-and-click account management system that lets you manage employee benefits throughout the account lifecycle. Its easy-to-navigate dashboard diminishes the time it takes for busy benefits teams to serve all audiences, from employees requesting immediate changes, to executive requesting performance metrics. Administrators will have access to an easy-to-use dashboard that provides one-click access to key performance indicators (KPIs), automatic contribution calculations and digital resources, historical view of changes and analytics and insights.

Elections, Contributions, Claims, and CIP are common tasks managed within the tool. It also includes powerful reporting which allows employers to act on payroll reconciliations, claim payment statuses, claims settlement, billing and more.

Claims information is only available for reimbursement accounts such as flexible spending accounts and health reimbursement accounts. Claims information for health savings accounts are not available due to privacy and regulatory compliance agreements.

Everything from understanding CIP status across your employee base, to claims history, to forfeitures at risk can be found here. In each repository, you'll find a standard data set with useful information already presented. You are also able to change the criteria and modify the analytic view to customize data sets to your needs.

Accessing insightful claims data for your population about Claims Management can be completed at the individual or group level. Administrators can do a deep dive into historical claims analytics within Optum employer portal reporting. Employers can manage participant claims by clicking on the "Manage Claims" icon under the "Access Participants" tab located on the dashboard.

To manage the CIP process*, access the “Access Participant” tab and select the “Manage CIP” icon from the dashboard page to view and act on participants that have not yet cleared CIP. From the “Manage Customer Identification Program” page, you will see a summary bar across the top of the page that provides an illustration of your participants and the status of their CIP verification. Features include: Participant search, Update information, and Document review. 

*CIP is applicable to HSAs only.

The ability to schedule contributions is no longer available. However, there is an alternative method using a file upload process that allows you to submit contributions. Below are step-by-step instructions for submitting contributions.

Step-by-step instructions

• Login to the employer portal.
• Click Dashboard to view the home screen.
• Click Access Tools.
• Click on Census Enrollment and Contribution Files, and then click Continue.
• On the File Manager page, you will be prompted to enter the file type you are uploading. Choose your file type, e.g., Contribution, and click the blue arrow.
• Additional fields will display. Click the View file data requirements link.
• This will open a new tab to show you which fields are required within the file, including Social Security number, Payroll Identifier and Payroll Deduction Amount.
• Back in the employer portal, click the dropdown to select Pay Site.
• Tip: If you are uploading for weekly vs. bi-weekly employees, you will need two contribution file uploads – one for each pay site they are assigned to.
• Under the Contribution Date dropdown, select the date you want to bes tamped with the contributions for your upload.
• Under Payroll Identifier, all client-specific payroll identifiers will be listed that will correspond to the spreadsheet you need to fill out to upload contributions.
• Click Download Excel Template. Open the template and fill out all required fields.
• Tip: Make sure the employer identifier you add to the spreadsheet matches the payroll identifier displayed within the employer portal.
• Next, save the template to your computer.
•    Important: Do not change the file format of the file you downloaded. Make sure it is not read-only and do not change the file type.
• Go back to the employer portal and click Continue.
• On the File Manager pop-up, review the summary and click Choose File.
• Find the Excel file template you saved to your computer and select it. Click Validate.
• It will take you to a new screen to view file details including number of records and if any errored out.
  • If any errors were identified, you will be unable to proceed until theyare corrected.
  • The Contribution Error summary will show you which recordnumber(s) have errors.
  • Re-do the file to fix errors.
• Once all records are correct, an invoice ID will display on the screen which means it will successfully process. Click Submit.
• A success page will display confirming the file has been submitted and will process shortly. It will take about a day for any notional accounts to process, and up to two full business days for HSAs for funds to settle and invoice to generate.
• You may now Exit or select Process a New File.
• An invoice email will generate and be sent to you.

To add a one-time contribution to a participant’s payroll, such as for an annual bonus or to correct a past contribution, select “View/Edit Participant” to view their participant information. In the upper-right corner for the screen, select the hyperlink labeled “Add a One-Time Contribution.” Select the account type to which you would like to add the contribution by selecting the respective green arrow. Enter the tax year to which the contribution should be applied, the amount and the payment date.

For a group of employees, your account must be set up by Optum Financial to allow a group one time contribution.  Access the Tools tab to manage bulk uploads and changes to your employee population. After you’ve selected the type of bulk upload you want to perform, the employer portal will guide you through what is needed to upload each unique file type. A template is provided during this process to help guide you in uploading all required information for a successful upload.

Reporting is the data and analytics command center where you can easily find data sets that will be used throughout the lifecycle of your accounts. Simply click on the reporting icon to launch, set data filters to narrow views and click the green arrow to go.

Comprehensive payroll reconciliation details, contribution funding details, invoice history, paid claims, participant accounts and claims, payroll and contributions.