Updating Dependents and Beneficiaries in Workday

Overview

There are a number of ways to view and edit your dependents and beneficiaries in Workday. You can update your dependents at any time from the "Benefits and Pay" app or directly from a benefits change event or during Open Enrollment (see the "Related Articles" on how to change your benefits).

Please note: This process does NOT allow you to change your benefits elections or coverage. If you need to add, drop, or change your benefits coverage relating to a dependent due to a life event, such as marriage/divorce or the birth/adoption of a child, please follow the steps to Report a Life Event in Workday (see Related Articles) and provide appropriate documentation.

Adding Dependents

1. From your Home Page, click either "View All Apps" or go to the app menu and click on "Benefits and Pay"
   • 
2. On the left side, click on the "Benefits" drop down menu and then click on "Dependents":
   • 
3. To add a new dependent, click the "Add" button at the top of the page. To edit information about a current dependent, click "Edit" next to that dependent.
   • Note: to start a benefits change for the reason of divorce, make sure to "Edit" your dependent and list them as an "Ex-spouse". This will automatically kick off a benefits event to change your benefits and remove your ex-spouse.
4. When you add a dependent, you will be asked about the following information (asterisk for required information):
   • Is your new dependent already a beneficiary or emergency contact?
     • If your dependent is already in one of these categories, you can select their name and have many of the below fields auto-populate with their information.
   • Effective Date & Reason
     • The effective date will auto-populate with today's date*
     • Add dependent reason*:
       • Birth/adoption
       • Marriage
       • Other
   • Use your new dependent as a beneficiary? (Yes/No)
   • Dependent Personal Information:
     • Legal Name*
     • Sex*
     • Date of Birth*
     • Is this a full-time student?
     • Relationship*
     • Is this a person with a disability?
   • Contact information
     • Primary Address*
     • Additional Address
     • Primary phone
     • Primary Email
   • National IDs
   • Other IDs
5. Once the dependent's information is complete, click "Submit" at the bottom of the page. You have now successfully added your dependent to Workday.
   • Please keep in mind this does NOT affect your benefits directly and any benefit changes must be submitted separately.

Adding Life Insurance Beneficiaries

1. From your Home Page, click either View All Apps or go to the app menu and click on "Benefits and Pay"
2. Under "Benefits" in the left column, click "Beneficiaries":
   • 
3. You will be able to see any previously-added beneficiaries and edit their information or delete them from this page.
4. To add a new beneficiary, click "Add" at the top of the page
   • Workday will ask if you want to "Create a New Beneficiary" or "Create a New Trust as Beneficiary". Choose the appropriate option and click "OK"
5. Add in your beneficiary's information
   • Items with a red asterisk are required - if you do not fill out this information, you will receive an error message from Workday and be unable to submit. Required information includes:
     • Legal Name
     • Relationship to you
     • Primary Address
     • Other information you can enter:
       • Date of Birth
       • Sex
       • Additional Address
       • Primary Phone
       • Primary Email
       • National ID (Social Security Number for US Citizens/permanent residents; other national IDs are accepted in Workday as well)
       • Other IDs
   • If you need more time to finish, click "Save for Later" at the bottom of your page. You will receive an inbox item reminding you to finalize this information with a one-click link to return to this page.
6. When finished entering all of your beneficiary's information, click "Submit"

Once your beneficiaries are added through the above process, it is CRITICAL to ALSO add them to the specific plans.

1. Go back to the "Benefits and Pay" app, and click on " Change Benefits" at the top of the page.
   • 
2. The "Change Benefits" screen will appear, and you can select the change reason as "Change Beneficiaries" (add the current date as the "Benefit Event Date")
   • 
3. Click "Submit"
4. You will see a new task pop up, prompting you to change the specific benefit plans requiring beneficiaries. You can click "Open" or "Let's Get Started" to begin, but it will remain in your inbox until it's completed, so you can access this task later or even from your inbox archive once completed to see the details.
5. Once on the "Change Beneficiaries" screen, you will see the specific plans that allow/require beneficiaries. Click "Manage" under the first plan to begin adjusting/assigning beneficiaries.
   • Please note: the plans that you see depend on what you have already elected for your own coverage. The below image is an example and may not reflect the plans you see in Workday.
   • 
6. The next screen just confirms which plan you have chosen to assign. Click "Confirm and Continue".
7. Next, you will see full details about your coverage and sections to select Primary and Secondary Beneficiaries. Click the plus sign in the Primary Beneficiary section to get started.  
8. You will see a space where you can type in the name of your added beneficiary or click to search in "Existing Beneficiary Persons".
9. You must also add a percentage (circled above) next to each beneficiary. The total percentage across all beneficiaries must equal 100%. 
10. When completed, click "Save".
    • 
11. Once a plan is reviewed, you will see it marked "Reviewed" on your main "Change Beneficiaries" screen. Review all plans and add all beneficiaries needed.
12. When you are finished reviewing your plans, on the main "Change Beneficiaries" page, click "Review and Submit"
    • 
13. You will be taken to a summary screen. You must scroll through this entire screen and read the Electronic Signature Statement at the bottom. Click the checkbox that says "I accept", then click "Submit".
    • ​​​​​​​

You are now finished the full process! Another summary screen appears that has a "Print" button at the bottom but can also be exported to PDF for your records.

For questions, please reach out to the Benefits team. If you are having issues with Workday, please report that issue here for assistance.