Email template · Policies and HR operations
Open enrollment email
In short
An open enrollment email tells employees the window to choose or change benefits is open, what has changed for next year, how to enroll and the deadline. The best ones lead with dates and changes, not plan jargon. Below are templates for the kickoff, a reminder, the final day and a note for employees who don't need to act.
When to send it: Send a save-the-date two to three weeks before enrollment opens, the kickoff on day one, a reminder at the halfway point and in the final week, and a last notice on the closing day.
Open enrollment email: 4 versions
Kickoff announcement
SubjectOpen enrollment is open: [Start Date] to [End Date]
Hi [First Name], Open enrollment for [Plan Year] benefits is open now through [End Date] at [End Time] [Time Zone]. This is your once-a-year chance to change your medical, dental, vision and other benefits unless you have a qualifying life event. What's changing for [Plan Year]: - [Change 1, e.g. employee premium for the PPO plan goes up $12 per paycheck] - [Change 2, e.g. new lower-cost HDHP option with an employer HSA contribution of $750] - [Change 3, e.g. dental carrier changes to [Carrier Name]; new ID cards will be mailed] What you need to do: - [Action, e.g. Log in at [Enrollment Link] and review your elections.] - If you have an FSA, you must re-enroll each year. It does not roll over automatically. - Check your dependents and beneficiaries are correct. Benefits sessions: [Session Dates and Links]. Questions: [Benefits Contact]. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Midpoint / final week reminder
Subject[Number] days left to choose your [Plan Year] benefits
Hi [First Name], Open enrollment closes on [End Date]. If you haven't reviewed your benefits yet, now's the time: [Enrollment Link]. Three things people most often miss: 1. FSA elections must be made again every year. 2. Premiums for [Plan Name] are changing, so check your new per-paycheck cost. 3. Adding a spouse or child requires [Documentation, e.g. a marriage certificate or birth certificate] by [Documentation Deadline]. Need help comparing plans? Book a 15-minute call with [Benefits Contact] here: [Booking Link]. [Your Name]
Final day
SubjectToday is the last day of open enrollment
Hi [First Name], Open enrollment closes today at [End Time] [Time Zone]. If you don't make changes, [Default Rule, e.g. your current medical, dental and vision elections will carry over to [Plan Year], but your FSA will not]. After today, you can only change benefits if you have a qualifying life event such as marriage, birth or adoption, or loss of other coverage. Enroll here: [Enrollment Link] [Your Name]
Passive enrollment: no action needed
SubjectOpen enrollment: your benefits will roll over unless you change them
Hi [First Name], Open enrollment runs [Start Date] to [End Date]. This year is a passive enrollment, which means your current elections will carry over to [Plan Year] automatically. You only need to log in at [Enrollment Link] if you want to: - change plans or coverage levels - add or remove dependents - enroll in or re-elect a flexible spending account (FSA elections never carry over) Your per-paycheck cost for [Plan Year] is listed in the attached summary. Please check it, as premiums are changing slightly. [Your Name] [Title], [Company]
Subject line ideas
- Open enrollment is open: [Start Date] to [End Date]
- Save the date: open enrollment starts [Start Date]
- What's changing in your [Plan Year] benefits
- [Number] days left to choose your benefits
- Today is the last day of open enrollment
- Action needed: re-enroll in your FSA
- Your [Plan Year] benefits: what to check
SMS and WhatsApp version
Hi [First Name], [Company] HR here. Open enrollment for [Plan Year] benefits closes [End Date]. Review your plans and re-elect your FSA if you use one: [Enrollment Link]. Questions? Call [Benefits Contact].
Placeholders to replace: [First Name], [Plan Year], [Start Date], [End Date], [End Time], [Time Zone], [Enrollment Link], [Change 1], [Plan Name], [Carrier Name], [Documentation], [Documentation Deadline], [Default Rule], [Session Dates and Links], [Booking Link], [Benefits Contact], [Number], [Your Name], [Title], [Company]
A campaign, not a single email
One email won't get a workforce through open enrollment. A typical US employer with a calendar-year plan runs enrollment for two to three weeks in November, and needs five touchpoints to reach most people:
- Save the date, two to three weeks before: dates, the biggest change and info session times.
- Kickoff, day one: changes, actions and links.
- Midpoint reminder to people who haven't logged in.
- Final week reminder, with the most-missed items.
- Last day notice, the morning enrollment closes.
Segment where you can. Employees who've already completed enrollment shouldn't get the final-week nag. Most HR email tools and benefits portals can export a list of who hasn't logged in, and targeting just those people keeps everyone else from tuning out.
Lead with what changed and what it costs
Employees open the kickoff email for one reason: will my paycheck or coverage change? Answer that in the first few lines, in dollars per paycheck rather than annual percentages. "The PPO employee-only premium goes from $68 to $80 per biweekly paycheck" is clear. "Premiums are increasing an average of 7%" leaves everyone doing math.
Then list the actions, with the things people commonly get wrong:
- FSAs must be re-elected every year. Health FSA elections don't carry over even in passive enrollment.
- HSA eligibility. Only people in a qualifying high deductible health plan can contribute.
- Dependent verification. If you require documents for new dependents, say what and by when.
- Beneficiaries for life insurance, which many people haven't updated since they were hired.
Keep plan design details in the benefits guide and link to it. The email should get people to act, not replace the guide. For definitions, see the glossary entries on open enrollment and qualifying life events.
Reaching frontline and shift employees
In contact centers, distribution centers and retail, open enrollment participation is often low because people never see the email. What works: texts with a mobile enrollment link, posters with QR codes near time clocks, benefits staff on site across shifts (including nights and weekends), and paid time during the shift to enroll. Offer materials in Spanish or other languages common in your workforce.
Walk-up help matters more than people expect. Many hourly employees choose the cheapest plan or waive coverage because comparing plans feels confusing, then face large bills later. A 10-minute conversation can save them hundreds of dollars.
Compliance notes
Open enrollment emails often double as the delivery method for required notices, so coordinate with your benefits broker or counsel. ERISA-covered plans have Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) requirements under the ACA, and certain annual notices, such as the Medicare Part D creditable coverage notice, are commonly sent during this period. Electronic delivery of ERISA documents must meet Department of Labor safe-harbor rules, which may not cover employees who don't use a computer as part of their job.
Rules vary by plan type, state and country; this is general information, not legal advice. For new hires who join outside the window, cover enrollment in your onboarding paperwork rather than waiting; the new hire paperwork reminder email is a good place to add the benefits deadline.
Mistakes to avoid
- Burying the deadline, or forgetting the time zone for a multi-state workforce.
- Jargon without translation: deductible, coinsurance, out-of-pocket maximum. Link to a one-page glossary.
- Assuming passive enrollment means no email. People still need to know about FSAs and price changes.
- Sending everything as attachments. Put the key facts in the email body.
- Treating it like a [policy update](/hr-email-templates/policy-update-announcement-email/). Open enrollment needs an action and a deadline, not just awareness.
Frequently asked questions
What should an open enrollment email to employees include?
The enrollment dates and closing time, what is changing in plans and per-paycheck costs, what employees need to do, the enrollment link, info session times and who to contact. Flag FSA re-enrollment and dependent documentation requirements.
How do I write a benefits enrollment email?
Lead with dates and changes, list required actions in bullets, link straight to the enrollment portal and keep plan detail in a linked benefits guide. Use dollars per paycheck rather than percentages.
How many open enrollment reminders should I send?
Plan for four or five messages: a save-the-date, a kickoff, a midpoint reminder, a final-week reminder and a last-day notice. Send reminders only to employees who haven't completed enrollment.
What happens if an employee misses open enrollment?
Depending on plan rules, their current elections carry over or they are left without coverage, and FSA elections lapse. They can only change benefits mid-year after a qualifying life event.
When is open enrollment for employees?
It depends on the plan year. For calendar-year plans, most employers run it for two to four weeks in October or November so elections take effect January 1.