Managing Relocated Employees: Updating Files for Address Changes

Employer-sponsored accounts 

1. Update the 2-digit ‘Country’ code on the employer-sponsored demographics file. Access to employer-sponsored accounts and funding amounts will be adjusted upon file processing.

For example, your company offers a Wellness account to US and Canadian employees with a $100 USD/$130 CAD stipend per month.

• If John moves from the US to Canada and his country in the demographics file changes to CA, his Wellness account funding amount and currency will switch to CAD.
• If Jane relocates from the US to Mexico and her country code in the demographics file changes to MX, she becomes ineligible for the Wellness account and will lose access to it, as the account is only available to individuals in the US and Canada.

For more information, refer to the article What happens to the funding if an employee switches countries?

Pre-tax accounts

Employees who are eligible for group medical plans and are subject to US payroll taxes are generally eligible for pre-tax benefits. If an employee loses pre-tax benefit eligibility, ensure the demographic and election files are updated to reflect an employee's relocation. If an employee remains eligible for pre-tax benefits, it is only necessary to update their address in the demographics file. 

Pre-tax Demographics File

1. Update the employee’s address in the following fields: Address Line 1, Address Line 2, City, ZIP Code, State, Country. 
2. If an address is updated to one outside the US, you'll receive a warning message indicating the employee now has a non-US address on file. No further action is needed.
3. Since the employee is still active, do not update ‘Employee Status’

Pre-tax Election File

1. Update ‘Account Status’ to ‘Terminated’ for all active pre-tax accounts for a given employee.
   1. You may receive a warning when attempting to terminate Transit and Parking accounts. No action is required.
2. Optionally, populate ‘Account End Date’ with the relocation date to indicate the last date of coverage. 

Forma Pre-tax Card & HSA

Forma does not issue pre-tax cards or open new HSAs for employees with international addresses. However, if an employee has an existing HSA or a pre-tax Forma card issued to a US address, they can maintain their account and card even after relocation. 

If a relocated employee has never had a pre-tax Forma card before, one can be requested through the Forma member portal by providing a US mailing address. A card will not be issued automatically. If a relocated employee previously had a card, it will continue to work.