Verify dependents. Reclaim plan dollars.

A dependent eligibility audit is a structured review of every dependent enrolled in an employer’s health plan. Employees are asked to provide proof — marriage certificates, birth certificates, tax returns, court documents — that each covered dependent meets the plan’s eligibility rules. Dependents who can’t be verified are removed from coverage.

Studies show 6-8% of enrolled dependents are typically ineligible for coverage. Net savings depend on plan design and employer contribution levels, but WEX audit clients average 3–8% of total plan costs in annual savings after an audit closes.

Common primary documents include government-issued marriage certificates, birth certificates, federal tax returns (1040s), and court documents (adoption, guardianship). WEX configures primary and alternate document requirements during implementation, and accepts most foreign documents without translation.

A typical Complete audit runs about 120 days end-to-end, including an alert phase, a verification phase, and a grace period. Ongoing audits — used for new hires, qualifying life events, and annual enrollment — typically use a 60-day verification window (30 days plus a 30-day grace period).

A Complete audit is a one-time, full-population review of every employee covering a spouse or dependent. An Ongoing audit verifies only dependents who newly gain eligibility — new hires, life events, and open enrollment additions — continuously throughout the plan year. Many employers run a Complete audit once and then move to Ongoing.

Yes. WEX sends all letters to employees’ home addresses (Verification Request, Reminder, Termination, Confirmation, and Insufficient Documentation), runs reminder emails, and provides recorded inbound and outbound customer care Monday–Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT. Employees with sensitive situations are routed to a dedicated Eligibility Advocate.

WEX’s audit framework is built to support ERISA plan-administration obligations and IRS dependent eligibility rules. All documents are housed in an encrypted database, the platform undergoes annual SOC 2 review, and physical documents are retained on-site for 150 days before secure destruction. WEX provides dependent verification services to support employer compliance — the employer remains responsible for final eligibility decisions and plan accuracy.

Yes. Dependent verification is fully integrated with WEX Benefits Administration, COBRA, ACA reporting, and non-discrimination testing — so eligibility data flows into compliance reporting and COBRA notifications without duplicate work. It’s also available as a standalone service for employers who use other platforms for the rest of their benefits stack.