In-House Staffing Benefits Highlights
Topics on this page:
Overview
The annual open enrollment period for University of Rochester benefits for calendar year 2027 will be held from Monday, October 26–Monday, November 9, 2026.
Choosing the right benefit plan is an important decision. Resources are available on the Open Enrollment website to help guide you through selecting your 2027 benefits. There you can access your 2027 rates, ALEX benefit selection assistant, webinars, Q&A sessions, the steps needed to complete your benefit elections, and answers to common questions. Please contact the Office of Total Rewards at totalrewards@rochester.edu if you need additional assistance. Please note, the ALEX tool utilizes premium rates for regular faculty and staff for cost analysis. For your specific premium rates, please refer to the Health Care Plan Rates website.
New and Noteworthy
1. Increased Investment in Wellness Incentives
As part of our continued investment in employee wellbeing, wellness incentive opportunities will increase again in 2027. Eligible employees and their spouses/domestic partners can each earn up to $750 by completing a Personal Health Assessment ($150), an eligible Condition Management Coaching program ($300), and an eligible Lifestyle Management Program ($300). This represents an increase from the current maximum incentive of $450 per person.
2. FSA Rollover Benefit
Eligible employees electing to contribute to a Health Care FSA or Limited Purpose FSA in 2027 may roll over up to $680 of remaining 2026 funds to 2027. To be eligible for rollover, employees must elect to contribute to a Health Care FSA or Limited Purpose FSA during open enrollment. Employees who do not elect to contribute in an FSA for 2027 will forfeit any remaining 2026 FSA funds. A Dependent Care FSA is not eligible to have a rollover to 2027; any unused 2026 funds will be forfeited.
3. Increased HSA and FSA Contribution Limits
Health Savings Account (HSA)*
- $4,500 for single | $9,000 for plans with dependents
- Additional $1,000 contribution if the account holder is age 55 or older
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)*
- Health Care or Limited Purpose FSA—$3,400 limit
- Dependent Care FSA—$7,500 per household**
*Eligibility rules apply
**Federal non-discrimination guidelines require the University to test the Dependent Care FSA to ensure that highly compensated employees, as defined under IRS guidelines, do not disproportionately contribute to the Dependent Care FSA. Highly compensated employees may have their FSA maximum contribution amount reduced if the test results do not meet federal guidelines.
Eligibility
Review your Eligibility
The Benefit Plans offered by the University of Rochester to eligible employees cover a wide range of benefits. Since eligibility for the plans varies and rules apply, please be sure to review the Benefits Eligibility website.