How Do I Submit a Year End Census?
To submit the Year End Census census to J.P. Morgan, you have two options:
Review & Approve Pre-populated Census
When you click Submit Year End Census, you will be brought to the pre-populated census submission grid. The grid will be pre-populated with your current active employees, plus any employee who has terminated in the current plan year. Make sure to scroll to the right to see all of the pre-populated columns. Within this grid, you can review the census information, add any missing information, and edit existing information.
Please note:
- You will not be able to remove any employees who are already on the census grid.
- The census grid is based on the payroll records submitted to J.P. Morgan throughout the year. Our information is only as good as the information provided to us; you must review it thoroughly!
- If any information is missing or not in the correct format, it will appear flagged with a red exclamation point icon, indicating that it needs to be corrected before submission.
- You must scroll all the way across the page to be able to submit your census.
Upload Your Own Census
If you prefer to upload your own Year End Census, click Upload in the upper right-hand corner of the census submission grid page. You will be asked to choose a file from your computer. You can use the census template provided on the "Submit Year End Census" page under Download. You may also reference our article, “How To Format Your Census File For Uploads.”
If you upload a census file that does not contain the same headers as those provided in our template, you will be prompted to complete column header mapping. Please ensure that each required field is appropriately mapped to the column in your file that contains the correct census information.
After you have submitted your file and completed any necessary column header mapping, any validation errors, such as missing or incorrect information, will be flagged. To correct these validation errors and complete your Year End Census, you may select Download to download and edit your census file accordingly.
Census FAQs
- Where do I get a Year End Census?
- The report from my payroll system does not include all of the required data items. What should I do?
- I'm not sure what data to put into each column or what format to put it in.
- What time period should the data on the Year End Census cover?
- Who should be included in the Year End Census?
- Which compensation should I use?
- I have a payroll that spans two plan years. What should I do?
- I uploaded my Year End Census, but I cannot submit it. What is the problem?
Where do I get a Year End Census?
You should be able to export a Year End Census report from your payroll provider. Alternatively, you can use the template on the "Submit Year End Census" page.
- Please note if you converted to J.P. Morgan during the year, your information will only populate from the beginning of your time with J.P. Morgan. This information should contain the whole year from Jan. 1st - Dec. 31st.
- In most cases, you should be able to export all or most of the required data as a report from your payroll system. The right-hand side of the census upload page shows all required data items.
The report from my payroll system does not include all of the required data items. What should I do?
In that situation, you may have to add the data to the report yourself, either copying and pasting it from a separate file or report or by typing it in manually.
I'm not sure what data to put into each column or what format to put it in.
Check out the “How To Format Your Census File For Uploads“ article in the Help Center. It has a list of all the possible data items you may be asked to include, an explanation of what they are, and the format they are required to be in.
What time period should the data on the Year End Census cover?
For the 2025 plan year, you should provide data for Jan. 1st, 2025 - Dec. 31st, 2025. The exception is for the "Prior Year Gross Compensation" column, which should cover the total gross salary earned from Jan. 1st, 2024 - Dec. 31st, 2024.
Who should be included in the Year End Census?
All employees who received wages during the plan year must be included.
Which compensation should I use?
Generally, provide the compensation found in Box 1 of the W-2, adding back any deferrals of pay (pre-tax 401(k), cafeteria plan deductions, etc.). However, your plan document defines the type of compensation and if there are any exclusions to account for. You may refer to your plan document for this or email us at everyday401k.success@vestwell.com.
I have a payroll that spans two plan years. What should I do?
Only include compensation that was actually paid during the plan year and is on the W-2 for that year. For example, if you have a payroll period that spans 2 years (Dec. 27th, 2025 - Jan. 07, 2026), only the compensation paid in the 2025 year should be included.
I uploaded my Year End Census, but I cannot submit it. What is the problem?
The most likely issue is that the required data item either was not included or was not recognized. There are a few things you can do to troubleshoot this:
- Double-check that the required data item is included in your Year End Census in the correct format. Missing data items will have an error indicator next to them on the census upload page.
- Double-check if there are any Validations flags; Missing Date of Birth, Hire Date, Gross Compensation, Prior Year Gross Compensation, Contributions without Compensation. Incorrect Format, if the value is not a numeric format, bad characters i.e. #, $, %, etc.
- If the data item is in your file, we might not be able to recognize it. Instead, try changing the name of the column in your file so that it exactly matches the data item that appears as missing in the list of data items on the right side of the census upload page. For example, if your file includes a column titled "Social," where you have included your employees' social security numbers, try changing it to "SSN" and uploading your census again.
If this does not resolve the issue, contact everyday401k.success@vestwell.com for support.