Introduction: The Dreaded Census Season
Every year, plan sponsors know it’s coming — census season.
For many, that means digging through payroll reports, formatting endless spreadsheets, and uploading files into PlanSponsorLink (PSL). Instead of being a straightforward task, it becomes a time-consuming burden, riddled with errors and frustrations.
One HR manager we spoke with described it bluntly:
“Census season feels like Groundhog Day — the same painful process every year.”
This isn’t just an inconvenience for sponsors. It’s a systemic inefficiency that slows down TPAs, creates compliance risks, and erodes trust between sponsors and their retirement plan partners.
The Census Burden on Plan Sponsors (PSL)
In PSL, the census process is notoriously manual:
Download payroll data from one or more providers.
Reformat the data into PSL’s required template.
Upload the census file.
Correct errors flagged by PSL or the TPA.
Repeat until complete.
For mid-sized companies with multiple payrolls, this can easily eat up 20–60 hours of staff time each year.
The ripple effects:
Sponsors resent the process.
TPAs deal with incomplete or error-prone data.
Compliance deadlines get tighter and riskier.
Why Manual Data Uploads Hurt Accuracy + Experience
When humans handle repetitive, manual processes, mistakes are inevitable. With PSL, sponsors report:
Formatting errors (columns out of order, dates inconsistent).
Missing data (forgotten compensation details or birth dates).
Resubmissions (frustrating back-and-forth with TPAs).
These issues don’t just waste time — they create risk. A missed or incorrect census can:
Delay compliance testing.
Trigger costly re-runs.
Lead to penalties if filings are late.
From the sponsor’s perspective, the experience is demoralizing. Instead of feeling supported by their TPA, they feel like they’re doing heavy lifting for outdated software.
How Stax.ai Connects Payroll → Census Automatically
Stax.ai CX replaces that manual pain with automation.
Direct Payroll Connections: Sponsors connect their payroll provider once. Stax.ai integrates with 221+ providers via API.
Automatic Census Data Flow: Each year, census data is automatically pulled, cleaned, and prepared for compliance.
Error Reduction: Built-in AI scrubs the data for issues before it ever reaches the TPA.
Sponsor-Friendly Portal: Sponsors no longer touch templates or upload files — they simply review and confirm.
Instead of Groundhog Day, census season becomes a non-event. Sponsors log in, see their census data already in place, and move on with their day.
Benefits for TPAs: Efficiency + Fewer Errors
The impact of payroll-to-census automation isn’t just felt by sponsors — TPAs benefit equally.
Time Savings: With sponsors no longer bogged down, TPAs receive data earlier and in cleaner format.
Error Reduction: AI-powered scrubbing catches common mistakes (dates out of order, compensation mismatches, missing SSNs).
Scalability: TPAs can handle more plans without adding staff.
Happier Sponsors: Which means better retention and more referrals.
One TPA partner told us:
“We used to have staff on the phone every day during census season helping sponsors troubleshoot PSL uploads. Now, we barely hear from them — and that’s a good thing.”
Story: The Sponsor Who Finally Broke the Cycle
Take BrightTech Solutions, a 400-employee firm. For years, their HR team dreaded PSL’s census upload. It required multiple payroll exports, hours of reformatting, and constant email chains with their TPA.
When their TPA switched to Stax.ai CX, the difference was immediate. Their HR director reported:
Zero uploads required.
95% of data populated automatically via payroll integration.
Only minutes of review needed before finalizing.
She said:
“For the first time in a decade, I didn’t dread census season. I didn’t have to block off weeks of my schedule. It just… worked.”
Sponsor Testimonial Highlight
In a survey of sponsors whose TPAs switched to Stax.ai CX:
82% said payroll integration was the #1 benefit.
76% said census season took less than 1/4 of the time compared to before.
89% said they would never want to go back.
Conclusion: Time to End the Census Grind
Census season doesn’t have to be painful. Outdated systems like PlanSponsorLink put the burden on sponsors, creating frustration, errors, and wasted time.
Stax.ai CX flips the model by connecting payroll → census automatically, saving sponsors dozens of hours while making TPAs more efficient.
When sponsors are this relieved, TPAs win too.
If you’re a plan sponsor, you shouldn’t have to go through another painful census season. Let your TPA know there’s a better way.
If you’re a TPA, you and your plan sponsors deserve better. Automate payroll-to-census with Stax.ai CX and give your clients the experience they’ve been asking for.
Next
Are You Ready – For Secure 2.0 2025?
Maximizing Efficiency with AI-Powered Task Management & Workflow Automation
End Census Frustration
Stop manual census uploads with PlanSponsorLink. Stax.ai CX connects payroll → census automatically, saving time, reducing errors, and improving sponsor satisfaction.
Stop manual census uploads with PlanSponsorLink. Stax.ai CX connects payroll → census automatically, saving time, reducing errors, and improving sponsor satisfaction.