Glossary — Benefits

Qualifying life event

A life change that allows employees to make benefits changes outside of open enrollment.

Definition

Outside annual open enrollment, employees can only change benefits elections after qualifying life events (QLEs): marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, death of a dependent, loss of other coverage, change in employment status affecting eligibility, court orders affecting coverage. Most QLEs require election changes within 30-60 days.

PEO HRIS systems automate QLE workflows — letting employees self-serve through the change without manual HR intervention.

Common questions about Qualifying life event

A life change that allows employees to make benefits changes outside of open enrollment.

Outside annual open enrollment, employees can only change benefits elections after qualifying life events (QLEs): marriage, divorce, birth or adoption, death of a dependent, loss of other coverage, change in employment status affecting eligibility, court orders affecting coverage.

Most PEO buying decisions touch several related concepts at once. Qualifying life event typically comes up alongside the other terms in this category. Closely related terms include Open enrollment, Group health insurance.

Browse the full PEO glossary

This is one entry from our PEO glossary covering payroll, benefits, workers comp, HR compliance, and PEO mechanics. Browse all terms.

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