Marriage or Domestic Partnership
A checklist for changes and updates you may wish to make to your benefits if you're getting married or entering a domestic partnership.
What To Know
- Cornell’s benefits extend to an employee's spouse or domestic partner.
- Getting married or registering for a domestic partnership is considered a qualifying event, which allows you to make changes to your benefits*.
Be aware of deadlines!
Please be aware that if you decide to make changes due to your recent qualifying event, some benefits have deadlines you must adhere to as follows:
Within 30 days
- Contract College benefits-eligible employees have 30 days from the date of their qualifying event to make applicable benefit changes to their medical and dental plans.
Within 60 days
- Endowed benefits-eligible employees have 60 days from the date of their qualifying event to make applicable benefit changes to endowed health, dental and vision plans.
- Both Contract college and endowed benefits-eligible employees have 60 days from the date of their qualifying event to make applicable benefit changes to:
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Legal Plan Insurance
- Group Universal Life (GUL) Insurance
Read the Benefit Aids below for details, and contact HR Services and Transitions Center at 607-255-3936 with any questions.
* An employee’s benefit change(s) must be consistent with the qualifying life event that has occurred.
Checklist
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Review Your Benefits Options
Marriage
- Marriage – Endowed (pdf)
- Marriage – Contract College (pdf)
Domestic Partnership
Partners are eligible for the same benefits as spouses except for flexible spending accounts (the Internal Revenue Code's definition of a dependent governs the plan). Partners are also eligible for the funeral, parental and family health care leaves. There are important distinctions between marriage and domestic partnership with regard to taxes and other considerations.
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Updates to Make in Workday
Update any changes to your personal information in Workday, including address, phone number, emergency contact, and legal or preferred name.
- How To Change Your Name
- How To Change Your Personal Information in Workday including address, phone number, and emergency contact.
- How To Update Your Direct Deposit Payment Elections
- How To Update Your Tax Withholding in Workday
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Other Benefits Updates
To change beneficiary information for your life insurance and retirement plans, contact vendors directly.