Stanford
Cardinal at Work

New Hires: Benefits Dual Enrollment

At Stanford, you matter as much as the work. Our benefits support your health and wellness at every stage of life and throughout your career. 

As a new hire, you have the opportunity to enroll in or waive your health, life, and financial benefits. Coverage begins on your date of hire for most benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance.

Dual Enrollment

New hires onboarding from Oct. 20 through the end of the calendar year have two opportunities to enroll in benefits, otherwise known as dual enrollment. The two enrollment events include:

  1. New Hire/Rehire: Within the first 31 days of your hire date, you’ll elect benefits for the rest of the calendar year.

  2. Open Enrollment: In late Oct. through early Nov., you will elect benefits for the new calendar year, effective Jan. 1. Go to the Open Enrollment page

     Note: If you do not make elections during the Open Enrollment period, your New Hire/Rehire coverage will carry over to the new year, except for the health savings account (HSA) and flexible spending accounts (FSAs).

To ensure you have benefits coverage, it’s important that you complete both enrollment events. Once your enrollment period ends, you cannot make changes to your coverage during the year, unless you experience a qualified life event.

Default Coverage

If you do not elect or waive benefits, you will be enrolled in default coverage for yourself. Default coverage for full-time employees includes:

  • Medical: Stanford Choice High-Deductible Health Plan
  • Dental: Delta Dental Basic PPO plan
  • Other Benefits: Basic life insurance, short-term and long-term disability, and business travel accident insurance 

Note: Default coverage will carry forward to the new calendar year if you do not take action with your Open Enrollment event.

Adding dependents to coverage

If you enroll dependents in coverage, please provide their Social Security number, date of birth, and proof of eligibility. You will be prompted to upload dependent documentation, such as a birth certificate or marriage certificate. You have 31 days from your hire date to submit dependent documentation. Please include your Stanford ID number on each document you submit.

  • Online: Log in to My Benefits and upload documents (preferred method)
  • Mail: Stanford Benefits, P.O. Box 804057, Chicago, IL 60680
  • Fax: 866-593-3159

If you are an international employee and have questions about proof of eligibility documentation, please contact the University HR Service Team at 877-905-2985, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT. 

Explore Your Benefits

Take these steps to learn about your benefits options, so you can choose what works best for you.

  1. Learn about your 2025 benefits options.
  2. Also, get additional information about your 2026 benefits options, including benefits information, rates, enrollment instructions, plan summaries, and decision tools.
  3. Compare your 2025 medical and dental plan options with the Cardinal at Work Comparison Tool to compare the cost and plan features of Stanford’s medical and dental plans. 

How to Enroll in Your Benefits

To enroll or waive your benefits, you must log in to the My Benefits portal. Remember, if you are eligible for dual enrollment, you will have two enrollment events, and it’s important that you complete both. 

Follow these steps to make your elections:

  1. Log in to My Benefits using single sign-on (SSO): Enter your SUNetID and password, then click “Continue.”
  2. Select and review your elections: For the remaining calendar year, choose your benefits in the New Hire/Rehire event.
  3. Save and confirm your elections: You’ll see a 4-digit confirmation number when your elections are recorded. Please save the summary of your confirmation for your records.
  4. Select and review your Open Enrollment elections: Repeat the enrollment process for electing your benefits for the new calendar year, effective Jan. 1. If you are not able to complete your Open Enrollment elections, you can submit an online request to a University HR Service Team specialist by accessing My Benefits on the Cardinal at Work website. You may also speak with a specialist at 877-905-2985 or 650-736-2985, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, except on holidays. 

Please note: If you do not enroll online or do not call the University HR Service Team for your benefits, you will be enrolled in default coverage and may not be enrolled in your preferred plans.  

Questions?

Contact the University HR Service Team with any questions at 877-905-2985, Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PT. Translation services are available upon request.