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

If you join Stanford between Oct. 19 and Dec. 31, you will need to enroll in benefits for the remainder of 2026 as well as 2027. 

1. For 2026: Within the first 31 days of your hire date, you’ll elect benefits for the rest of the calendar year.

2. For 2027: After you’ve enrolled for 2026, you’ll have the opportunity to enroll in 2027 benefits as a separate event in the My Benefits portal. Note: If you do not make elections for 2027, your 2026 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 Qualifying 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 Stanford HR Service Center 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 2026 benefits options. 
2. Review the 2027 Open Enrollment page, where you’ll find information about changes and updates for 2027, including employee contribution rates.
3. Use the Cardinal at Work Comparison Tool to see Stanford’s medical and dental plan options side by side.
4. Try Emma, the virtual benefits assistant in the My Benefits portal. Emma can give you personalized advice for choosing the plan that fits your needs. 

How to enroll in your benefits

To enroll or waive your benefits, you must log in to My Benefits. 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)
2. Choose your 2026 benefits in the New Hire/Rehire event
3. Save and confirm your elections
4. Repeat the enrollment process to elect your benefits for the next calendar year, effective Jan. 1. 

Need help?

Submit a help ticket to the Stanford HR Service Center or call 877-905-2985, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT, except on holidays.