Employee Navigator review for benefits brokers: pricing, carrier feeds and enrollment
Employee Navigator is a benefits administration system that brokers run for their employer clients. It handles enrollment, 834 carrier files (the standard enrollment file carriers accept), payroll links and ACA forms, with HR tools on the higher plans.
Plans are quoted, and the broker is usually the subscriber. Some add-ons have published prices, such as 834 feeds at $0.45 an employee a month.
- Best for
- Brokers who run enrollment, carrier files and ACA forms for a book of employer groups
- Type
- Benefits administration and enrollment
- Price
- Quote only. 834 feeds add $0.45 an employee a month on two plans
- Who pays
- The subscriber, usually the broker
- Carrier feeds
- 507 preset 834 carrier setups, plus carrier APIs
- ACA and COBRA
- ACA forms and filing. COBRA goes to partner administrators
- Demo or trial
- Sales demo
Our take
Employee Navigator suits a broker who wants to run many groups from one account and set up carrier files without waiting on a vendor. Enhanced Plus and higher allow unlimited companies, and the 834 setup is self-service for hundreds of carriers.
The entry plan leaves out 834 files, so a broker who needs carrier feeds needs Enhanced Plus or higher. COBRA is handed to a partner administrator rather than run in-house.
Pros
- Self-service 834 setup for hundreds of preset carriers
- Unlimited companies and employees from Enhanced Plus up
- Plans built from uploaded carrier quotes and renewals
- Many payroll partners, plus custom links to ADP, Paylocity, Paychex, Paycor and UKG Ready
Cons
- Plan prices are quoted, not published
- No 834 files on the entry plan
- COBRA needs a separate administrator
- The terms discourage entering health information
Plans and pricing
- How it's priced
- Four plans by quote: Enhanced, Enhanced Plus, Elite and Platinum
- Who pays
- The subscriber on the order, usually a broker or agency
- What sets the price
- The plan, the services you add and filing volume
| Fee | Amount | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| 834 carrier files on Enhanced Plus and Elite | $0.45 an employee a month. The vendor says other fees may apply, so ask for the full list in writing | The subscriber |
| 834 carrier files on Platinum | Included | The subscriber |
| New carrier not on the preset list | $750 one time | The subscriber |
| ACA federal e-file | $1.60 to $5.20 a filing, lower at higher volume | The subscriber |
| ACA federal and state e-file with print and mail | $3.08 to $9.95 a filing, lower at higher volume | The subscriber |
Fees as of October 2026, from employeenavigator.com/pricing and its ACA page. ACA fees fall across six volume tiers, from 1 to 50 up to 1,001 and up.
Good to know before you buy
- Enhanced, the entry plan, doesn't include 834 carrier files.
- AI features are billed monthly by usage.
- Paying by credit card can add a processing fee.
- Pacific Life groups can use a version of Employee Navigator at no cost.
Which plan has it
| Feature | Enhanced | Enhanced Plus | Elite | Platinum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online enrollment | ||||
| Carrier, payroll and administrator connections | ||||
| ACA reporting | ||||
| AI plan builds from carrier quotes | ||||
| 834 carrier files | $0.45 per employee | $0.45 per employee | Included | |
| Unlimited companies and employees | ||||
| Third-party apps inside the site | ||||
| Onboarding tasks and PTO tracking | ||||
| Agency management system connections | ||||
| Priority phone support |
Who buys it and who pays
- Who signs the contract
- The subscriber on the order. Brokers, agencies, employers and other third parties can all subscribe
- Who pays
- The subscriber
- Reseller or white label
- Resellers can add any company. Other subscribers add only their own clients
- Carrier-funded access
- Pacific Life offers its groups a no-cost enrollment hub built on Employee Navigator
When you subscribe, your clients work in your account. HR teams and employees log in to the broker's site and call the broker for help. After a broker change, the subscriber can direct Employee Navigator to reassign a group's data.
Quoting and proposals
- Quote intake
- Through partner apps such as PerfectQuote and Plansight
- Sold-plan handoff
- AI Plan Builds reads uploaded carrier sold quotes and renewals and sets up the plans
Enrollment and administration
Employees enroll on the web or by phone and compare plans as they go. Elections go to carriers, payroll and third-party administrators (TPAs) once enrollment closes or a change is made.
Employee enrollment
- New hire and open enrollment
- Life events and beneficiaries
- Plan comparison
- Enrollment help with booking links and chat on Elite and Platinum
HR and broker tasks
- Plan libraries and class structures
- Plan builds from uploaded carrier documents
- Enrollment forms library
- Separate demographic and enrollment imports
- Benefit allowances and document posting
Carrier connections
| Carrier or feed | Type | Direction | Who builds it | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 507 preset carriers and administrators | 834 | To the carrier | You set it up yourself. Employee Navigator adds missing carriers | $0.45 an employee a month, included on Platinum. $750 for a new carrier |
| FSA, COBRA and other administrator partners | Data exchange | To the partner | Turned on from the Marketplace | Included |
| Principal | API | Both ways | Principal and Employee Navigator | Included |
| Reliance Matrix | API | Both ways | Reliance Matrix and Employee Navigator | Included |
| Pacific Life | Enrollment hub | Both ways | Pacific Life and Employee Navigator | No cost for Pacific Life groups |
The 834 engine covers medical, dental, vision and drug plans with full files rather than change-only files, and it doesn't send HSA enrollments. The preset list was counted in October 2026. Marketplace partners also offer to build and watch feeds for you.
Payroll and HR connections
| Connects to | What moves | Direction | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| BambooHR and BambooHR Payroll | New hires and cost centers in, deductions and employer contributions out | Both ways | API |
| ADP, Paylocity, Paychex, Paycor and UKG Ready | Set by each partner | Varies | Custom connection |
| Other payroll partners | Demographics and pay in, deductions out | Varies by partner | API |
| Applied Epic | Plan details | Into Employee Navigator | Built in, on Elite and Platinum |
Employee Navigator lists 83 payroll partners. Class, department and some deduction types such as 401(k) and commuter don't move through the standard payroll link.
ACA and COBRA
- ACA reporting
- Tracks variable-hour staff, checks ALE status (applicable large employer, 50 or more full-time staff) and affordability and builds 1094-C and 1095-C forms
- Forms filed
- Federal and state e-file, print and mail or online delivery, priced per filing
- COBRA
- Sends loss-of-coverage events to your COBRA administrator
- Who does the work
- Employee Navigator files ACA forms with its partner Nelco. The COBRA administrator sends notices and collects premiums
Getting started
Book a demo
A sales rep walks through the plans.
Sign an order
The order sets the plan and term.
Work with your implementation consultant
Every plan includes one, plus broker training.
Build plans and load data
Upload carrier quotes for AI plan builds, then import employees and enrollments separately.
Turn on carrier and payroll links
Set up 834 files yourself or hire a Marketplace support partner.
Support comes by phone, email, screen share and an AI assistant. Ease groups move over with a migration tool before Ease goes read-only on July 1, 2027.
Your data and broker changes
- Who owns the data
- Client data is the subscriber's confidential information. Employee Navigator owns de-identified totals
- If the group changes broker
- The subscriber can direct Employee Navigator to reassign or keep the group's data
- After you cancel
- Data is deleted at your request. With no instruction within 30 days, it may be deleted
- Inactive clients
- Data for a client you mark inactive can be deleted without notice
Security and HIPAA
HIPAA and health data
The terms tell subscribers not to enter health information, except an employee's own answers in medical enrollment fields. Business associate terms apply only if a regulator or court finds they should.
Security
- Annual SOC 2 Type II and HITRUST audits
- Multi-factor login required for every user
- Encrypted at rest and in transit on Microsoft Azure
- Daily copies between data centers
Contract terms
- Term
- Set in the order. One year if the order is silent
- Renewal
- Renews each year on its own
- Notice
- 30 days before the term ends
- Price changes
- At least 90 days' notice before a renewal
- Refunds
- None, unless the law requires
- Payment
- Invoices due in 30 days
From Employee Navigator's Master Terms, checked October 2026.
What users say
What reviewers say most often, as of October 2026.
What users like
- Easy for HR teams and employees
- Less manual work at open enrollment and onboarding
- Payroll connections
- Responsive support
What users dislike
- Reporting has limits
- Some deduction codes or fields don't reach payroll
- Limits on customizing and permissions
Employee Navigator alternatives
- BerniePortalFrom $5 an employee a month, plus a base feePrices on the website, with COBRA run in-house
- InsynctiveFrom $4.50 an employee a month, plus setupFull white label with two-way ADP sync
- PlanSourceQuote onlyBuilt for groups of 1,000 or more employees
- bswiftQuote onlybswift can run setup and service for you
- SelerixQuote onlyVoluntary benefits focus with its own ACA service
See every option in employee benefits software.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Employee Navigator cost?
Plans are quoted. 834 carrier files add $0.45 an employee a month on Enhanced Plus and Elite and are included on Platinum.
Who pays for Employee Navigator?
The subscriber on the order, usually the broker. Employers can subscribe directly too.
Can I set up 834 files myself?
Yes, for carriers on the preset list. A carrier that isn't listed costs $750 to add.
What happens to the data when a group changes broker?
The subscriber can direct Employee Navigator to reassign or keep the group's data.
Which payroll systems connect?
Employee Navigator lists 83 payroll partners, with custom links to ADP, Paylocity, Paychex, Paycor and UKG Ready.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the pricing, terms and product pages published by Employee Navigator, reviewed in October 2026, together with our team's experience working with insurance agents and agency owners since 2008.
Corrections
Vendors change their pricing all the time and they don't email us when they do. So if you see a price on here that's gone up, a plan Employee Navigator quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Employee Navigator has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.