Zywave review for benefits brokers: pricing, carrier feeds and enrollment
Zywave CPQ Benefits quotes group medical, dental and vision from a library of carrier plans and rates. You model contributions, build a branded proposal and send the sold plans on for enrollment.
It leans toward small group but also serves midsize and larger employers. Zywave prices it by quote.
- Best for
- Brokers who quote small group medical, dental and vision from a built-in rate library
- Type
- Group quoting, renewals and proposals
- Group size
- Small group first, with midsize and larger groups too
- Price
- Quote only
- Who pays
- The brokerage
- Carrier feeds
- Carrier rate library. Sold plans go to Employee Navigator and to SAMx, UnitedHealthcare's small group sales system
- Demo or trial
- Demo on request
Our take
CPQ Benefits suits a broker who quotes many small groups and wants rates without waiting on carrier proposals. The library covers all 50 states, and census and plans carry over to the next renewal.
It's a quoting tool, not an enrollment system. Plan on Employee Navigator or another platform once the group buys.
Pros
- Rates for many carriers without requesting each quote
- Employees can enter their own census and health answers
- PowerPoint and Excel proposals with contribution models
- Sold plans move to Employee Navigator in one step
Cons
- No enrollment or carrier files after the sale
- Setup takes six to eight weeks
- No published BAA for the health answers it collects
Plans and pricing
- How it's priced
- By quote. Zywave publishes no subscription price
- Who pays
- The brokerage that licenses it
- What sets the price
- The package and the setup services you buy
| Fee | Terms | Who pays |
|---|---|---|
| Professional services for setup | Due when you sign the services exhibit. Unused fees expire after six months | The brokerage |
| Custom work and extra integrations | Separate service agreement | The brokerage |
| Travel for on-site work | Actual cost | The brokerage |
From Zywave's public CPQ services exhibit.
Good to know before you buy
- Some carriers, including UnitedHealthcare in some states, only release plans and rates to appointed brokers.
Who buys it and who pays
- Who signs the contract
- The benefits brokerage
- Who pays
- The brokerage
- Other buyers
- Broker platforms can use the Group Benefits Quoting API
Quoting and proposals
- Census
- Upload a file, pull it from Employee Navigator, use an API or invite employees to enter their own census and health answers
- Carriers and rates
- Zywave says it covers 100,000+ plans from 1,000+ carriers in all 50 states. Carriers and timing vary by state and quarter
- Quote intake
- Rates come straight from carriers, from other sources or by API, after state approval
- Contribution modeling
- Employer and employee contributions, with two, three or unlimited plan options side by side
- Proposal output
- Branded PowerPoint and Excel proposals that can add life, AD&D and disability
- Sold-plan handoff
- Mark a plan sold to send it to Employee Navigator, or pass a UnitedHealthcare Quote ID to SAMx
Census and employer data carry over to the next renewal. Level-funded plans quote where a carrier lists them in your state.
Carrier connections
| Carrier or feed | Type | Direction | Who builds it | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-carrier plan and rate library | Rates | Into Zywave | Zywave, from carriers, other sources and APIs | |
| UnitedHealthcare SAMx | Quote ID | To the carrier | ||
| Employee Navigator | Census and sold plans | Both ways | Included in some Zywave packages |
The SAMx handoff covers ACA medical, dental and vision plans, not level-funded plans. CPQ Benefits sends no enrollment files.
Getting started
Book a demo
Zywave shows the quoting library for your states.
Sign the subscription and services exhibit
Setup services are paid when you sign.
Load accounts and contacts
Zywave loads your core accounts, contacts and logo.
Train your team
Group webinar or remote hands-on lab.
Quote your first renewal
Zywave says setup takes six to eight weeks, depending on how fast your team responds.
Zywave Customer Success runs setup and follow-up consulting.
Security and HIPAA
HIPAA and health data
Zywave doesn't publish a BAA (business associate agreement, the HIPAA contract for health data) for CPQ Benefits. Employee health answers can feed quotes, so get the HIPAA terms in writing first.
Security
- Employer and census data behind access controls, says Zywave
- Breach notice to affected parties within five business days
Zywave alternatives
- PlansightQuote. SmartSheetingAI from $15 a user a monthReads any carrier's proposal instead of a rate library
- AgencyBloc Quote+Quote onlySmall group quotes with health questions and carrier submissions
- Employee NavigatorQuote onlyTakes sold plans from Zywave for enrollment
- BriteQuote onlyBenefits guides that can pull ACA plan data from Zywave
See every option in employee benefits software.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Zywave CPQ Benefits cost?
Zywave prices it by quote. Setup services are billed when you sign and expire if unused after six months.
Which carriers can I quote?
Zywave says its library holds 100,000+ plans from 1,000+ carriers. What you see depends on your state and appointments.
Does it connect to Employee Navigator?
Yes. Census comes in from Employee Navigator and sold medical, dental and vision plans go back.
How long does setup take?
Zywave says six to eight weeks from the project start.
How we researched this review. We based this review on the terms and product pages published by Zywave, 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 Zywave quit selling or a contract term that reads different now, let us know and send the link to the page where Zywave has it. Somebody here pulls up that page and checks it before we change anything on ours.