When you upload a record keeper file, Stax.ai CX reads each person in the file and links them to a person in the client's census. This link is called a match. Matches tell CX whose money is whose, so the plan and participant comparisons add up. You review the matches, fix any that need help, and then confirm them. Totals for the plan year stay hidden until every schedule's matches are confirmed.
How matching works
CX matches each file row to the census for you as soon as the file is read. It uses the Social Security number (SSN) first. Most rows match on their own. A row that CX can't match is marked Needs review, and you pick the person yourself.
Every row in the match review has a status and a short line that explains why.
Status | What it means | Why line you may see |
Auto-matched | CX found the person on its own. Nothing to do. | "Full SSN matched" or "SSN and name matched" |
Matched · name differs | The SSN matched, but the name in the file is spelled differently than in the census (for example, Bob vs Robert). | "SSN matched · name differs" |
Manually resolved | Someone on your team picked the person by hand. | "Selected by a team member" |
Needs review | CX could not find a census person with this SSN. You must pick or create one. | "No census employee with SSN •••1234" |
Tip: SSNs are always masked. You only see the last four digits.
Open the match review
There are three ways to open the match review.
Right after an upload. After you click Upload & Process in the Upload Asset Schedule window, CX reads the file. When it finishes, the window moves to step 3, Match Participants.
From the Schedules tab.
Go to Retirement > Reconciliation and open the plan. The reconciliation workspace opens.
Click the Schedules tab.
Click the schedule's row. The Match Participants step opens for that plan year.
From Source Files. If the summary cards at the top show dashes because matches are not confirmed, click a card amount. The Source Files window opens on the first unconfirmed schedule. Click Review matches.
Note: If the file is still being read, you'll see "Parsing and matching are still running". You can leave the page. The work keeps going, and you can come back to the match review later.
Read the match table
The top of the review shows three counts:
Participants Matched: file rows linked to a census person.
Participants Not Matched: file rows that still need a person.
Participants Not in File: people in the census who do not appear in this file. This is information only. You don't need to fix it.
The table has these columns:
Participant Source: the name as it appears in the record keeper file, the record keeper, and how many money types the row has.
SSN: the last four digits.
Contributions: the total contributions in the file for that row.
Status: the match status and its why line.
Plan Participant: the census person the row is linked to.
Filter and search
Click the Participants Matched card to show only matched rows. Click it again to show all rows.
Click the Participants Not Matched card to show only the rows that need help. This is the fastest way to finish a review.
In any Plan Participant dropdown, type a name or the last four digits of an SSN to search.
Use the page controls under the table to move between pages or show 25, 50, or 100 rows at a time.
Fix a match
Pick the right person
Find a row marked Needs review, or a row that is linked to the wrong person.
Click the Plan Participant dropdown on that row.
Type part of the person's name or the last four digits of their SSN.
Click the person. The row shows "Saving…" and then changes to Manually resolved.
Tip: The dropdown only lists people who are not already matched to another row in this file.
Unmatch a row
Click the x in the row's Plan Participant box. The link is removed and the row goes back to Needs review.
Pick the right person, or create a new one.
Note: Any change to a match means that schedule's matches need to be confirmed again.
Create a participant
Use this when the person is in the record keeper file but not in the census, for example a new hire whose census record was never added.
Click the row's Plan Participant dropdown.
Click Create participant at the bottom of the list. The Create participant window opens. CX fills in the name, and the SSN when the file has it.
Check or enter the First name and Last name.
Enter the SSN. It must be 9 digits. Only numbers are allowed.
Choose the Date of birth and Date of hire.
Click Create New. CX adds the person to Stax.ai and to the client's census in CX, and links them to the file row. A message confirms the row is now matched.
All five fields are required. If one is missing, you'll see a hint under it, like "Enter a first name." or "Choose a date of hire." If the SSN is too short, the hint tells you how many digits you entered.
Important: Creating a participant here adds them to the client's census. Only create a person who is truly missing from the census.
If the SSN is already in the census
CX checks the SSN as you type, so you don't create a duplicate person.
Exact match. If someone in this year's census already has that SSN, you'll see "{name} is already in this year's census" and a question asking if you want to match to them instead. The Create New button goes away. Click Use {name} to link the row to that person.
Possible match. If one person has an SSN ending in the same four digits, you'll see "Possible match" with their name. Click Select existing participant to use them, or Create New if they are a different person.
Several possible matches. If more than one person has an SSN ending in the same four digits, choose the right one from the Existing participant list, then click Select existing participant.
Bulk actions
Accept all name-differs matches
When a row is Matched · name differs, the SSN matched but the spelling did not. Most of the time this is a nickname, a maiden name, or a typo. If you've checked the names and the people are right, accept them all at once.
Click Accept all {n} name-differs matches at the bottom left of the review. The button shows the number of rows.
CX marks each one as Manually resolved and shows a message with the number accepted.
Tip: Scan the name-differs rows before you accept them all. If one looks like a different person, fix that row first.
Confirm matches
Make sure the footer says "0 source(s) still unmatched".
Click Confirm matches. A message says "Matches confirmed" and that totals are now shown. The window closes.
Check the summary cards and the Plan and Accounts tabs. The amounts now appear.
Confirm matches stays grayed out while any file row still needs a person. Hover over it to see how many rows are left.
Important: Totals stay hidden for the whole plan year until every schedule's matches are confirmed. One unconfirmed schedule holds back the totals for all schedules.
If you close the review before you confirm, CX asks you to make sure. Your match changes are saved, but totals stay hidden until you confirm.
Best practices
Work the Not Matched list first. Click Participants Not Matched and clear it row by row.
Fix the census, not the file. If a name or SSN is wrong in the census, correct it in the census editor. Matching links people. It does not change census data, except when you create a participant.
Watch for clients with more than one plan. If the client has more than one plan, the dropdown may list people from the client's other plans. Make sure you pick the person who belongs to this plan.
Reconfirm after changes. Removing a file, changing a match, or other edits can mean a schedule's matches need to be confirmed again.
Locked years are read-only. If the reconciliation is locked, you'll see "Locked · read-only". Unlock it first to change matches.
Related articles
Adding an Asset Schedule from a Record Keeper File
Bulk Uploading Record Keeper Files
Reading the Plan and Accounts Tabs
Confirming and Locking a Reconciliation
Asset Reconciliation Troubleshooting and FAQ