The Plan Admin page is designed to give administrators a clear, real-time view of where every plan stands in the annual administration lifecycle. Rather than forcing you to open individual projects or tasks, this page answers a simple but critical question at a glance: What’s the current status of each plan, and what needs to happen next?
It functions as an operational command center, helping teams prioritize follow‑ups, identify bottlenecks, and stay aligned during busy admin seasons.
What the Plan Admin Page Is (and Is Not)
The Plan Admin page is a high‑level monitoring and coordination tool. It is built to help you manage volume and timing across your entire book of business.
It is especially useful for:
Tracking progress across hundreds of plans at once
Identifying which clients are blocking progress
Understanding workload distribution across administrators
What it is not meant to replace is the detailed work that happens inside individual census, review, or testing projects. Think of this page as the place you decide where to act, not where you complete the work itself.
Plan Admin Status Summary Bar
At the top of the page, you’ll see a horizontal summary bar that aggregates all plans in view by Admin Status for the selected year and filters. This gives you an instant snapshot of how far along your book of business is overall.
Stax.ai will automatically update certain statuses based on functionality in the platform. For statuses that Stax.ai does not automatically update, you can configure the Update Plan Admin Status automation in your projects to automatically update these statuses to ensure accurate data at all times.
Each status represents a meaningful step in the annual administration lifecycle:
All Plans – The total number of plans currently included based on your filters.
Not Started – No census‑related tasks have been completed yet.
Data Request Sent (Automatically Updated) – Census and/or APQ requests have been sent to the plan sponsor.
Partial Data Received (Automatically Updated) – One required input has been completed, but not all. This means the sponsor has either:
Completed the Annual Plan Questionnaire (APQ), or
Uploaded census data / connected payroll, but not both.
Data Received (Automatically Updated) – Both the APQ and census data are complete, and the plan is ready for internal review.
Awaiting Mapping (Automatically Updated) – Data is received but requires mapping, normalization, or validation before moving forward.
Client Review Requested (Automatically Updated) – Information has been sent back to the client for confirmation or review.
Client Review Completed (Automatically Updated) – Client review is finished and approved.
Awaiting Asset Data: This plan has not received the asset data required for testing.
In Testing – The plan is actively in compliance or nondiscrimination testing.
Needs Corrections - The plan requires corrections.
5500 Preparation - The 5500 is being prepared.
5500 Signing - The 5500 has been sent for signature to the plan sponsor.
5500 Filed - The 5500 has been filed for this plan.
These counts update automatically as underlying tasks and projects are completed.
Filters, Search, and Export
The controls above the table allow you to narrow the view to exactly what you need. You can filter plans by assignee, plan type, or additional attributes to focus on a specific workload or team member.
On the right side of the page, you can search directly for companies, plans, or participants. This is especially helpful when responding to client inquiries or internal questions.
Once filtered, the Export option allows you to download the current view to Excel, making it easy to share progress reports or manage work offline.
Understanding the Plan Table
Each row in the table represents a single plan. Together, the columns provide enough context to understand both what the plan is and where it stands in the admin cycle.
Plan Sponsor | The legal name of the plan sponsor. |
Plan Code | An internal or recordkeeper‑specific identifier used to uniquely reference the plan. |
Plan Status | This reflects the overall lifecycle state of the plan, such as Active or Onboarding. It is separate from annual admin progress. |
Plan Type and Plan Year End (PYE) | These columns show the plan type (for example, 401(k)) and the plan year end date. Together, they help contextualize timing and testing requirements. |
Tags | Tags are customizable labels applied by your team. They are often used to flag special handling, demos, samples, or plans with unique fee or operational considerations. |
Notes | Notes are free‑text and intended for internal context. They can capture nuances that don’t fit cleanly into structured fields. |
Admin Status
The Admin Status column shows the current step of the plan within the annual administration workflow. This is the primary column most teams monitor daily.
In most cases, this status updates automatically based on task and project completion.
For example, completing either the APQ or census upload will move a plan into Partial Data Received, while completing both will move it into Data Received.
For steps that are not yet fully automated in Stax.ai - such as certain corrections or downstream compliance activities - administrators can manually update the Admin Status. These manual overrides allow the page to remain accurate even when work happens outside the system.
Color coding is used to help quickly identify stalled or in‑progress plans.
Census Errors
The Census Errors column provides a high‑level signal when validation checks identify issues in the data. This might include missing required fields, invalid dates, or compensation inconsistencies.
This column is intentionally lightweight. It indicates that issues exist, not the full detail of what those issues are. Detailed review happens within the census review experience.
How Admin Status Is Calculated
Admin Status is determined by a series of automated checks across census collection projects, census review tasks, APQ completion, and payroll or census uploads.
When tasks are completed by the plan sponsor or internally, the system evaluates whether the criteria for the next status have been met and updates the plan accordingly.
If a status ever looks incorrect, it can be recalculated.
Recalculating Admin Status
By right clicking on a plan row, you can select Calculate Admin Status. This prompts the system to re‑run all relevant checks for that plan, including task completion and project state.
This is useful when:
A status appears out of sync with reality
Tasks were completed out of order
Manual overrides need to be reconciled with automated logic
Common Ways Teams Use the Plan Admin Page
To find returned censuses, administrators typically filter for plans marked Partial Data Received or Data Received. A “partial” status indicates something has arrived, but follow‑up may still be required.
To identify bottlenecks, teams often focus on plans stuck in Data Request Sent or Partial Data Received for extended periods. These are prime candidates for client outreach.
For reporting or workload management, filtered exports provide a quick way to share progress or rebalance assignments.
Key Takeaways
The Plan Admin page is meant to give clarity at scale. It helps teams understand progress, spot issues early, and stay aligned during complex admin cycles. While it doesn’t replace detailed task work, it ensures nothing falls through the cracks.