How to Retrieve Your W-2 Form/Statement from Northwell Health

It's tax time -- and while you are busy gathering your receipts and checking in with your accountant, Northwell Health's payroll team assures you easy access to your W-2 Tax Statement. For the third year in row, Northwell has offered online access to your statement as early as January 15. All you have to do is:

1. Log in to Employee Self Service (use browser, Windows Internet Explorer on a computer, not phone, for best results)
2. Click on "Personal Information" tab
3. Click on the "Self Service" folder
4. Click on the "Payroll and Compensation" folder
5. Under Tax Information you will see "3 more..." click there
6. Then click on "View W-2 and W-2C Forms"
7. Click on "Year End Form"
8. Print, view, save your form

Note: If your 2015 W-2 Statement does not pop up - able to view and print - your popup blocker may be on. If this is the case, go to the top of your page (while still logged in) and click on "Tools". A menu will appear. Click on "Pop Up Blocker" and turn it off. Click on the "Year End Form" again, now you should be able to view, print and save your 2015 W-2 Tax Statement.

Additional Information about Accessing Your Statement
Northwell Health has made your W-2 Tax Statements available to you online since January 2014. While logged in you can view previous statements from years 2013 and 2014. If you opted out for a paper statement in the mail this year, or in previous years, your online version is the only version you will have access to. If you did not opt out for the paper statement - you should have received your 2015 Tax Statement in the mail by now. If you have misplaced your paper statement, simply retrieve your statement through Employee Self Service, as described above. The online version is just as authentic as the paper version.

Note: If you do not have access to a computer and "opted out" for the print/mail-to-home version (or you misplaced the print/mail-to-home version), contact your local site HR office for assistance.

Your Future
While money is on your mind, consider investing in your retirement by increasing your contribution to your 403(b)/401(k) retirement plan by at least one percent right now. Log in to Northwell.edu/myRetirement, select your Account, hit Manage>Contributions. Increasing your number by just one percent every year can really make a difference when it comes to your financially fit future!

W-2 Tax Statement Online January 20

If you are one of the many North Shore-LIJ employees that opted to go paperless this tax season, your W-2 Tax Statement will be available on Employee Self Service (ESS) January 20. If you did not opt to go paperless through the pop-up prompt on ESS over the past several weeks, your paper copy will be mailed by January 31, 2015.

Past W-2 Tax Statement on ESS
Beginning with 2013's W-2 Statement, ESS now has the capability to house more of your personal information. No more lost statements or searching the mail - a simple login will now give you the opportunity to view, print and save not just this years' W-2 Tax Statement, but last years' too.

Other important information can also be viewed on ESS, such as your pay statement, which details your deductions and available PTO. In addition view your W-4 tax and direct deposit information. For those employees who participate in the Wellness Pledge Program - your personalized Wellness Summary is another convenient feature on ESS.

Update Your personal Information
The beginning of a new year is a good time as any to be sure your personal information in ESS is correct. While checking your address, email, and phone number, why not take a look at your emergency contacts. You may want to confirm those phone numbers for your contacts are still correct.

Organize and simplify, You are off to a great start!

Understand Your Benefits

As Open Enrollment enters its second week, the Benefits Team continues to bring you information - just simplified. Keeping you informed about your benefits - in the most efficient way possible is important to us, and that is why we have provided you with the resources you need to fully understand and successfully enroll in your 2015 Benefits.

Questions About Your Benefits?
Refer to the employee intranet HealthPort-Human Resources-Benefits (this link will only work from an "In-Network" computer) for all the information you need. Open up the Benefit Guides folder and you will find information for all North Shore-LIJ administered plans. Open up the 2015 Open Enrollment Kit and find multiple one page documents on the most frequently researched topics, such as: the difference between the two medical plans, the two dental plans, what's in-system versus in-network. We hope these simplified explanation of your benefits will help you to appreciate and utilize them in 2015.

Questions About How to Enroll?
View this 6 minute video, which reviews everything you need to know to successfully enroll you and your dependents in the 2015 benefits.

Topics of Interest
Go ahead and post your comments if you have a suggestion for a conversation. We love feedback!

Enrolling in Your 2015 Benefits

Open Enrollment will be live within the Employee Self Service platform - 12:01 am, December 3 and through 11:59 pm, December 17. This is your annual opportunity to make changes to your benefits package.

Logging in from an In-Network Computer
Once logged in with your Universal ID and Password, hit Benefits, Open Enrollment 2015. When Open Enrollment launches you will be "Welcomed" with a brief paragraph reminding you to elect a set amount of pre-tax dollars in your 2015 Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs).

Logging in from and External Computer
You can enroll in your benefits from any computer. Visit ess.nslijweb.com, login with your Universal ID, Password and ESS Key. Once logged in, hit Personal Information - Self Service - Benefits - Open Enrollment 2015.

First Action: Flexible Spending Accounts 
To emphasize the importance of understanding your FSAs, the Benefits Team has moved them to the top of the list. To learn more about the value of Healthcare and Dependent Care FSAs, visit WageWorks or do a quick review on HealthPort-HR-Benefits-Open Enrollment Kit 2015.

What' Next?
Once you have set aside your pre-tax dollars for your FSAs, you will experience the following options on ESS during Open Enrollment: You can rollover, update or waive any of the benefits listed below.

Medical: Hit the next "Enroll" button and up pops a brief explanation on your medical plan choices, followed by what you currently have, and the rates. Scroll lower and you will have the ability to change your dependent coverage.
Hit Update or Discard and move on to the next.

Medical is followed by Spousal Surcharge Question (which you can keep as is or updated), and a line indicating how many (if any) Wellness Pledges you have satisfied.

Dental and Vision: Dental options follow. Same deal - a brief description, followed by what you currently have, the rates and dependent coverage.
Hit Update or Discard and move on to the next.

Disability: The Short- and Long-Term Disability sections gives you the opportunity to "Buy-Up". If you do select to buy-up, your choice will prompt The Hartford to send you an Evidence of Insurability form (EOI or proof of good health). This form  must be cleared before your Buy-Up Disability is active.

Life Insurance and Accidental Death and Dismemberment: As in Disability you can "Buy-Up" your Life Insurance but you will have to provide EOI to Aetna. This is referred to as Supplemental Life Insurance.

Spouse and Child Life Insurance: This area will allow you to insure your dependents at different levels of coverage.

Confidential and Complete
ESS will save your information as you go through and make your choices. Even if you have hit the Submit Button, you can still change your mind over the course of OE. A message runs throughout telling you "Enrollment will not be complete until you Submit your choices." Don't let this throw you - you have until December 17 to change your mind!