October 16, 2026
How one TPA helped turn 360° payroll integration into a better client experience
Some challenges are a sign of success
A plan sponsor in Connecticut had been working with Capital Group for more than a decade. Over the years, their plan grew rapidly through mergers and acquisition. Then suddenly, in the span of two years, its participant count doubled. Growth was good for the business, but it created challenges in the operation of its retirement plan.
This plan, which uses PlanPremier®-TPA as its retirement plan platform, had originally set up 180° payroll integration, but the plan sponsor had not been using the full features of the platform to track changes in participants deferral elections or their eligibility to participate in the plan. The result was that deferral changes were being missed and mistakes were being made with the auto-enrollment feature. What had once been a workable process became increasingly difficult for the plan sponsor.
Looking beyond the corrections for a solution
Rather than continuing to manage the symptoms, the TPA focused on the root cause and came up with a solution. The TPA was familiar with the capabilities on the PlanPremier-TPA platform and encouraged the plan sponsor to move from 180° payroll integration to 360° payroll integration, which offers bi-directional updates. When an employee requests a change to their deferral percentage or dollar amount in their retirement portal that request is automatically communicated to the plan's payroll provider. This helps prevent missed updates and compliance failures caused by manually keying in employee changes.
The TPA facilitated a call between the plan sponsor and Capital Group relationship manager, where they confirmed key plan provisions and eligibility requirements, and then stepped back while the implementation of 360° payroll integration on the platform moved forward.
Payroll integration at a glance
| Feature | No integration | 180° payroll integration | 360° payroll integration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data flow | None | Payroll provider sends to recordkeeper | Two-way data exchange |
| Payroll submissions | Manual | Automated with approval, sponsor continues to review and approve payroll information before processing | Automated with approval |
| Deferral changes | Manual | Manual | Automated with approval |
| Loan repayments | Manual | Manual | Automated |
| Administrative workload | Highest | Lower | Lowest |
A better experience for everyone
The success of this case wasn’t driven by a complex implementation or a major operational overhaul. In fact, one of the most notable aspects of this story is how little effort was required of the TPA. By recognizing the opportunity and making the connection with Capital Group:
- The sponsor gained smoother administrative experience.
- The plan became better equipped to support future growth.
- With fewer errors made, the TPA spent less time making corrections and had access to up-to-date consolidated reporting for year-end testing and audit purposes... making a long-time client even happier.
Sometimes, the biggest service improvement comes not from doing more work, but by helping clients eliminate extra efforts that are no longer needed and by encouraging them to leverage the capabilities of the plan’s recordkeeping platform, PlanPremier-TPA.