PlanYear
Key Takeaways
- PlanYear leverages AI automation through its BEACON platform to eliminate up to 70% of manual administrative tasks for benefits consultants, freeing them to focus on strategic client relationships and growth.
- The platform features the SAGE assistant, document intelligence, automated census standardization, and personalized employee microsites that enhance the entire benefits lifecycle.
- Recent $12 million seed funding led by True Ventures supports expansion of BEACON’s capabilities and enhanced support for employers, general agents, and carriers.
- Major brokerages including eight of the top 20 firms have adopted PlanYear, with users reporting near-zero error rates and significant time savings during renewal seasons.
- As a general insurance agency, we help clients evaluate and implement PlanYear solutions to modernize their benefits operations, reduce administrative burden, and deliver exceptional employee experiences.
What Is PlanYear?
PlanYear is an AI-native benefits platform designed specifically for benefits consultants, brokerages, employers, and employees. Founded by benefits industry veterans who experienced firsthand the frustration of spending more time on spreadsheets than serving clients, PlanYear emerged from a working brokerage in Irvine, California.
Led by CEO Tariq Hilaly, the company addresses a fundamental challenge in the benefits consulting industry: consultants spend 65-70% of their time on manual data processing and administrative tasks rather than strategic advisory work.
The BEACON platform serves as PlanYear’s central technology, combining deep industry knowledge with AI capabilities to automate workflows from document processing to renewal management. The company serves benefits consultants across diverse firm sizes, from boutique agencies to eight of the top 20 national brokerages.
With the benefits consulting industry managing over $1.4 trillion in annual healthcare spending, PlanYear targets the operational inefficiencies that have historically limited consultants’ ability to provide personalized strategic guidance to employers and employees.
Key Features of PlanYear
PlanYear’s BEACON platform distinguishes itself through comprehensive AI-powered capabilities built for the entire benefits lifecycle.
Document Intelligence automatically extracts data from plan documents and carrier quotes into workflow-ready formats, eliminating hours of manual data entry. The SAGE assistant answers employee benefits questions 24/7, resolving approximately 57% of inquiries automatically while escalating complex issues to human representatives.
Census Standardization transforms messy employee data into clean, accurate formats automatically, a critical capability during renewal season when consultants juggle hundreds of client datasets. The platform’s Workflow Automation seamlessly connects plan data across the entire benefits process, from RFP responses to employee communications.
Smart Plan Comparison highlights key differences between coverage options using AI-powered analysis, enabling faster client decision-making. Intelligent Drafting generates personalized communications using learnings from plan information and past conversations while maintaining each consultant’s personal touch.
For employees, PlanYear offers personalized microsites with interactive plan recommenders, digital ID cards, and mobile-first design that moves beyond static PDFs. The platform integrates AI-powered email management and response drafting to keep every client conversation organized without losing the human element.
Benefits for Consultants and Employers
For Benefits Consultants
PlanYear delivers transformative operational leverage by reclaiming time previously lost to administrative tasks. Consultants report that BEACON eliminates the late nights and holiday work that traditionally characterized renewal season, when 65-70% of clients renew simultaneously around January 1.
The platform’s automation reduces error rates to near zero through intelligent data extraction and validation, improving accuracy in critical areas like quote spreading and census management. By handling routine employee questions through the SAGE assistant, consultants can focus their expertise on complex cases and strategic planning.
The RFP workflow streamlines weeks of market research chaos into organized, trackable processes with automated drafting and carrier coordination. Real-time collaboration tools enable consultants to present clear renewal options that drive faster, more confident client decisions.
Users appreciate how BEACON serves as an operational backbone that allows small teams to perform like much larger operations, creating competitive advantages in winning and retaining business.
For Employers and Employees
The platform creates modern benefits experiences that reflect organizational culture while reducing administrative burdens. HR teams benefit from simplified benefits communication through personalized microsites that guide employees to smart decisions 24/7.
Employees access interactive tools that help them understand coverage options based on their actual health needs and circumstances, moving beyond one-size-fits-all approaches. The mobile app provides transparency and convenience with features like digital ID cards and instant access to plan information.
Employers report that the elevated experience creates genuine client stickiness, helping consultants differentiate their services in competitive markets. The platform’s ability to support complex scenarios like age-banded rates and self-funded disability plans provides flexibility for diverse workforce needs.
Recent Developments and Growth
PlanYear has experienced significant momentum since emerging from its brokerage origins. In October 2025, the company announced $12 million in seed funding led by True Ventures, with the round specifically earmarked to accelerate BEACON platform development and expand capabilities for employers, general agents, and carriers.
This investment reflects growing recognition that the benefits industry requires AI solutions built by practitioners who understand daily operational challenges. The company currently supports eight of the top 20 brokerage firms, having initially focused on smaller enterprises before discovering that large firms experience identical pain points around manual processes.
Leadership from major brokerages has publicly endorsed the platform’s impact. Craig Hasday, President of National Employee Benefits Practice at EPIC, noted that AI is transforming the underlying economics of insurance brokerage by increasing efficiency and accuracy in client and carrier interactions.
True Ventures partner Puneet Agarwal emphasized that PlanYear’s combination of deep industry expertise with sophisticated AI capabilities creates genuine operational leverage, restoring the strategic advisory role that makes benefits consulting valuable. The platform continues expanding its feature set, recently adding support for age-banded rates to help brokers navigate complex pricing scenarios in markets serving smaller employers.
User Experiences and Reviews
Customer testimonials highlight PlanYear’s practical impact on day-to-day operations. Jeff Bastien, Principal & Founder at Apex Benefits, described the platform as an operational backbone that allows small teams to perform like much larger organizations, emphasizing the automation, ease of use, and client-facing experience as top-tier.
Users from firms like JH Berry Risk Services report freeing themselves from document formatting to focus on strategic client consultation, with error rates plummeting to near zero thanks to automated data extraction. Clients specifically praise the modern, professional benefits experience their employees receive through PlanYear’s digital tools.
Benefits consultant Jamie from JDM Benefits noted how the elevated employer and employee experience creates genuine stickiness that helps win and retain business in competitive markets. Industry leaders recognize the platform’s ability to address consultant burnout by restoring work-life balance during traditionally grueling renewal periods.
While the company is relatively recent in its current form, its foundation in a working brokerage provides credibility that the solution addresses real practitioner needs rather than theoretical problems. The consistent theme across feedback emphasizes time savings, accuracy improvements, and the ability to deliver strategic value that modern employers increasingly demand.
How PlanYear Compares to Traditional Benefits Administration
PlanYear fundamentally differs from legacy benefits administration platforms through its AI-native architecture and benefits-specific design.
Traditional systems require extensive manual data entry, disconnected workflows, and limited automation, forcing consultants to spend the majority of their time on administrative tasks. PlanYear’s BEACON platform automates these processes end-to-end, from document processing to employee communications.
Unlike generic workflow tools, PlanYear’s AI agents and assistants are trained specifically on benefits scenarios and contexts, understanding industry nuances like plan spreading, carrier document variations, and renewal timing complexities.
Traditional platforms typically offer static employee communication through PDFs and printed materials, while PlanYear delivers personalized, interactive microsites with recommendation engines that consider individual health needs. The platform’s 24/7 AI assistant capability resolves employee questions automatically, a feature absent from most legacy systems that route all inquiries to human teams.
PlanYear’s approach of building from a brokerage background ensures the solution addresses actual pain points rather than imposing generic business software on industry-specific challenges. For consultants evaluating options, PlanYear suits those seeking operational transformation and modern client experiences, while legacy platforms may appeal to firms preferring established vendors despite limited innovation.
About Brokers Bloc
Brokers Bloc is a general insurance agency based in St. Louis, Missouri that provides independent benefits brokers with access to highly-vetted, non-BUCA Carriers, and provides marketing support to brokers.
Contact us at (314) 888-9272 or visit brokersbloc.com to learn how we can help transform your benefits strategy.
How Brokers Bloc Can Help with PlanYear
As a trusted general insurance agency, Brokers Bloc specializes in helping benefits consultants and employers evaluate and implement modern technology solutions like PlanYear to enhance their operations.
Our team provides comprehensive assessments to determine if PlanYear’s BEACON platform aligns with your specific workflow needs, firm size, and growth objectives. We offer hands-on guidance during implementation, ensuring smooth integration with your existing systems and processes while maximizing the platform’s capabilities from day one.
For consultants, we help identify which BEACON features deliver the highest value for your book of business, from RFP automation to employee communication tools. For employers, we assess how PlanYear’s employee experience features can enhance your benefits strategy and improve workforce engagement.
Our ongoing support includes optimization recommendations as your needs evolve and assistance with advanced features like age-banded rates or self-funded plan configurations. We stay current on PlanYear’s expanding capabilities to ensure you benefit from the latest innovations in AI-driven benefits management.
Discover more about our technology consulting services at brokersbloc.com/about, or contact us at brokersbloc.com/contact for a complimentary technology assessment to determine if PlanYear fits your modernization strategy.
FAQs About PlanYear
What makes PlanYear different from other benefits platforms?
PlanYear is AI-native and built by benefits consultants who experienced the industry’s operational challenges firsthand, offering automation specifically designed for benefits workflows rather than generic business tools.
Who should consider PlanYear?
Benefits consultants and brokerages of all sizes seeking to reduce administrative burden and focus on strategic advisory work, as well as employers wanting modern employee benefits experiences.
What results can users expect?
Users report near-zero error rates, significant time savings during renewal season, and the ability to resolve approximately 57% of employee questions automatically through the SAGE assistant.
How does the recent funding impact users?
The $12 million seed investment supports platform expansion across key workflow areas and enhanced capabilities for employers, general agents, and carriers, ensuring continued innovation.
How do I get started?
Reach out to our agency for expert guidance on evaluating PlanYear for your specific needs and implementing the platform to maximize benefits for your consultants, clients, and employees.
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