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Employee benefits booklet template

The page-by-page structure behind an open enrollment booklet employees actually open — plus the print specs and distribution timing that decide whether it gets read. A free template from Planlined.

Template

Booklet or guide?

The two words describe the same content in different wrappers. A booklet is the print-ready artifact — facing pages, a page count divisible by four, handed across a table at an enrollment meeting. A guide is the same material delivered as a single-column PDF or an interactive page.

Build one source document and export both. This page covers the booklet layout; if you want the writing process behind each section, see the employee benefit guide template.

The 12-page structure

Twelve pages is the sweet spot for most small and mid-size groups, and it satisfies the divisible-by-four rule for saddle stitching. Move plan documents, SBCs, and required notices to a linked appendix rather than printing them.

Page 1

Cover

Company name and logo, plan year dates, and the enrollment deadline. The deadline belongs on the cover — it is the single fact employees most often miss.

Page 2

What's changing this year

A short, honest summary of plan changes, carrier changes, and contribution changes. Lead with this. Employees who read nothing else will read the page that tells them what is different.

Page 3

Eligibility and key dates

Who qualifies, when coverage starts, dependent eligibility rules, and the qualifying life events that permit mid-year changes.

Pages 4–7

Medical plan comparison

One spread per plan or a side-by-side grid: deductible, coinsurance, out-of-pocket max, copays, and network. Keep the column order identical on every page so the eye can compare down the page.

Pages 8–9

Employee cost tables

Per-pay-period cost by coverage tier for each plan. Show the actual paycheck deduction, not the annual premium — employees budget by paycheck.

Page 10

Ancillary and voluntary benefits

Dental, vision, life, disability, and voluntary products. A single page with a short description and cost for each is enough; detail belongs in the carrier material.

Page 11

FAQs

Ten to twelve real questions from last year's enrollment. This page does more to reduce HR call volume than any other in the booklet.

Page 12

How to enroll and who to call

Numbered enrollment steps, what to have on hand, the portal URL, and contacts for HR, the broker, and each carrier. Back cover, so it is findable without opening the booklet.

Print specifications

Hand these to a print shop and you will not get a second email asking for a corrected file.

  • Trim size: 8.5 × 11 in folded to 5.5 × 8.5 in
  • Binding: saddle stitch — page count must be divisible by four
  • Stock: 80–100 lb gloss text, 100 lb cover
  • Color mode: CMYK at 300 DPI
  • Bleed: 0.125 in on all sides, with a 0.25 in safety margin
  • Fonts: embedded or outlined, minimum 9 pt body text

Export two versions, not one

A facing-page spread is unreadable on a phone, and most employees will read it on a phone. Export the print booklet as spreads for the printer, and a separate single-page portrait PDF for email and the intranet.

What does not belong in the booklet

A booklet is a communication piece, not a compliance document. Printing legal disclosures into it makes it longer, more expensive, and less likely to be read — and it does not satisfy the underlying requirement.

  • Summary Plan Descriptions — an ERISA disclosure with its own content and delivery rules. Link to it; do not replace it.
  • Summary of Benefits and Coverage — the SBC has a federally mandated format. Point employees to it, and use the SBC comparison tool to build the simplified grid that goes in the booklet.
  • Full carrier brochures — link or QR-code them.
  • Annual notices (CHIP, Medicare Part D, WHCRA) — distribute separately under their own rules.

Distribution timing

Send the booklet two to three weeks before open enrollment opens. Employees need time to read plan changes and discuss them at home before the enrollment window, and HR needs the questions to arrive before the deadline crunch rather than during it.

  • 3 weeks out: digital PDF by email, posted to the intranet
  • 2 weeks out: printed booklets at the enrollment meeting
  • 1 week out: reminder email linking the FAQ page and enrollment steps
  • 2 days out: final deadline reminder

Generate the booklet instead of laying it out

Planlined builds every section above from your quote and plan data — branded cover, comparison grids, cost tables by tier, FAQs, and enrollment steps — then exports to PDF or publishes it as a hosted link employees open on their phone.

Related resources

Benefit Guide generator

Build branded guides and booklets from your plan data

Employee Benefit Guide template

The six sections and how to write each one

Open enrollment checklist

Everything to line up before the window opens

Benefit comparison template

The plan grids that go on pages 4–7

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a benefits booklet and a benefit guide?

In practice they hold the same content — the difference is format. "Benefits booklet" usually means the printed or print-ready PDF handed out at an open enrollment meeting, laid out in facing pages and often saddle-stitched. "Benefit guide" is the broader term and increasingly refers to an interactive or web-based version. Most brokers produce one source document and export it both ways.

How long should an employee benefits booklet be?

Twelve to sixteen pages covers most small and mid-size groups. Saddle-stitched booklets must have a page count divisible by four, so 12, 16, and 20 are the practical sizes. Anything past 20 pages tends to go unread — move plan documents, SBCs, and legal notices to a linked appendix instead of printing them.

Is a benefits booklet the same as a Summary Plan Description?

No. A Summary Plan Description (SPD) is a specific ERISA-required disclosure with mandated content and delivery rules. A benefits booklet is a communication piece. A booklet does not satisfy the SPD requirement, and it should point employees to where the SPD and Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) documents live rather than attempting to replace them.

What print specifications should I use for a benefits booklet?

Letter size (8.5 x 11 in) folded to 5.5 x 8.5 in is the most common format, printed on 80 to 100 lb gloss text with a 100 lb cover. Build the file at 300 DPI in CMYK with a 0.125 in bleed. If the booklet will mostly be read on a phone, export a separate single-page portrait PDF instead of the facing-page spread.

When should benefits booklets go out to employees?

Two to three weeks before open enrollment opens. That gives employees time to read plan changes and discuss them at home before the enrollment window, and it gives HR time to field questions before the deadline crunch.

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