Hidden money, found

Mini-audit guide

Job-Change Financial Checklist

Build before-last-day, coverage-transition, and new-job timelines for retirement, insurance, FSA/HSA, and enrollment deadlines — then turn the dates into an audit calendar.

Reviewed August 20266-minute guideOfficial sources
Build my personalized job-change deadline calendar.Jump to the steps

Quick start

Who this is for

  • Your last day is within 90 days, or you already left without a written benefits timeline
  • You have a workplace retirement plan, equity, FSA, HSA, or insurance that will end
  • You need to compare COBRA, a partner plan, and Marketplace coverage
  • A new employer enrollment window is open now
  • You are unsure what happened to a prior 401(k) or unvested match

Why it matters

  • A retirement account that still needs a direct rollover or leftover-plan search
  • An FSA or commuter balance you can still use if the plan allows it
  • A Marketplace or partner-coverage option that is cheaper than COBRA
  • Equity or reimbursement deadlines that expire after your last day
  • Withholding or duplicate-coverage mistakes in the first months of the new job

Do these first

  1. Download the current benefits and plan-administrator contacts. Complete this step, then continue.
  2. Read DOL changing-jobs guidance. Open the official source for this step.
  3. Compare COBRA, partner coverage, and Marketplace options. Open the official source for this step.
  4. Record retirement, equity, and reimbursement deadlines. Complete this step, then continue.
  5. Complete new-job enrollment and withholding with the same calendar. Complete this step, then continue.

Direct answer

A job change creates three short calendars: before the last working day, during the coverage gap, and after the new job starts. Download benefits information, record the retirement-plan administrator, and compare COBRA, a partner plan, and Marketplace coverage before you elect anything. Losing job-based coverage may create a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period, but you must verify the event and deadline on HealthCare.gov.

Five-step process

Do these in order. Open a detail only if you need it.

  1. Download the current benefits and plan-administrator contacts

    Save the benefits guide, SPD excerpts, retirement login path, and HSA/FSA administrator names before access is cut.

    Action: Complete this step, then continue.

  2. Read DOL changing-jobs guidance

    Use the official publication to check retirement, health, and COBRA concepts before you cash anything out.

    Action: Open the official source for this step.

    Official source

  3. Compare COBRA, partner coverage, and Marketplace options

    Verify any Special Enrollment Period on HealthCare.gov. Do not assume you qualify without opening that page.

    Action: Open the official source for this step.

    Official source

  4. Record retirement, equity, and reimbursement deadlines

    Vesting, exercise windows, and expense-report cutoffs are employer-specific. Put dates on the local checklist, then into the audit.

    Action: Complete this step, then continue.

  5. Complete new-job enrollment and withholding with the same calendar

    Capture the match, choose beneficiaries, and avoid paying for two medical plans you do not need.

    Action: Complete this step, then continue.

Personalized next step

Add Job-Change Financial Checklist to your free MoneyPotential audit. We adapt this check to your household profile and track verification steps alongside related opportunities.

Build my personalized job-change deadline calendar.

Selecting the button saves a guide trigger locally so your audit can prioritize this check. No account required.

More detail

Kept here for completeness. Open a section only if you need it.

Direct answer

A job change creates three short calendars: before the last working day, during the coverage gap, and after the new job starts. Download benefits information, record the retirement-plan administrator, and compare COBRA, a partner plan, and Marketplace coverage before you elect anything. Losing job-based coverage may create a Marketplace Special Enrollment Period, but you must verify the event and deadline on HealthCare.gov.

Who this is for
  • Your last day is within 90 days, or you already left without a written benefits timeline
  • You have a workplace retirement plan, equity, FSA, HSA, or insurance that will end
  • You need to compare COBRA, a partner plan, and Marketplace coverage
  • A new employer enrollment window is open now
  • You are unsure what happened to a prior 401(k) or unvested match
What this can uncover
  • A retirement account that still needs a direct rollover or leftover-plan search
  • An FSA or commuter balance you can still use if the plan allows it
  • A Marketplace or partner-coverage option that is cheaper than COBRA
  • Equity or reimbursement deadlines that expire after your last day
  • Withholding or duplicate-coverage mistakes in the first months of the new job
One-minute eligibility screen

One-minute eligibility screen

Answer quickly — your responses stay in this browser only (localStorage) and are never sent to MoneyPotential servers.

  • Is your last day within 90 days, or did you leave recently?

  • Do you have a workplace retirement plan to document?

  • Do you have an FSA, HSA, or commuter balance to protect?

  • Will job-based health coverage end before new coverage starts?

  • Have you already started the new job and still have enrollment tasks?

Marketplace and official job-change guidance

HealthCare.gov explains job-loss coverage options, including a possible Special Enrollment Period. You must verify that your event qualifies and note the deadline on that site. The Department of Labor also publishes official guidance on protecting retirement and health benefits when you change jobs. Use those pages for current day counts — not a recruiter email.

What information to gather
  • Last day and insurance end date. Starts COBRA and Marketplace clocks
  • Retirement plan administrator name. Needed for rollover or leftover-plan search
  • FSA/HSA/commuter balances as ranges. Spend-down planning without uploading claims
  • New-hire enrollment deadline. Prevents missed match and coverage

Do not paste employer-portal passwords, full account numbers, or confidential workplace files into MoneyPotential. Record dates, plan names, and deadline categories only.

How to interpret the result
  • Confirmed. You have written end dates, administrator names, and completed elections for the old and new plans.
  • Likely. The timelines are filled, but one administrator or Marketplace deadline still needs an official confirmation.
  • Possible. Access was already cut off and you are reconstructing dates from pay stubs and emails.
  • Professional review. Equity, severance, or large rollover tax questions may need a tax professional or employment counsel.
If nothing appears
  • Ask the old employer for the COBRA notice and plan-administrator contacts in writing
  • Use the lost 401(k) guide if the recordkeeper is unknown
  • Check state unclaimed property for uncashed final-pay or distribution checks
  • If Marketplace eligibility is unclear, use HealthCare.gov or the Marketplace call center — not a random broker link
Deadlines and exceptions

COBRA election is generally 60 days from the qualifying-event notice — confirm the notice. Marketplace Special Enrollment Periods after job-based coverage loss must be verified on HealthCare.gov for the current year. FSA funds often stop on the last day unless the plan says otherwise. Last verified: August 2026.

Scam warnings
  • Ignore unsolicited rollover callers who found your job change on LinkedIn.
  • Open COBRA and Marketplace sites from official bookmarks, not email attachments.
  • Never paste 401(k) or payroll passwords into MoneyPotential.
Optional checklists

Action checklist

Track progress locally — checked items stay in this browser and are never uploaded.

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Educational guide only. Not financial, tax, or medical advice. Verify all requirements on official sources before acting.