> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.plane.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a benefit program

> Create a benefits program for a plan year.

### Parameters

Programs are created as drafts and opened when enrollment should begin.

<ParamField body="entity" type="string" required>
  ID of the entity (employer) the program belongs to.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="name" type="string" required>
  Human-readable program name.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="year" type="integer" required>
  Human renewal label for the program.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="starts" type="date">
  Start date for the program year.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="ends" type="date">
  End date for the program year.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="status" type="string">
  Program status. One of `draft`, `open`, or `closed`. Defaults to `draft`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="eligibility" type="string">
  CEL expression deciding which workers the program is offered to, evaluated
  against the worker shape. Omit for manual assignment.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="metadata" type="object">
  Set of key-value pairs attached to the program.
</ParamField>

### Returns

Returns the created [Benefit program object](/reference/benefit-programs/object).

<ResponseExample>
  ```json Request theme={null}
  {
    "entity": "ent_8oWZpQ2rL4sk",
    "name": "2027 Benefits",
    "year": 2027,
    "starts": "2027-01-01",
    "ends": "2027-12-31"
  }
  ```

  ```json Response theme={null}
  {
    "id": "bprog_R8mK2pQ9xL4s",
    "object": "benefit.program",
    "entity": "ent_8oWZpQ2rL4sk",
    "name": "2027 Benefits",
    "year": 2027,
    "starts": "2027-01-01",
    "ends": "2027-12-31",
    "status": "draft",
    "eligibility": null,
    "metadata": {},
    "created": "2026-05-29T12:00:00Z",
    "updated": "2026-05-29T12:00:00Z"
  }
  ```
</ResponseExample>