Have you been sneaking health coverage for your sister, a cousin, a boyfriend or girlfriend, ex-spouse or perhaps an adult child?

Well, you’d better watch out because this open enrollment season, more employers are auditing health-plan enrollees to verify that dependents are eligible.

With more companies shifting to electronic enrollments in health plans, employees haven’t had to provide documentation to prove who was eligible and who wasn’t. But as health care premiums rise, employers are paying closer attention to the people their employees report as dependents.

So let me warn you, when you get your benefits package this year, carefully look though all the paperwork. If you don’t, you might miss a letter like the one I received from my employer but nearly overlooked.

The letter said The Washington Post Co. is conducting an audit of dependents enrolled in its medical, dental, vision and dependent life insurance benefit plans.

In my case, as with most plans, the audit is taking place in two phases. First there’s an amnesty period. Basically folks are asked to voluntarily drop ineligible dependents from coverage without any penalties. An amnesty period typically runs from 30 to 90 days.

Following the amnesty period, employees are audited randomly.

To prove a dependent is legitimate, employees are asked to provide a variety of documents such as copies of birth certificates, marriage certificates, tax returns showing joint filing status, home title documents or perhaps some bills.

In some cases, employees really don’t know they’ve signed up someone who is ineligible.

If you don’t want any trouble, review the dependent eligibility rules for your plan. The list of who is covered varies by plan, but most often includes your spouse in a marriage legally recognized in your state, and your eligible children.

Children under age 19 are usually covered as long as the child is unmarried and counts on you for financial support. Disabled dependents over age 18 may be covered. In many cases children from age 19 to 25 are eligible if enrolled as full-time college students.

At the same time, don’t assume that an adult child isn’t covered. To combat the growing number of uninsured, many states have expanded the definition of a dependent.

Some plans now allow employees to enroll same-sex partners for benefits. Other plans might allow same-sex and opposite-sex partners.

I know you are probably thinking, this is just another burden in an already confusing open enrollment season.

Yup, it is. But it’s one that you shouldn’t put off or ignore. Knowingly signing up ineligible people won’t just cost your company and co-workers more money; it could even cost you your job.