One of the first steps you take when you start working for an ASRS employer is enrolling with the ASRS: your employer should have given you their unique employer code and assisted with making sure you did, in fact, get fully enrolled online with the ASRS. It’s a fairly quick online process that makes sure your account is properly affiliated with you. It’s also a step that sometimes gets overlooked when new employees are being set up.
Here's what to do if you've (a) never logged into your myASRS account, (b) have logged into your myASRS account previously, or (c) your correct employer isn't listed when you log into your myASRS account.
A) If you’ve NEVER logged in to your myASRS account at AzASRS.gov (or don’t remember if you have)
Click on myASRS in the top right corner of our website, then click on the “First Time Registering?” link towards the bottom of the page and follow the prompts through the registration process. If you have registered previously and forgot, you will be alerted of that at the end of the process, at which point you should use the “Having Trouble Logging in?” link on the main MyASRS log-in page to recover your login and/or password.
Once registered, log into your account and look to make sure your account information is correct, including what’s listed as your current ASRS employer. If everything looks in order, you’re good to go! Just make sure your beneficiaries are up to date, and remember to periodically check your account to make sure your phone number, email address, and mailing address are all up to date as well.
B) If you HAVE logged into your myASRS account previously
As mentioned above, log into your account and check that all your information is correct and current; your contact information, your listed beneficiaries, and your current ASRS employer. If everything looks correct, no further action is needed!
C) You’ve logged into your account, but your current ASRS employer isn’t listed (or isn’t correct)
If you are a newly enrolled member or just moved to a new ASRS employer, the “Current ASRS Employer” field may be blank or not yet updated. If you just completed the "First Time Registering" steps as a new member or just recently enrolled with a new employer, your employer information will not be updated until your enrollment has been verified by your employer and your first contributions post to your account. Please allow 2 to 3 pay periods for your employer information to appear on your account.
If you've been contributing for a few months now and the employer field is still blank or incorrect, you’ll need to work with your current employer to update it. Start by contacting your employer’s Human Resources department – they should be able to give you an enrollment code. Once you have the enrollment code, visit the main myASRS page, make sure you’re not logged in, and use the “First Time Registering” link once again. It may seem like you’re re-registering your account, but this process will prompt you to enter the enrollment code you’ve received from your HR department. Once you’ve completed this, your employer will go through a process with the ASRS to confirm your account and contributions. After your enrollment is verified and your contributions have been posted, your online account will reflect your correct employer information.
Please note that if you change ASRS employers at any point, or if you’re returning to work for an ASRS employer after you’ve previously forfeited/refunded service, you’ll need to go through this enrollment process again with the new employer’s enrollment code.
Why is any of this important?
For starters, there are security reasons: once registered, you’ll be notified via email anytime someone logs into your account. If you’re not properly enrolled and registered with the ASRS, we’ll have no way of getting ahold of you about your account should the need arise. Being fully enrolled allows you to associate a beneficiary with your account, run retirement estimates, and even submit your retirement application when you're ready. Lastly, because the ASRS collects important demographic information during enrollment, your pension benefit payments may be delayed to you or your beneficiary if the enrollment process is not completed.
To get started, just visit your secure myASRS account!
by Nathaniel Brengle, Strategic Communications