Here's What's New!

When it comes to the security of your Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) Employer Secure Account, one of the most important guidelines to follow is to never allow the sharing of login credentials. Sharing account access can lead to numerous unwanted security breaches from someone gaining access to information they should not see to one user making changes that are recorded under another user’s name. If ASRS identifies shared credentials, we will deactivate employer account access and require new user accounts to be created.

Two of the most popular retirement dates are July 1 and January 1, and both of these dates begin a busy retirement season filled with questions from retirees and employers. Many of these questions revolve around returning to work post-retirement and the ASRS Working After Retirement online smart form, also known as the Return to Work (RTW) form. As we approach the next retirement season, we want to revisit some frequently asked questions from employers and address some of the scenarios that can cause confusion when hiring retirees.

Now that the Live Chat feature has been in place for nearly a year, here are some helpful tips and reminders to make these chat interactions more beneficial to you.

Understanding the rules around hiring an ASRS retiree is important. While it is the member’s responsibility to ensure compliance with the ASRS Return to Work rules and statutes, it is also the employer’s responsibility to help ensure compliance. Failure to do so can result in suspension of benefits and repayment of unlawfully paid benefits. Employers should check the retirement status of all their new hires using the Check Member Eligibility Tool.

As an ASRS employer, it is your responsibility to attend the annual ASRS Employer Conference as required by statute. The conference is different from the quarterly ASRS Basics for Employers, which is a deep, detailed dive into processes and procedures targeted toward new employer users.

Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 401(a)17 limits compensation beyond which no further retirement contributions may be deducted from an employee’s earnable salary for a given year. This limit applies to all ASRS members, but the maximum of the limit differs depending on the member’s enrollment date.

If you are having issues accessing your account, your first step is to click the “Having Trouble Logging In” link located on the myASRS secure account login page. From there, you will go through the process of resetting your password.

To update your password successfully:

One of the many questions we receive at the ASRS is: “How does my account balance determine my monthly benefit?”

The short answer is that your ASRS account balance is not related to the amount of your future monthly retirement benefit. Your ASRS retirement benefit is calculated using your years of service and your average monthly salary, with a “graded multiplier” added that increases with your years of service. (You can read a more in-depth explanation of that formula here.)

If you have a quick question about a new employee’s eligibility, how to complete an Ending Payroll Verification (EPV) form, apply a credit, pay a late fee, or update an employer web user’s role, you now have a new way to contact the ASRS! When you log into your ASRS Employer Secure Account, you may have noticed a blue button in the upper right-hand corner of your home page that says “Live Chat.”