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The ASRS Employer Reference Materials webpage should be a go-to resource for all our ASRS employer partners. It puts all our manuals and guides in one place, has the handouts for recent Basics or Employer Conference sessions, and links to previous editions of this employer newsletter. Additionally, below are links and explanations of other important employer resources and webpages that provide helpful information.

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.

It’s almost that time of year for ASRS employers to attend the ASRS Annual Employer Conference. Registration will open in August for multiple conference dates in September and October. As an ASRS employer, it is your responsibility to attend the annual ASRS Employer Conference, as required by Arizona Revised Statute 38-716. 

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.”

On July 1, the ASRS will begin a new fiscal year – FY 2024-25.

Starting July 1, 2024, the new total contribution rate will be 12.27%, a slight decrease from fiscal year 2024 of 12.29%.

When an ASRS member applies for retirement or a refund of contributions, the ASRS may be required to request an Ending Payroll Verification Form (EPV) from our employer partners to where the member has made contributions. 

For retiring members, the ASRS will generate an EPV request to all employer partners that remitted contributions within the last 36 months. For refunding members, the EPV is generated for all employer partners that remitted contributions within the last 6 months.