employer news

Legislation that passed in 2011 under Senate Bill 1609 authorized the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) to implement an Alternate Contribution Rate (ACR) for employers that hire ASRS retirees who return to work. 

If you are having trouble finding the answer to that unique scenario that seems to defy logic, you're not alone! Every day our employer relations team reviews questions from hundreds of employers. While there are a few mysteries that only our Employer Quality Analysts can solve, there are many questions whose answers are easily found in resources available on our Employer Reference Materials page. 

Mistakes can happen to anyone, and entering the incorrect Pay Period Ending (PPE) date in your Contribution Reporting Summary (CSR) is one of the most common errors we receive inquiries about. Fortunately, correcting these errors is pretty simple:

Are you receiving checks from ASRS for Health Insurance Premium Benefits or Excess Benefits? Did you know you can receive payments five to ten days faster and more securely by taking advantage of direct deposit?

Employers are strongly encouraged to begin this process by completing the Employer/Vendor ACH Direct Deposit form and returning it via secure message (This form is available in your secure employer myASRS account on the Forms & Packets page.)

Occasionally, you will find a pending enrollment for an employee who is no longer employed by your organization. You may be wondering, “What do I do with this enrollment?” If the employee did work for you in a position that met membership criteria and contributions were reported or will be reported, please submit the enrollment. 

The Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) provides a health insurance premium benefit to qualified retirees and employees who receive a long-term disability (LTD) income benefit. In order to ensure your retirees and LTD recipients who elect health insurance receive the correct premium benefit subsidy, the ASRS annually requests that employers provide their updated Health Insurance Plans and Premiums for the following benefit year. 

Internal Revenue Code (IRC) section 401(a)17 is a limit on 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 actual maximum differs depending on the member’s enrollment date.

Do you have an employee who you submitted a long term disability (LTD) claim packet for, or an employee that is currently on LTD? If you answered yes to either of these questions, please note the following:

The Employer Administrator is responsible for authorizing access to the applications available on the ASRS secure employer website for registered employer users.

Each employer must certify the amount of member and employer contributions on each payroll and submit that amount to the ASRS on a due date prescribed by the ASRS Board of Trustees. (A.R.S. § 38-735)