Confirming Submission of Contribution Reports

Employers are busy. Sometimes it's hard to remember if you submitted your contribution report – or maybe you submitted the report but didn't have time to schedule the ACH payment until later. Did you know you can easily check ECS to confirm you submitted the report and you can easily access the payments screen – all without submitting another report?

When an employer submits a duplicate report it can cause unintended consequences, such as overpayment of employee and employer contributions or additional contributions reported for an employee.

To confirm you have submitted the report:

  • Log into ECS and click Online Reports
  • Select the View Reports tab on the top right-hand side of the screen
  • Click Submitted Report List
    • Reports are listed in date order, with the most current report listed at the top
    • Select Employer Code to view submitted report
  • Or select Message Center

To schedule payment for a report submitted previously:

  • Log into ECS and click Online Payments
  • Select Payment Remittance Advices
  • Schedule payment

Annual Statements

The 2017 Personal Statements of Estimated Benefits have a new feature this year which shows members not only the estimated dollar amount, but also the percentage of their estimated final average salary they will receive if they choose to retire with a reduced or unreduced benefit, or if they continue working a few years longer until ages 65 and 67.

OPERS began mailing annual statements in late March and will continue through April. Remember, statements are batched by ZIP codes and mailed to home addresses on a staggered schedule. However, members don't have to wait to receive a printed copy; they can view their 2017 annual statement online now by logging into their online account and selecting the Documents tab.

Members may notice that their total contributions in 2017 may not be the same as the amount found on their W-2 form. There are two potential reasons for this difference. First, statements reflect the salary amount earned in 2017, while the W-2 reflects the amount paid in a given year. Second, their W-2 may include pay that is not subject to OPERS contributions.

Don't forget to check out the online companion tool on opers.org, which provides definitions and links to additional information on each section of the annual statement.

2018 Employer Webinars

OPERS offers a number of live, interactive webinars tailored specifically to employers.

Membership Overview for Employers – Employers have their employees' best interests at heart. However, a creative approach to defining OPERS membership can put employers at risk for penalties and interest. This one-hour seminar reviews who qualifies for OPERS status (and therefore must pay retirement contributions).

  • July 19 – 10 a.m.

Pick-up Plans – It is possible for employers to defer taxes on employees' retirement contributions. This is known as employer pick-up. Internal Revenue Code Section 414(h)(2) allows employers to make contributions to a qualified pension plan on a tax-deferred basis. Taxes are deferred until an employee receives the contributions as a refund or as retirement benefits. Learn the difference between the two types of pick-up plans, the requirements for a plan and how to implement a pick-up plan.

  • May 10 – 1 p.m.
  • Sept. 26 – 10 a.m.

Earnable Salary – What is included in earnable salary and what is not? Not knowing can put employers at risk for penalties and interest. This webinar covers which payments qualify as earnable salary (and therefore must be reported to OPERS).

  • April 18 – 10 a.m.
  • May 30 – 1 p.m.
  • Oct. 23 – 10 a.m.

Non-Contributing Lists – While the non-contributing list is not new and has always been required, Senate Bill 343 added to the required non-contributing information a listing to include all independent contractors or any other classification besides employee who provided services in the previous calendar year to be included on the non-contributing list. Learn the exact requirements for properly submitting your annual non-contributing list to OPERS.

  • Nov. 13 – 1 p.m.
  • Dec. 11 – 10 a.m.

Early Retirement Incentive Plans – The level of details involved with processing early retirement incentives are compounded by changes required by the 2013 pension law changes. This webinar will walk employers through the process and rationale for the changes.

  • June 20 – 10 a.m.

Requirements for Annual Conversion Plans – Eliminate confusion regarding conversion plans and retirement contribution reporting. This webinar provides all the information necessary to ensure compliance on your conversion plan.

  • Dec. 6 – 10 a.m.

OPERS also offers three, one-hour training sessions that can be used toward completing the education requirement of the Fiscal Integrity Act. If you attend one of the following webinars, you can self-report your attendance using the Auditor of State's Training Portal.

Visit the Employer Educational Opportunities page of opers.org for the full webinar schedule and to view recorded presentations.

Reporting Seasonal or Intermittent Employees

Summer is right around the corner and with it comes an influx of seasonal or intermittent hires. Below are a few things to keep in mind when reporting seasonal hires.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Employers are required to ensure withholding and remitting retirement contributions are processed accurately.
  • Consider seasonal employees just like any new employee—this means you'll need to:
    • Complete and submit the Personal History Record (Form A) within 30 days of the employee's first day worked for which retirement contributions are withheld.
    • If the seasonal employee is a re-employed retiree you will need to complete the Notice of Re-employment or Contract Services of an OPERS or Other System Benefit Recipient (SR-6) form.
  • If a seasonal employee is returning, a new Form A does not need to be completed if the employee is returning within a year.
  • Report both new and returning employees with a Pay Period Begin (PPB) code of S for seasonal/intermittent for the Contributions Report on which the employee is listed.

When the employee terminates for the season:

  • Report final contributions with a Pay Period End (PPE) code of Q (quit).
  • If the employee will be returning next year, or intermittently, and you consider them still to be working for you, report the final contribution code the same as the PPB code—S.
  • It is especially important to remit the proper PPE code for re-employed retirees as there may be a direct impact on the retiree's ability to receive an HRA allowance.

GASB 68 and new GASB 75 Information: Coming to ECS in June

The GASB 68 pension and new GASB 75 health care, or OPEB, information will be available on ECS in June 2018. If you're an employer who has registered for ECS and has been given the GASB role by the delegated administrator at your place of employment, you will be able to access the Dec. 31, 2017 information on the net pension liability, the new net OPEB liability and related activity. While OPERS is not required to provide this information, we continue to understand the importance of partnering with employers, providing the information, and assisting them in complying with these complex accounting standards.

OPERS recently released new information on the new reporting rules for employers under GASB 75 in an OPERS briefing. The briefing is intended to help employers explain to stakeholders the key issues around the new requirements.

If you have trouble accessing the information, contact Employer Services for assistance at 1-888-400-0965 or employeroutreach@opers.org.

2018 Data Validations beginning Soon

The OPERS-covered employers that have been selected for the 2018 Employer Census Data Validation program will receive their data validation packets near the end of March and onsite reviews will begin in late May.

The Employer Census Data Validation program was developed in conjunction with OPERS external auditors with the goal of ensuring that employee information OPERS receives from employers is accurate. In 2015, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants began requiring additional validation of data received by retirement systems from employers. These required procedures, whether performed by OPERS or our external auditors, support the external audit opinions over the pension and OPEB reports published for employers, mentioned in the previous section. Without these procedures, audited reports may not be available for employers to comply with GASB 68 and 75. This employee data provides the foundation for the annual actuarial valuations which is the key element in determining the pension and health care, or OPEB, liabilities.

The Employer Census Data Validation program is beneficial as it may eliminate the need for OPERS' external auditors, via the Auditor of State's office, to perform additional procedures over this data. Data validation will also help employers identify non-compliance with earnable salary, membership eligibility and re-employment for OPERS retirees. This program and the procedures performed by auditors are key for employers to receive the information needed to comply with these complex accounting standards. We appreciate all of the cooperation we have received from employers since we launched the program.

OPERS Offering Financial Wellness Education for Members

Beginning in May, OPERS will be hosting a hands-on workshop called, "Bridging the Gap to Financial Wellness." During this workshop, OPERS educators will help members assess their financial wellness, review current spending habits and estimate retirement income so they can identify the "gap" between what they will have in retirement and what they will need. This is the first workshop in a series of workshops that will offer real life training designed to help members gain a better understanding of their personal finances and make sound financial decisions that can lead to a more secure retirement.

The complete seminar schedule can be found on the Educational Opportunities page of opers.org.

Legislative Update

The Ohio General Assembly has been faced with a number of important issues so far in 2018. Recently, the state legislature agreed on a bi-partisan plan to reform the process for drawing congressional districts that will be put before voters during the upcoming May 8 primary election. They have now begun work on a biennial capital budget bill that will fund many public construction projects around the state. House and Senate leadership also recently announced major legislation to restructure the public education system and the departments that oversee it.

The OPERS Government Relations staff is also monitoring OPERS-related bills that have been introduced this year. House Bill 486, introduced by Rep. Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood), would add Emergency Medical Service workers to the OPERS public safety division. EMS workers employed by OPERS-covered employers are currently in the general division. We have discussed the proposed legislation with the sponsor and interested parties and have expressed our concerns, particularly about the impact H.B. 486, as written, would have on OPERS' unfunded liability. OPERS will continue to monitor H.B. 486 and advocate for the General Assembly to address these issues in a broader context.

Visit the Government Relations section of opers.org for additional information on other legislative issues we are tracking at the state and federal level.

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It is your responsibility to be certain that OPERS has your current physical and e-mail address on file. If OPERS is not made aware of address changes, we cannot guarantee that you will receive important information pertaining to your OPERS account. This publication is written in plain language for use by public employers who are subject to coverage under the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System. It is not intended as a substitute for the federal or state law, namely the Ohio Revised Code, the Ohio Administrative Code, or the Internal Revenue Code, nor will its interpretation prevail should a conflict arise between it and the Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Administrative Code, or Internal Revenue Code. Rules governing the retirement system are subject to change periodically either by statute of the Ohio General Assembly, regulation of the Ohio Public Employees Retirement Board, or regulation of the Internal Revenue Code. If you have questions about this material, please contact our office or seek legal advice from your attorney. OPERS is not required to provide health care coverage to retirees or their dependents and will only do so at the discretion of the Board of Trustees.