STRS Ohio Update for Reporting Employers
STRS Ohio Employer News
STRS Ohio Is Your Trusted Source for News and Information
With much information about STRS Ohio circulating on social media, the Internet and email, it’s important for employers and members to know where to find the facts.
Sadly, much of the information being shared by sources other than STRS Ohio has been incomplete or incorrect. This is why it’s best to rely on STRS Ohio as your main source for accurate news and information.
Find the facts. For reliable information, visit the Newsroom and The Real Story sections of the STRS Ohio member website. Members should also check their email for STRS Ohio news.
STRS Ohio recently launched The Real Story, that features the facts about the retirement system. You can view the series in the Newsroom section of the member website. Members will also receive an email when new segments of The Real Story are released.
Employer Survey Shows High Satisfaction Scores
Employer representatives were recently asked to share their impressions of the STRS Ohio Employer Reporting Department’s customer service and online resources.
For overall Employer Reporting Department customer service, 97% of respondents indicated they were extremely or somewhat satisfied, with 88% being extremely satisfied. The previous survey conducted in 2018 showed 98% extremely or somewhat satisfied, with 77% extremely satisfied.
Specific services and resources were also surveyed, showing consistent increases in the extremely satisfied category. More than 96% of respondents who use our employer website found it extremely or somewhat easy to find the information they were looking for, with 45% finding it extremely easy. This compares to the previous survey, with 92% extremely or somewhat easy and 26% extremely easy.
Thank you to all employer representatives who took the time to respond to our survey. We value your feedback!
Incomplete Contracts Can Affect Final Average Salary
We are sometimes asked, “Does it matter if a retiring member doesn’t plan to work through the last day of his or her contract?”
Yes, not completing the contract can affect a retiring member’s final average salary (FAS). While it may not seem like missing a day or two would decrease a member’s monthly benefit payment, it can because it results in the member not earning the full contract amount. Earning less than the full contract amount alters the FAS calculation slightly, but it may be more than expected.
If you are aware of a member who doesn’t plan on working through the last day of his or her contract, please tell the member to call STRS Ohio’s Member Services Center toll-free at 888‑227‑7877 to discuss their plans with a benefits counselor before retirement.
Current Obligations Now Listed on ESS Home Page
When logging in to ESS, you will now see a list of current obligations on the home page. The obligations listed may include payroll contributions due, any penalties and interest, payments received that are not yet applied and more.
These transactions are shown in real time and are updated throughout the day as payments are received and new transactions are created. The addition of this list on the ESS home page offers employers a quick glance at any open transactions.
A monthly Statement of Open Transactions will still be sent to employers with outstanding payments and/or credits on record with STRS Ohio at the point in time the statement was generated. These statements are generated only if there are open transactions on your account.
Annual Financial Report and Summary Available
View the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for a detailed look at STRS Ohio’s investment activities, plus financial, actuarial and statistical information for fiscal year 2022 (July 1, 2021–June 30, 2022). You can also call STRS Ohio’s Member Services Center toll-free at 888‑227‑7877 to request a copy.
Also see the Summary Annual Financial Report for a reader-friendly look at STRS Ohio’s most recent fiscal year including investment, financial, funding and economic impact information.
Administrative Code Rule Updates
The following Administrative Code Rules have been amended during the past 12 months. You can view all Administrative Code Rules in the Publications section of the employer website.
Effective May 4, 2023
3307-3-03 Contributions
3307-3-05 Employer penalties and interest
3307-4-01 Membership and contribution
3307-8-01 Payments of benefits
3307-10-01 Faculty practice plan
3307:1-11-03 Health care services – medical plan
Effective Jan. 1, 2023
3307:1-11-05 Health care services - Medicare Part B reimbursement
Effective July 7, 2022
3307:1-4-01 Compensation includible in the determination of final average salary
Reporting Requirements
Annual Reports Due Aug. 4
Key Reminders
- Your report is due to STRS Ohio by Aug. 4, 2023.
- Reports must be submitted electronically via ESS or secure file upload.
- If you use ESS, your report will be available on July 1.
- If you use secure file upload, submit a text file (.txt) formatted as described in the Annual Reporting Record Layout.
What You Need to Know
- No extensions will be granted to the deadline, so please plan to have staff available to complete the report or coordinate its submission to STRS Ohio.
- You can access annual reporting instructions and other helpful resources on our website beginning June 1. We will also offer these live webinars in June to assist you: Employer Basics 101: Annual Reporting and Annual Reporting for ESS Users. You will receive an email when registration begins.
- Use only one method to submit your report (ESS or secure file upload). If you want to change the method, please contact your annual reporting representative before submitting your report.
- You may be asked to verify service credit and/or accrued contributions for members after your annual report has been processed. If verification is required, you will be notified when service credit verification and accrued verification reports are available for completion in ESS. View the online tutorials showing you how to complete these reports.
Thank you for your efforts to complete the required annual reporting processes on time. This information is necessary to update member accounts and prepare actuarial information. If you have questions about annual reporting, please contact your employer advisor.
ESS Payroll Reporting for New Fiscal Year
Employers submitting payroll reports in ESS may encounter error messages for the first payroll of the new fiscal year. After closing out your 2022–2023 reporting in June, your first payroll of the 2023–2024 fiscal year will likely be on or around July 7 for biweekly reporters.
When you create your first payroll report of the new fiscal year, you will need to adjust the start and stop date on the newly created file. The start date will need to be changed to “07/01/2023” and the stop date will need to be changed to the correct payroll date.
These date adjustments are only needed on the first payroll of each fiscal year. All future payrolls will populate correctly based on the pay date calendar you provide to STRS Ohio. Employers submitting payroll files by secure file upload or methods other than ESS will not encounter this error.
For further assistance, call us toll-free at 888‑535‑4050 and ask for your STRS Ohio payroll representative.
It’s Time to Review Your Pickup Plans
Are your employer pickup plans up to date? To find out, please review your plans in ESS by clicking on “Pickup Plan Information” in the Additional Tools menu.
We need current pickup plan documentation on file. The plans for each employee group should list the current member contribution rate of 14%. If not, please update them and submit a Notification for Employer Pickup of Employee Contributions form along with a certified copy of the applicable school board resolution or action. This resolution must include the rate of pickup, plan type, member groups covered by the plan and effective date. View a sample board resolution.
Employers must notify STRS Ohio anytime a pickup plan is adopted or modified. If you previously updated a plan but did not notify STRS Ohio, please submit the required form and board resolution. If STRS Ohio does not have updated documentation on file, we may contact you to request the information.
For additional information, visit the Employer Pickup section of our website. If you have specific questions about your pickup plans, call us toll-free at 888‑535‑4050 or email [email protected].
Have You Sent Us Your Salary Schedules?
If you haven’t already done so, please submit your salary schedules for the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 fiscal years as soon as possible.
Why does STRS Ohio need salary schedules?
This information is necessary for STRS Ohio to accurately determine retirement benefits, specifically if a member’s final average salary is limited by Ohio law. When processing retirement reports, STRS Ohio may need to contact you to collect any unreported salary schedules. Depending on the fiscal year in need, this information may be difficult for you to locate. Providing salary schedules now will ensure we have the necessary information to process future retirements.
What if salary schedules are not used?
If teacher salary schedules are not used, please provide the average salary increase applicable to all STRS Ohio contributing members for each of the requested fiscal years. If your school was on a salary freeze, please notify STRS Ohio that the salary schedule was frozen for the appropriate fiscal year.
Pay Date Calendars Due June 2
Each spring STRS Ohio asks employers to send their pay dates for the upcoming fiscal year. This allows us to alert you when we haven’t received an expected payroll report.
Pay date calendars, which are due by June 2, must be submitted in ESS. You can access your calendar by logging in to ESS and clicking on "Pay Date Calendar" in the Additional Tools menu or Outstanding Reports section.
For step-by-step instructions on completing your calendar, see the ESS Instructions or view a brief three-minute tutorial.
Compensation Limits Set for 2023–2024
The Internal Revenue Service places annual limits on the amount of compensation on which contributions can be remitted for STRS Ohio members. Any payment to a member that exceeds the compensation limit is excluded from compensation for retirement purposes. The 2023–2024 compensation limits for Defined Benefit and Combined Plan members are:
- $330,000 for new members on or after July 1, 1996, and
- $490,000 for members before July 1, 1996.
The IRS has not yet released 2023–2024 limits for Defined Contribution Plan members. (The current amount is $263,053.) View a complete list of annual compensation limits.
Compensation limits are presented for your information only. STRS Ohio does not require you to track the retirement plans your employees participate in. We will monitor contributions and compensation for each STRS Ohio member and notify you if contributions reported are within $2,500 of the limit or exceed the maximum contributions allowed by the IRS. If limits are exceeded, we will refund excess contributions and ask you to stop submitting contributions for affected members through the end of the fiscal year.
Employer Education
Upcoming Education Opportunities
STRS Ohio offers live webinars, workshops and training sessions to help you meet STRS Ohio reporting requirements. You will receive an email from STRS Ohio when registration is available.
A selection of upcoming webinars is listed below. View the Calendar of Events for a complete list of programs. You can also access our collection of ESS tutorials and recorded webinars for additional training.
Employer Basics 101: Calculating Service Credit Using Days
May 24, 10 a.m.
This webinar will explain the impact of correct service credit calculation and demonstrate how to use the “days method.” We will provide examples and help you locate the web resources available as you calculate service credit for active STRS Ohio members. We will also explain the service credit calculation for part-time employees. Registration begins May 15.
Employer Basics 101: Account Withdrawal
June 1, 10 a.m.
Inactive STRS Ohio members and reemployed retirees may choose to withdraw their accounts. What is the employer’s responsibility when this occurs? Attend this webinar to learn the basics of STRS Ohio account withdrawal and how to complete the required forms. Registration began May 25.
Employer Basics 101: Annual Reporting
June 6 and June 14, 10 a.m.
Join us to get all the information you need to prepare and submit your annual report. During this webinar we will offer helpful tips to resolve issues you may encounter when your annual report doesn’t balance and discuss what to expect after your annual report has been submitted. Registration begins May 25.
Annual Reporting for ESS Users
June 22, 10 a.m.
Join us for detailed information on submitting your annual report using Employer Self Service (ESS). During this webinar we will provide ESS tips for calculating your annual report, tools to use in ESS and processing and submitting the annual report. This webinar is designed to help those employers who process annual reports using ESS only. Registration begins June 12.
Quarterly Coffee Break
June 28, 10 a.m.
We understand your time is valuable. Attend a short webinar break to catch up on current STRS Ohio employer news. Coffee Break webinars are designed to share information you need to know when you need to know it. These 15–20 minute webinars are presented quarterly and include an opportunity for you to ask questions. Registration begins June 20.
What’s Ahead
View a complete list of annual processes and due dates.
June 1
Annual reporting resources are available on our website.
June 2
Pay date calendars are due.
July 1
- 2023–2024 fiscal year begins.
- Annual reports are available in ESS.
Aug. 4
Annual reports are due.
Aug. 24
Service credit verification reports are due.
Sept. 29
Accrued verification reports are due.