Paying Contributions

Member contributions are paid by employers directly to STRS Ohio no later than five business days after the pay date.

Depending on the school type, employer contributions may be paid directly to STRS Ohio or deducted from state foundation payments.

• Direct payment — County boards of education, county boards of developmental disabilities, technical schools, colleges, universities and other public agencies pay their employer contributions directly to STRS Ohio. Contributions are due no later than five business days after each payroll date. Please note that any employer whose contributions are normally deducted from state foundation payments may choose to supplement its contributions by making payments directly to STRS Ohio.
• State foundation payment — City, local (except county offices), exempted village and community schools generally have their employer contribution deducted from allocated state foundation funds on a fiscal-year basis. Each June, STRS Ohio must certify to the Ohio Department of Education the amount to be deducted for each participating school district. To calculate the upcoming fiscal-year contributions, each qualifying district must submit an estimated annual payroll to STRS Ohio in April. View instructions for completing this estimate in ESS.

Member contributions and employer contributions not paid through the state foundation program are due to STRS Ohio no later than five business days after each pay date. Please use one of the following methods to remit payments.

Preferred Method — Direct Debit

The preferred method to remit contribution payments is direct debit in ESS. To submit a direct debit payment, log in to ESS and click on “Make a Payment” in the banner menu at the top of the home page.

The following resources can assist you with the direct debit process:

• ESS Instructions for direct debit payments
• Tutorial on setting up a direct debit account
• Tutorial on making direct debit payments
• Direct Debit Payments Fact Sheet

ACH Credit or Wire Transfer

While STRS Ohio encourages the use of direct debit, employers can also submit payment through ACH credit or wire transfer. Remember, STRS Ohio must receive payment no later than five business days after each pay date.

To submit a payment through ACH credit or wire transfer:

1. Contact your bank to initiate payment.
2. Provide your bank with the STRS Ohio bank routing number (042000314) and the bank account number (71570166). STRS Ohio uses Fifth Third Bank in Cincinnati. Be sure to include XX followed by your four-digit STRS Ohio employer number in the description line of the transaction.
3. Submit an online payment remittance.