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NYSTRS members work for more than 800 school districts, colleges,
charter schools and BOCES. Employers play a critical role with the Retirement System and its members. The accuracy and timeliness of the salary, service and other pertinent information you provide each month is critical to our function.
Another important role employers have is the electing and reporting of delegates. Each NYSTRS participating employer is entitled to representation at the System's Annual Delegates Meeting. By law, each chief school administrator or his/her designee is responsible for overseeing the election of delegates and reporting them to the System. (In many cases, the administrator assigns the tasks to another party, such as the local bargaining unit.)
It is important for election results to be reported by the appropriate deadline.
To learn more about delegate responsibilities and the election process read these frequently asked questions.
Quickly navigate this page by selecting from the links below.
You can also visit our Headlines page
for the latest System news and the Legislation page for legislative changes
impacting member benefits.
Administrative
Bulletins
NYSTRS issues periodic Administrative Bulletins to our employers
to address timely issues, clarify System policies and announce
new services. You can access recent bulletins through the links
below.
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Employer Manual
Employers have an essential role in helping NYSTRS serve our membership. Thank you for your diligent efforts in carrying out these important tasks, which include the following:
- Enrolling all full-time contractual teachers in NYSTRS;
- Notifying (in writing) part-time teachers who are not already NYSTRS members of their right to join;
- Making deductions from teacher salaries and reporting member employment, salary and contributions on a monthly basis;
- Approving or denying repayment of member loans by payroll deduction;
- Validating service credit and salary for members;
- Informing NYSTRS of the death of active members;
- Understanding the rules governing the employment of retired public employees and, as applicable, obtaining the required approval for such employment; and,
- Distributing NYSTRS materials to staff.
We provide each employer with a comprehensive Employer Manual that serves as a primary resource for meeting these responsibilities. Please make this publication readily accessible to staff who communicate with NYSTRS on matters such as the employer reporting process, registration of new members and service credit adjustments.
The Employer Manual covers the following topics:
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Employer Reporting Interface
NYSTRS’ employer reporting interface is designed to help employers reduce record checking and correspondence with the System that is required when your employees retire. The format, implemented in July 2005, requires reporting:
- Directly from your payroll system on a monthly basis;
- Service days worked; and,
- Salary paid in specific categories.
Refer to Sec. 5: Employer Reporting Interface of the Employer Manual for an overview of the reporting system and instructions. Additional details can be found in our Reporting of Earnings FAQs.
NYSTRS continues to work on improvements that will further expedite report processing. The Employer Manual (above) is also routinely updated to provide you with the most-recent employer information.
If you have any questions, please call the System at (800) 356-3128, Ext. 6220.
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Employer Contribution Rate
The required employer contribution rate (ECR) is determined annually through an actuarial valuation of NYSTRS' assets and liabilities. The 2006-07 rate of 8.60%, which was applied to the 2006-07 NYSTRS member payroll, will be collected during the 2007-08 school year.
At its July 2007 meeting, the Retirement Board formally adopted an ECR of 8.73%. This rate will be applied to the 2007-08 member payroll and will be paid during the 2008-09 school year.
By way of comparison, if employers were required to contribute the actual cost of enrolling new members in NYSTRS, the rate would be approximately 12% of pay. However, due to the many years of excellent performance by NYSTRS' investments, the ECR has not been as high as 12% in 20 years. Participating employers have saved nearly $20 billion in employer contributions over this period, plus any accumulated interest on those savings.
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Forms
Listed below are the forms most commonly requested by NYSTRS employers.
Select and print them as needed.
Don't see what you're looking for? Our Forms
page contains the forms most commonly requested by our active and
retired members. To request these or other System forms be mailed to you, call us at (800) 348-7298,
Ext. 6220.
Publications
The following publications are valuable resources for employers:
If you are unable to view or print the PDF documents above, you may need to download a free copy of Adobe Reader. To request a copy of the Annual Report or Compilation of Laws Covering NYSTRS be mailed to you, call our Hotline at (800) 782-0289.
Services
Information on NYSTRS benefits is readily available to your employees. Please encourage them to take advantage of the following services.
Consultations
Individual meetings with System information representatives, in person or through computer-based video conferencing, are available at locations throughout the state. Consultation schedules are posted in school buildings and on the Consultations page of our Web site.
Preretirement Planning Seminars
These day-long programs target members age 45 and older who are five to 10 years from retirement. The seminars cover a variety of retirement-related topics. Schedules are posted in school buildings and on the Preretirement Planning Seminars page of our Web site.
Group Benefits Presentations
Upon request, NYSTRS representatives will come to your school and give a tailored benefits presentation to a group of members. Typical topics include new member orientation, mid-career retirement planning, and an overview of System benefits for all tiers. School districts, individual schools, delegates, or groups of members can arrange these presentations by calling (800) 348-7298, Ext. 2914.
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