April 2026 Reporting Tips

Register for Our April 21 Webinar on Tier 6 Member Contributions

NYSTRS invites you to our next Employer Reporting Webinar on Tuesday, April 21 at 10 a.m. This live 30-minute session, titled “All About Tier 6 Member Contributions,” will cover:

How the Tier 6 contribution rate is calculated.
When the contribution rate is updated.
How to find more information in the Employer Secure Area (ESA).

Register for our “All About Tier 6 Member Contributions” webinar. The 2026 Employer Reporting Webinar schedule is available on the Employer Resources page.

NYSTRS also offers customized training webinars tailored to your team’s needs. These sessions provide step-by-step guidance on the reporting process and offer time for questions. If your office has new staff who require training on our reporting requirements – or if current staff need a refresher, contact the Employer Training & Outreach unit at [email protected] to schedule a training session.

Coming Soon: Tier 6 Contribution Rate Updates for 2026-27

While employers are typically notified by April 1 of the Tier 6 variable contribution rate for the following school year, the rates for the upcoming school year (2026-27) were not available on that date.

Although an exact date has yet to be determined, NYSTRS will publish the Tier 6 member contribution rates to the Employer Secure Area (ESA) with adequate time for employers to update contribution rates prior to the start of the 2026-27 school year on July 1, 2026.

NYSTRS is closely monitoring the current New York state budget process to determine whether any provisions of the upcoming budget will impact the calculation of contribution rates. We will share additional information as it becomes available.

Tier 6 Contribution Rates: Things to Keep in Mind

Employers must report their projected annual salaries for Tier 6 members with less than three years of membership. NYSTRS will then determine the contribution rate.
From their fourth year of service onward, the contribution rates for Tier 6 members are based on a member’s actual earnings from regular compensation from two years earlier. These contribution rates for those years are calculated using only annual base wages.
To find members requiring projected salary information, check “Tier 6 Action Items” in ESA under Membership.

For more information, consult the Member Contributions page.

Temporary Legislative Change for Determining Contribution Rate

Legislation in 2024 temporarily changed how contribution rates are calculated for Tier 6 members during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. During this period, rates will be determined using only annual base wages. Compensation for extracurricular programs or other pensionable earnings will not be included, as it ordinarily would.

This change is set to expire on June 30, 2026 unless further legislative action is taken. See Administrative Bulletin 2024-7: New Legislation Impacts NYSTRS Members for more details. If this legislation is not extended beyond June 30, employers will return to calculating the contribution rate based on all pensionable earnings.

For more information, including contribution rates by salary, see the Member Contributions page or Section 1 of the Employer Manual. If you have questions, call us at 800-348-7298, ext. 6220.

Filing for Disability Protection with NYSTRS

If a NYSTRS member has been diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition or is undergoing surgery or treatment, they may consider filing an application for disability retirement. Doing so provides a safety net for them and their beneficiaries. Members may refer to our video “Filing for Disability Protection: What You Need to Know” for more information.

To file for protection, a member may use the online disability retirement application in their MyNYSTRS account under the My Retirement tab. This is the fastest way to submit their application.

Alternatively, a member may print and complete the Application for Disability Retirement (RET-54.1) and Medical Information Summary (RET-54.1B) from the Disability Retirement Application Package.

Applications mailed to NYSTRS will be considered filed on the day they are mailed if sent by registered or certified mail via the U.S. Postal Service, or by an equivalent service that provides mail tracking and is listed as a delivery service approved for use by the System.

If a member has a disability or is critically ill, they should promptly call NYSTRS at 800-348-7298, ext. 6010 to discuss filing for disability retirement immediately.

Special Delegate Election Now Underway

A special delegate election is currently underway to fill open delegate and alternate seats. Employers with open delegate slots conduct these elections locally, helping ensure members are represented and that NYSTRS members continue to be supported with local points of contact.

Delegates, elected by peers, serve two key roles: to elect a teacher member to the Retirement Board at the Annual Delegates Meeting, and to serve as a liaison between NYSTRS and the members in their district.

The Chief School Administrator (CSA) or their designee is responsible for establishing election procedures, conducting the election, and reporting results to NYSTRS.

To determine whether your district has vacancies, review the 2025-2027 Delegates list, which shows the number of delegates allotted to each district, current district representatives, and any open delegate/alternate slots. If there is only one candidate for a position, no formal vote is required.

The special election period is March 1 through Oct. 1, 2026. Election results must be reported to NYSTRS via the Employer Secure Area (ESA) by Oct. 6, 2026. Delegates and alternates reported during the special election will serve until the current term ends on July 31, 2027. Newly elected delegates and alternates begin serving as soon as election results are reported.

More than 250 districts currently have eligible vacancies. Only vacancies that are open in both the delegate and corresponding alternate seat may be filled during the special election, though a delegate is not required to run with an alternate.

Additional details, including reporting instructions, are available on the Delegate Election & Annual Meeting page and in Section 6 of the Employer Manual.