August/September 2026 Reporting Tips

Let Us Know: Are You Interested in an Employer Reporting Conference?

Our ability to provide accurate and timely information to our members begins with you. To further support your work as an employer reporting partner, we are considering hosting our first-ever Employer Reporting Conference.

This event would tentatively be held at the System headquarters in Albany in the spring of 2027. The conference would feature presentations on reporting-related topics and provide the opportunity to meet the NYSTRS team members that you work closely with throughout the year.

To help us plan our next steps, we are requesting feedback at the survey link below.

Provide Feedback on Interest in a 2027 Employer Reporting Conference.

Responses to this survey are not a commitment to attend or not. If a conference is scheduled, registration information and details will be provided in the future.

Register for Our Sept. 15 Webinar on Reporting Holdover and Retro Payments

NYSTRS invites you to our next Employer Reporting Webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026 at 10 a.m. This live 30-minute session, titled “All About Reporting Holdover and Retro Payments,” will cover:

How to define holdover and retroactive payments
How to determine days of service associated with these types of payments
Where to find more information in the Employer Secure Area (ESA)

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.

Updating Employer Contact Information in ESA

The chief school administrator (CSA) or security administrator (SA) can designate a new contact and update most employer contact information directly in the Employer Secure Area (ESA). This replaces the need to submit a District Contact Change (QTR-81) form in most cases. To update the CSA, employers must still submit a District Contact Change (CSA) (QTR-81A) form.

Your district’s security administrator is responsible for granting and maintaining all users for each available function of the ESA. This includes removing rights if an ESA user leaves the district or changes positions.

NYSTRS maintains contact information separate from ESA users for questions, correspondence and billing. The School District Contacts page, found in the ESA under Account Management, lists the names of the contacts from your district that are on file with NYSTRS. For assistance updating employer contact information, call our Employer Reporting unit at 800-348-7298, ext. 6220.

How to Verify or Register New Employees

Before registering new hires with NYSTRS, determine whether the employee is already a member and follow the correct procedures based on their membership status.

To verify membership status:

Log in to the Employer Secure Area (ESA).
Go to the Verification page under the Membership menu.
If the employee is already a NYSTRS member, you will see their date of membership and EmplID.

If the employee is not a member:

Have them complete an Application for Membership (NET-2) and return it to you.
Once you receive the completed NET-2, register them as a member in the ESA.
Enter their expected earnings to establish the correct member contribution rate.
Mail the completed NET-2 to NYSTRS.

Please note: If an employee’s membership is optional, do not register their membership in the ESA until they have actually rendered service.

For more guidance:

See Section 1: Membership in the Employer Manual.
Visit the Employer Resources page to download and share the handout for mandatory NYSTRS members and the handout for optional NYSTRS members.

Reminder: Update Entry-Level Salary for Stipend-Based Service

If you are using the lowest entry-level teacher salary to calculate service days for members being paid by stipend, remember to update the data in your system when the entry-level teacher salary increases.

Complete Year-End Exception Reports (YEERs)

Year-end exception reports (YEERs) are currently available in the Employer Secure Area (ESA). Please complete your district’s YEER at your earliest convenience.

Detailed instructions for reviewing and completing your YEER can be found in Section 6 of the Employer Manual and our desk aid, Year-End Exception Report (YEER)/Certification Report Procedures in the Employer Secure Area.

Special Delegate Election Underway

NYSTRS is currently administering a special delegate election to fill open delegate and alternate seats. This election ensures that employers with open delegate slots 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 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 special election period is open March 1 through Oct. 1, 2026.

The chief school administrator (CSA) or their designee is responsible for establishing election procedures, conducting the election, and reporting results to NYSTRS.

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

To determine whether your district has vacancies, review the 2025-2027 Delegates list. It 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.

More than 300 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 Employers/Delegate Election & Annual Meeting page and in Section 6: The Employer Secure Area (ESA) of the Employer Manual.