Our First 100% Online Conference is About to Start!

While our 2020 Employer Conference is right around the corner, this year will look a bit different! To ensure the safety of all our attendees and staff, this year’s conference sessions will be held entirely online.

Conference sessions will begin September 1 and will continue on select dates throughout September. Each date, there will be two time-slots available: 9 AM and 1 PM. Some sessions have already filled up, so make sure you register before it’s too late! Registration is required for each individual attendee. To register, log into your secure employer account and click on the Employer Meeting Registration link from the left side menu.

If you’ve never attended one of our conference webinars previously, know that these are not just pre-recorded sessions! Our staff will be presenting information live, and you will have an opportunity to ask questions. This year’s conference will consist of a review of legislation/rules and new information.

Your ASRS Employer Relations team is working hard to ensure that this year’s online conference runs smoother than ever, and we look forward to your participation. Annual attendance at the Employer Conference training is required by state statute for all ASRS employers (A.R.S. § 38-716).

Employee Vacancies to Fill?

A reminder about ACR & hiring ASRS retirees.

Are you an employer who has vacancies to fill? While the answer could be to hire retired ASRS members, do not forget that an Alternate Contribution Rate (ACR) is required should you choose to do so.

All ASRS employers are required to pay an ACR for all retired ASRS members who return to work in any capacity, are not actively contributing, and in any position that is similar in duties and responsibilities to that of a position ordinarily filled by an employee.

When an ASRS retiree returns to work for an ASRS employer and meets active membership criteria, then active contributions must begin and the member’s pension is suspended. At that point, the member will not receive a pension benefit until they either terminate employment or reduce their hours and re-retire.

However, there is an exception to this rule. Under very specific conditions, an ASRS retiree can qualify to remain retired while working for an ASRS employer.

Finish reading about rules around hiring ASRS retirees >>

Correcting Social Security Numbers

In an effort to ensure all member’s accounts are correct, it is imperative that all data provided to the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) is correct. If an incorrect Social Security number (SSN) is reported to the ASRS, the member ends up with two ASRS accounts - one account associated with the correct SSN and one account associated with the incorrect SSN. The employer is responsible for advising the ASRS of errors. This will allow the ASRS to merge the member’s accounts under one SSN.

What is ASRS Membership?

ASRS Membership is determined by Arizona Revised Statute A.R.S § 38-711(23)(b). You may have heard or seen it referred to as the: “20/20 criteria”

"Member" means all employees of an employer who are eligible for membership pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-727 and who are engaged to work at least twenty weeks in each fiscal year and at least twenty hours each week.

If an employee is hired to work twenty weeks in a fiscal year at 20 or more hours per week they must begin contributing to the ASRS on day one. (State employers – Please assess whether the waiting period applies and once an employee meets membership edibility, contributions can begin.)

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

3300 N Central Ave
Phoenix, AZ | 85012 US

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.