Employer

This section contains new publications and forms that are useful to ATRS employers. Please visit this section regularly as new updates will be posted.

ATRS Employer Retirement Planner 2025-2026:

Employer April Retirement Planner-New Chapter, No Grading Required...What employers need to know about Retirement and T-DROP

ATRS Employer Handbook:

Rev. 2023

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Later this week, ATRS will begin mailing 2024 Annual Statements to our Active members and Vested Inactive members. If you are not retired and not in T-DROP, and you earned service credit in the 2023-2024 school year by working for one of our covered employers, you should receive a 2024 Annual Statement in the mail.

Because we have more than 80,000 Statements to send, we will be mailing them in batches over the next several weeks. So, it may be late October before you receive your Statement.

This year’s Annual Statement will look a little different because we have redesigned it to be easier to read and understand. It will be printed in a larger typeface, so if you’re like me and rely on bifocals, you won’t be squinting as much. The new Statement is still one sheet of paper, but there will be information printed on both front and back.

The reason we send a Statement each year is so that you can verify that we correctly recorded all of your wages and service credit for the last school year. It is critically important that you let us know if your Statement does not show your correct service credit and wages.

Every year, we hear from members who are ready to retire, but they have discovered that some of their service was not reported to ATRS. Sometimes these problems can be fixed, but the longer you wait, the more troublesome it can be. When this happens, it can mean a delay before you can retire while we work to resolve the issue. And it can sometimes even result in a reduced retirement benefit. By reviewing your Statement, you can be assured that we have your correct wages and service credit for this most recent school year.

Your Statement will have a section with a heading that begins, “Service Recorded for Fiscal Year Ending.” There you will find the wages and service credit that your employer reported to ATRS for the last year that you worked for that employer. And on the back page, you will find up to 30 years of your ATRS credited service, with the most recent service listed first. Please carefully review the information on both sides of the page. If anything looks to be wrong or missing, please call us at (501) 682-1517 or email us at info@artrs.gov.

A few other things to keep in mind about your Annual Statement:

Video Help: We have produced a video walk-through to help you understand your Annual Statement. When you receive your Statement, use your smartphone to scan the QR code at the top right of the Statement and it will take you to the video.

Beneficiaries: The Statement will list your designated beneficiaries for the lump-sum death benefit as well as for your account residue (residue means any accumulated member contributions remaining at your death that have not been used to pay your retirement benefits). If you need to designate or change a beneficiary, you can do so through the member portal on our website.

To access and log in to the portal, go to this link:

https://www.artrs.gov/login

Or, if you don’t have a portal account yet, you can register for one at this link:

https://www.artrs.gov/registration

Once you are in the member portal, look to the left and click on “Member Portal” and then “Member Data” and you will see the button to designate or change a beneficiary.

Milestones: At the bottom of the first page of your Statement you will see a list of membership milestones. This is a quick indication of the benefits you are eligible for as of June 30, 2024, based on your status and how much credited service you have earned with ATRS.

Timing: You should expect to receive your Annual Statement by the end of October. If you have not received your Statement by November 1, please call us at (501) 682-1517 or email us at info@artrs.gov.

And remember, if you are a retired ATRS member, you will not receive an Annual Statement this fall. Instead, you will receive a Form 1099 early next year showing your benefits received during 2024.

As always, if you ever have a question about your retirement options or need information or advice, please reach out to our counselors by calling (501) 682-1517 or e-mailing info@artrs.gov. And if you have any concerns or questions about the System as a whole, please contact me at the email address or phone numbers below.

Mark White
Executive Director, ATRS
MarkW@artrs.gov
Office: (501) 621-8853
Cell: (501) 541-2057

Working Together to Serve Arkansas' Educators

The ATRS employer community is essential to the operation of the Retirement System. Together, hand-in-hand, we support your employees/our members to ensure that the path from initial membership to retirement is a smooth and beneficial course. ATRS strives to provide the best retirement system supporting the 3 R's for Arkansas Educators - Recruit, Retain, and Reward!

As an ATRS Covered Employer you serve as a liaison between ATRS and our members. ATRS relies on our employers to provide up-to-date and accurate employee information to correctly maintain members' records. Typically, as an ATRS covered employer, you will interact with the ATRS Membership Department and the ATRS Accounting-Reporting Department.

The annual Employer Handbook, with useful information regarding the 2023-2024 ATRS rates, updates to our system, and instructions on various topics, is available for download here: Employer Handbook.

ATRS MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT

The ATRS Membership Department maintains member data including enrollment, personal status such as social security number, name change, address change, beneficiary changes, birth certificates and, membership status (contributory or noncontributory), etc. The Membership Department also conducts Bookkeeper Workshops in order to provide training for ATRS employer designated staff of school districts, higher education facilities, and state agencies who are charged with providing member records to ATRS.

The ATRS Member Information Sheet is the foundation for ATRS member records. Therefore, accurate and up-to-date information from ATRS covered employers is key to maintaining a solid foundation.

ATRS requires employers to submit a Member Information Sheet (School District, Higher Education, State Agency) for new hires and each time a current employee has a change in employment position.

Member Information Sheets are required for ATRS T-DROP members. This enrollment form establishes the ATRS employer for which the ATRS TDROP participant is employed.

Member Information Sheets are not required for ATRS working retirees. Reporting of ATRS working retirees will be submitted on the Working Retiree Monthly Remittance Report (R-1).

Per ACT 607 of 2013, a Post-Secondary Higher Education (PSHE) employer may enroll new employees in ATRS if the employee has been declared benefits-eligible by the PSHE employer. Along with the Membership Data Form - Higher Education, the PSHE employer and new employee should also complete and submit the Post-Secondary Participation Form. Post-Secondary Participation Forms are irrevocable. Future employment with another PSHE participating in ATRS will be governed by the member's election to remain an ATRS member.

ACT 607 of 2013 also states that a PSHE employer may adopt an "opt-in" opportunity that allows ATRS membership for a benefits-eligible employee who was prohibited from becoming a member of ATRS from July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2013, because the benefits-eligible employee was not a vested member of ATRS at the time of initial employment. (Initial employment must have occurred during the time frame of July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2013.)

Act 607 of 2013 also allows new PSHE employees to become ATRS members by providing a special one-time program permitting the purchase of ATRS service. Such service must have been rendered under the employ of an ATRS participating PSHE employer as early as July 1, 2011. This special one-time purchase election must be made between July 1, 2013, and June 30, 2014, and shall be paid in full within one (1) year of the date the benefits-eligible member elects to become a member of ATRS.

The ATRS Membership Department also provides an accurate and quick process for employers to confirm working retiree rehire eligibility and member contribution status through the ATRS Termination and Membership Status Sheet. The use of this form by employers eliminates many issues regarding the improper hire of a retired ATRS member (no termination separation period or a four-month (4) termination separation period before returning to employment with an ATRS covered employer). The ATRS Termination and Membership Status Sheet also ensures that the ATRS member's contribution status is correctly identified thus eliminating underpayments/overpayments of contributions, etc.

Employers have access to a printable version of the ATRS Termination and Membership Status Sheet located in the "Employer Forms" tab. Completed ATRS Termination and Membership Status Sheets received in the ATRS office are processed using a 24-hour turn-around policy. All status sheets must be faxed to 501.682.5308.

ATRS Membership Department Contact Information

Sheila Hilton, Manager
sheilah@artrs.gov
Phone: 501.682.2175 ext.1801

ATRS REPORTING ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

ATRS Covered Employers are responsible for reporting member earnings and service credit and, remitting member and employer contributions to the ATRS Reporting Accounting Department. Information provided by employers determines member's current status, service credit, and creditable earnings that are all used to determine their future retirement benefits. Accuracy in reporting and payment is the key in ATRS' effectiveness in benefit administration.

REPORTING TO ATRS

Contribution Rates

Monthly & Quarterly Reports

Employers are required to complete the ATRS Web Portal, submit detailed supporting documentation, and remit contributions on a monthly and quarterly basis for all Active, T-Drop, and Working Retiree members.

In order to avoid a $150.00 late report penalty and a 8% interest penalty, reports and contributions must be received by ATRS by the 15th calendar day following the end of each month or be postmarked no later than the 14th day of the month due. ATRS may impose an additional $500.00 penalty for a report that is over one (1) month late.

If an employer fails to remit contributions, penalties, and interest owed, they may be deducted from operating funds designated to the employer through the Department of Education and remitted directly to ATRS.

ATRS Web Portal & Supporting Documentation

The ATRS Web Portal is a secure Internet website managed by the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System. Employers use this website to enter their monthly remittance reports and quarterly totals without having to submit a paper copy.

Access to the website is over a secure server and is limited to authorized personnel. In order to utilize this website for your monthly reporting, you must have a User name and password from ATRS. These can be obtained by emailing your request to your ATRS Team Leader or the ATRS Reporting section manager.

Employers using the Arkansas Public School Computer Network (APSCN) submit supporting documentation for Monthly and Quarterly reports through magnetic media. Non-Apscn employers have the option to transfer supporting documentation directly from their payroll systems to the online Web Portal using an excel spreadsheet (CSV) format or to key data in directly to the Web Portal.

Remitting Contributions

Employers may transfer funds electronically for payments of contributions due to the system. Separate monthly payments are requested for Active, T-Drop, and Working Retiree contributions. One (1) EFT payment per type per month. Please contact your ATRS Team Leader or the ATRS Reporting section manager if you are experiencing difficulty in the EFT process.

Supplemental/ Prior Service Reports

If an employer discovers a reporting error or must retro-back wages to a prior fiscal year, please contact your ATRS Team Leader or the ATRS Reporting section manager for reporting assistance.

ATRS Accounting Reporting Contact Information

Cyndi Dickerson, Manager
CyndiD@artrs.gov
Phone: 501.682.2175 ext. 2205

Post-Secondary Participation Form - completed by the ATRS member electing to be covered by ATRS as an employee of a Post-Secondary Higher Education employer that participates in ATRS.

Nonteaching School Employees Transfer From APERS To ATRS Fact Sheet - the requirements for transferring from APERS to ATRS.

Nonteaching School Employees Transfer From APERS to ATRS Election Form - use this form to transfer from APERS to ATRS.