Friday, April 12, 2024

Welcome to Employer Digest, your monthly source for IMRF news and

information to help you stay connected with IMRF.

Employer Access Status Update and Answers to Your Questions

Thank you for your partnership in transitioning to IMRF's new Employer Access website. After our first month, 96% of IMRF employers have successfully created their new Employer Access accounts.


As expected, we are experiencing a high volume of calls and email requests for assistance. To avoid long hold times and delayed responses, please continue to take advantage of our Open Forums and the resources in the Employer Access Learning Center prior to calling or sending a Secure Message for assistance.


Reminder: Wage reports in the new Employer Access system are due on the 20th of each month.


Important: For the February wage reports, we are waiving all late payment fees and late wage report charges.

Answers to Employers Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to employers' frequently asked questions can be found on the new Employer Access FAQ webpage. We will continue updating this page, so please check back periodically for new questions and answers. Here are some of the current questions that are answered on the FAQ webpage:

  • Why is the data collection I submitted showing a status of "Verification Requested" and not completing?


  • How do I find a specific IMRF member in Employer Access?


  • How can we determine our Employer Retirement Contribution rate in new Employer Access?


  • What do you mean by "team member"?


  • Why is the Save button grayed out when I am trying to add a team member to our new Employer Access account?


  • What does the list of roles mean in the drop-down menu, when I try to add a team member?



How-to Videos and Instructions

Detailed how-to videos and pdf instructions are available in the Employer Access Learning Center for the following topics:


Online Open Forums Continuing in April

Open Forums will continue to be offered every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday throughout April.


You can drop in virtually to ask any questions you have about your new Employer Access account. The forums are open for 90 minutes, but you can come and go as you please.



The Open Forums are provided using GoTo Webinar, and the registration links for the Open Forums are available here on the IMRF website.

Register for Employer Rate Webinars

IMRF will host live Employer Rate Meeting webinars in May. Webinars will last approximately 1 hour.


The webinar dates are:


  • Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 10:00 AM
  • Wednesday May 22, 2024 at 12:00 Noon
  • Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 2:00 PM


To register for a webinar, click here.


Topics Covered

The Rate Meeting webinars will review the impact of year-end financial results and actuarial data on IMRF, and the data's estimated impact on employers. IMRF Executive Director Brian Collins and Chief Financial Officer Mark Nannini will conduct the meetings.


Employers will be able to ask questions using a chat function during the calls.

How to View Your Preliminary Rate Information

Your employer's estimated 2025 annual contribution rate for its IMRF plans will be available in new Employer Access in the second half of April. This is needed for financial planning, accounting, and reporting purposes.

To view this information in new Employer Access, click on the gear icon in the toolbar on the left side of the Employer Access homepage, and then click Partner Information.


On the Partner Information page, shown below, enter your employer number where it says Partner Code. Click on the Contributions tab. To filter by year, enter the appropriate effective date. Add the components shown in the right column under Contribution Rate to determine your preliminary rate.

Adjusted Mark Your Calendar Dates

The Mark Your Calendar 2024 dates for IMRF employers have been adjusted to align with the new Employer Access system. Please update your calendars with these adjusted dates. View the new Mark Your Calendar pdf by clicking here.


Revised Procedure for Completing a Retroactive Deduction

To add a retired IMRF member’s health insurance deduction for the first time, you need to submit the appropriate enrollment form, signed by the member. You can do this one of three ways:



  • Attach the appropriate signed enrollment form to a secure message in Employer Access. Choose the topic “Deductions.”
  • Fax it to IMRF at 630-706-4289.
  • Mail it to IMRF.


You must submit the signed form by the submission deadlines listed in the updated Mark Your Calendar 2024 document.


To change, retroactively adjust, or terminate a retired IMRF member’s health insurance deduction, you need to complete an “Insurance & Union Data Collection” in Employer Access prior to the submission deadlines listed below. Please visit the Employer or Partner Learning Center for step-by-step procedures or instructional video assistance.


For example, we must receive deduction information for the May 1, 2024, benefit payment no later than April 16, 2024. If you are unable to submit this information by the payment’s submission deadline, we cannot deduct the correct amount from the member's benefit payment.


If you have any questions, please call Employer Services at 1-800-728-7971.

Important Financial Documents Available in New Employer Access

Three important financial documents will be available in the Documents Viewer in new Employer Access. The two GASB documents listed below are currently available, and the SOC-1 Type 2 report will be available starting the second half of April. To view these documents, click on the file folder icon in the toolbar on the left side of the Employer Access homepage and then click Document Viewer (shown above). Choose the Document Category button, type in GASB, and click the Search bar (shown below).

  • Your employer's 2023 Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) 68 Report and 2023 Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) 50 Footnote Disclosure Statement are available.
  • IMRF's SOC-1 Type 2 Report is needed by some IMRF employers for financial reporting purposes. In the report, independent auditors examined and verified the adequacy of IMRF's internal controls. 


Please note: Census data for active and inactive IMRF members will be located in GASB 68- Census Data - Active. Census data for retirees will be located in GASB 68- Census Data - Inactive.


In the Document Viewer, you can also click on Creation Date to filter for the most recent items, as shown below.

Please provide these important documents to your employer's chief financial officer. 

Authorized Agent Webinars to Return in May

Authorized Agent webinars will not be available in March and April, as we transition to the new Employer Access system. The webinars will resume in May.


These online webinars are for Authorized Agents to learn about IMRF procedures and how to administer IMRF benefits.

 

Important New Legislative Requirement

Effective January 1, 2024, Illinois pension law requires all new IMRF Authorized Agents to complete an IMRF-provided training course within three months of appointment.



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