March 2026

MainePERS Pension Administration System Employer Survey Feedback

As mentioned in prior editions of the Employer Update, MainePERS has begun a multi-year project to update our pension administration system (PAS). We have contracted with Sagitec to implement Neospin™ a browser-based pension benefits software system.

As part of this process, MainePERS convened an Employer Advisory Panel to help guide and assist with this effort. The December 2025 edition of the Employer Update included a report on the recent activities of the Employer Advisory Panel and advised that a survey of all our employer contacts would take place in January 2026, seeking information on employers’ current payroll providers or systems as well as insight on the biggest challenges with the current ESS portal. Many thanks to those who took the time to respond!

The following aggregate data and feedback was shared with the Employer Advisory Panel at its most recent meeting.

When asked to rank order the most challenging items, those responding to the survey placed Payroll Error Notification and Reporting Earnable Compensation highest. Member Enrollment, Wage Averaging and Position Classification Codes followed closely behind. The survey results confirm the information MainePERS received in prior surveys and in one-on-one conversations with many of you.

The open comment section also identified other themes, including limits in ESS functionality, difficulties with payroll file format (txt file), reporting requirements, and the desire to receive more training. We anticipate the functionality in Neospin will alleviate many of these challenges.

The results of the survey regarding payroll providers found that various versions of Tyler Technology systems were used most, along with Profund, TRIO, AptaFund, and ADP Workforce Now. This information will assist MainePERS in connecting with these payroll vendors and inviting them to partner with us and their respective employer clients as we prepare for the implementation of Neospin.

Updates on the Employer Advisory Panel efforts, as well as progress with the new PAS will be provided via the Employer Update or in email communications, as appropriate.

MaineSTART

The MaineSTART Defined Contribution program is available to MainePERS PLD and Teacher Plan employers. The program is growing and now includes nearly 100 employers and more than 2,000 individual participants.

By joining this program, employers can provide their employees with an opportunity to participate in a MainePERS offered retirement savings plan. MaineSTART offers both Traditional (pre-tax) and Roth (after-tax) accounts. These voluntary programs can help your employees save money to fund their retirement and help secure their financial future. Different plans are available, for example, 457(b) and 401(a) depending on the participating employer.

Our MaineSTART plans use low-cost Vanguard funds, so even if you already have a defined contribution plan, MaineSTART may offer lower administrative fees for your employees.

Please contact Gary Emery at (207) 512-3116 or via email at gary.emery@mainepers.org to explore adding the MaineSTART program to your employee benefit program, or to compare administrative fees. Additional information is available at www.mainestart.org.

FY27 Employer Contribution Rates

Employer and member contribution rates for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2026 and ends June 30, 2027, are now available on the Employer Rates and Rate Setting page where you may select plan specific information.

Grant funded teacher rate information is included in the Teacher section. The grant funded teacher costs do not include the additional amount due for teacher retiree health. This is established by and paid directly to State Employee Health and Benefits. You will receive a separate notification from Employee Health and Benefits for the amount due to fund retiree health coverage.

Eliminating Autofill May Help Eliminate Errors

Periodically, MainePERS receives ESS form submissions which have incorrect information (name, address, telephone number) due to the autofill feature in some browsers. To help prevent this from occurring, MainePERS recommends that all MainePERS ESS forms be submitted from a browser with the autofill feature disabled or turned off.

Google Chrome (the preferred Web browser for MainePERS Employer Self Service) contains a feature that allows users to autofill forms. The auto-populate feature is a very common feature, which pre-populates the fields based upon previously saved information such as address, email, telephone numbers, etc. While the autofill feature can be very helpful when entering the same individual information in fillable forms, it may lead to inadvertent errors when entering information for multiple individuals. The autofill feature should not be used when using ESS to submit forms to MainePERS.

To disable (turnoff) the Autofill feature:

Navigate to the Chrome menu icon (three round dots) at the top right of the browser.
Select Settings.
In the Autofill section, select and open the addresses and more option.
Toggle the setting to OFF if it is ON. The system will automatically save your settings.

This simple update will make completion of multiple different entries easier and help eliminate inadvertent errors.

GASB 68 & GASB 75 Audit Reports and Schedules

The June 30, 2025 GASB 68 (defined benefit plans) and GASB 75 (group life insurance) audit reports and schedules are now available on our website.

Group Life Insurance Level Changes Are Due in April

Now is the time to submit your Group Life Insurance (GLI) coverage levels for your employees participating in the program. GLI coverage levels are updated every April based on the prior years’ gross earnings. You do not have to wait until April; you can submit this information as soon as you have the data available. You can upload the file through the Employer Self Service portal using the Upload File function.

To do this, you will need to create a file that meets the requirements of the “Simple Format (CSV) - GLI Level” import.

Create a new Excel file or open your existing file, click file>save as>file type must be .csv. The file will be 4 columns with no header row. The columns should contain Year, Employer location code, SSN and Level in that order. Please save the file with the name of your employer code and year (P0999 2025). Here is an example file:

To Upload your file: log into ESS:

Navigate to the Account tab
Click Upload File
Select GLI Level
Click browse - find your file
Enter an import description of your location code and year (P0999 2025)
Validate:
Validates with exceptions - OK, the file will process
Validates with errors - STOP and contact MainePERS for assistance
Process - Processes the file

Step-by-step guidelines are in our ESS User Guide beginning on page 39.

How is the level defined? This will typically be your employees’ 2025 annual gross wages from their W-2 (these amounts will automatically round up to the next $1,000).

How do I verify my import? The GLI Level Report will be in your Employer Self Service (ESS) Report/Generate Report/select ESS GLI Level Report/Employer Code and Location Code and leave the Start Date as is.

A Reminder to Keep Your Internet Browser Current

Employers who access Employer Self Service (ESS) should do so with devices that have up-to-date operating systems and browsers. This helps keep your employee data safe.

Internet browsers are constantly being updated. If you do not receive automatic updates, MainePERS recommends periodically checking the status of your internet browsers to be sure you are running the most current version. An ESS Desktop Technical Specifications for employers is available to help you determine if your computers and internet browsers are up-to-date.

Please take a moment to review the specifications with your IT department or IT service provider. If you have questions about the importance or find you are unable to do so, please contact your Employer Reporting account representative for assistance.