September 2026

Reduce your contribution payments by applying CTE Contribution and Interest Credits on your account

If you see transactions on your account in the Employer Self-Service Portal titled “CTE Credit” or “CTE Interest” you have an opportunity to reduce your contribution payments by applying these credits and interest. MainePERS occasionally receives contributions from employers based on salaries and compensation payments that are not considered “earnable” for pension purposes. This results in employer and employee contribution overpayments. When this happens in the current calendar year the result is a work report adjustment credit. You can use these credits to reduce your future contributions. Additionally, your employees’ portion of the contribution should be refunded to them and reflected on their W-2 form at the end of the year.

If the overpayment occurred in a previous calendar year, often discovered when a member retires, MainePERS will process a “CTE Refund” to refund employee contributions taken in error directly to the individual. MainePERS reports the refund to the employee (or retiree) and to the Internal Revenue Service on a form 1099-R the following January.

Since employer contributions were collected in error on the same wages or compensation, MainePERS will issue a credit for overpaid employer contributions (with interest), when we issue a CTE refund to an employee (or retiree). Employers receive a letter from MainePERS detailing this adjustment and will see the transactions (CTE Credit and CTE Interest) on their accounts.

MainePERS is not permitted to issue a refund for these credits, however, employers can, and should, apply these credits to future contributions to the Plan. To apply these credits and thereby reduce the payment on a future month’s payroll work report, all you need to do is notify Employer Services of your intent to use the credit so that it can be applied to the payroll you choose. We will not make this adjustment without your authorization.

If you have questions about these credits, please contact your Employer Account Associate for assistance.

MainePERS Pension Administration System and Employer Advisory Panel Update

As noted in prior editions of the Employer Update and other communications, 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.

MainePERS has convened an Employer Advisory Panel to provide feedback on this effort. The Panel has met on a quarterly basis over the past year. During the recent August meeting, MainePERS provided an update on the project, including a preview of the new Neospin™ system's Employer Portal.

Pension Administration System Update

The Pension Administration System (PAS) remains on schedule and is currently in Phase 4 which is broken down into Pilots 4.1, 4.2, and 4.3.

Each Pilot follows the same steps: Elaboration (translating MainePERS business requirements into the Neospin™ solution), Development (Sagitec configuring Neospin™ for MainePERS requirements), Pilot User Verification (PUV) (testing the functionality of the configuration, including making any adjustments/changes to the configuration as identified during the testing), and Sign off. As of the end of May, these steps had been completed for Pilot 4.1.

The same process is currently underway for Pilot 4.2 in the functional areas of Service Purchase & Portability, Refunds, Benefit Estimates, Disability, Retirement, Legal Docs, Death Processing, and Death Notification. Pilot 4.2 is expected to continue through the end of February 2027.

Additionally, during these Pilots, other PAS activities continue in parallel including constructing and testing the environments in which Neospin™ will exist and data conversion. Preparations are also underway to provide robust training for our MainePERS staff and our employer partners.

Neospin™ Preview

Panel members received a preview, through a series of screenshots, into the Neospin™ pension system's Employer Portal. The screenshots were limited to the Pilot 4.1 business requirements that have been configured thus far. Neospin™ is still under construction, and additional functionality is pending completion of Pilots 4.2 and 4.3.

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

Reminder: Payroll Filing Dates

Payroll filings are due to MainePERS by the fifteenth day of the month following the payroll-filing period being reported. You can upload your payroll file as early as the next day after your last pay date for the payroll month being reported. We encourage you to complete this upload as soon as possible after that last pay date so that we have time to work with you to correct any issues before the filing deadline.

Payroll Filing Deadlines for the remainder of 2026

August	September 15, 2026
September	October 15, 2026
October	November 16, 2026
November	December 15, 2026
December	January 15, 2027

Employer Training Schedule

MainePERS offers a half day Employer Training Session each month via Zoom. The training can provide the basics to new staff or is an excellent refresher or opportunity to fine-tune your understanding of Employer Self-Service (ESS). Topics include Accessing ESS, Understanding Eligibility and Enrollment, Navigating ESS, and Survivor Services and Group Life Insurance (GLI) Highlights. An online registration schedule is available through our website.

You may also request training on specific topics or group training for multiple members of your payroll and human resources staff. To request training on a specific topic, please contact Employer Reporting at 1-800-451-9800 or by email at employer@mainepers.org.

Personnel Status Change Forms

Please submit Personnel Status Change (PSC) forms for your terminated employees in a timely manner. If we don’t receive the forms timely, your employees could be at risk of losing their rights to continue Group Life Insurance coverage. For Teachers who are retiring, please use their actual termination date on the PSC forms.

PLD Annual Limited Period Open Enrollment

MainePERS PLD Limited Period Open Enrollment runs annually from September 1st through November 1st for employers offering this provision. PLD employers who adopt this provision provide eligible employees who previously declined to participate in MainePERS with additional opportunities to join. Open enrollment is limited to eligible but non-participating PLD employees who:

1) have optional membership; 2) are within their first five years of employment and 3) are employed by a PLD who adopted the provision. If your District has not adopted the provision and would like to explore doing so, please contact PLD Plan Administration at pldadministrator@mainepers.org for more information.

GASB 68 & GASB 75 Audit Reports and Schedules

The GASB 68 (defined benefit plans) and GASB 75 (group life insurance) audit reports and schedule should be available on the MainePERS website on or around January 31, 2027.

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 Deanna Doyle at (207) 512-3131 or via email at deanna.doyle@mainpers.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.