HR Update

The employer retirement contribution rates for MSEP, MSEP 2000, and MSEP 2011, as well as for the Judicial Plan and Judicial Plan 2011, will change effective July 1, 2025, for fiscal year 2026. These rates are calculated annually by MOSERS’ external actuary and certified by the MOSERS Board of Trustees.

There are no changes to the employer contribution rates for CURP, basic life insurance, or long-term disability benefits.

• Local Employers: Please update your contribution rate accordingly, effective July 1, 2025.
• SAM II Employers: No action is needed. Contributions will continue to be processed automatically through payroll.

See Contribution Rates for more information.

We’ve identified a recurring issue in recent payroll reports, where former employees who receive comp time or contract payouts after termination are being marked as Not Eligible. Please ensure these employees remain marked as Eligible on your payroll reports.

Comp time and contract payouts issued after termination are considered pensionable wages and must be reported to MOSERS. When an employee is marked as Not Eligible, those wages are not reported to MOSERS, which prevents us from processing them correctly and may negatively affect the employee’s salary credit for retirement purposes.

• Keep these employees marked as Eligible on the payroll report.
• Use the Move Wages button to move the payout, along with any other pensionable wages, to the employee’s last active pay period.
• Once the wages have been moved, the error will clear, and you can proceed with your payroll report.

Reporting these wages accurately ensures employees receive proper salary credit toward their retirement.

Earlier this week, HR/payroll representatives received a system-generated email regarding the Retiree Sick Leave Report in Phoenix. This report is available as a query and lists employees from your agency who have recently retired.

You should use this report to remove any remaining sick leave balances from your payroll system. Retirees who return to work in a benefit-eligible position cannot receive additional service credit for unused sick leave accrued before retirement.

Because the retirement verification process continues throughout the month of retirement, sick leave should only be cleared for individuals who retired in a prior month. When running the report, be sure to search for employees who retired in previous months. For example, if running the query in June, search for retirees from May or earlier.

The SAM II Payroll Reporting Calendar in Phoenix has been updated and is now available on the Phoenix homepage. This calendar outlines key dates for each pay cycle, most notably, the reporting windows for HR/payroll representatives.

• Reports with no errors or warnings will be submitted automatically.
• Reports with errors or warnings will generate a system email once they are ready to work in Phoenix.
• All open payroll reports, including supplemental payrolls, must be submitted by the Final Day to Submit Payroll Reports listed on the calendar.

To ensure MOSERS has the most up-to-date information, please continue submitting payroll reports in tandem with your pay schedule. This is especially important for retiring employees, as MOSERS cannot verify retirement eligibility or process benefits until we receive both the termination record and the employee’s final payroll.

Timely reporting ensures that employees receive their pension benefits without delay.

Please continue to contact Employer Services with questions about your payroll reports or Phoenix in general:

• Phone: (800) 827-1063, option 2
• Email: employers@mosers.org

When emailing about a payroll report, please include the Phoenix reporting group number to help us assist you more efficiently.

Remind your employees that if they have at least five years of service (vested) and are more than five years from their first normal retirement eligibility date, now is a great time to attend a Mid-Career Webinar!

They can join us to learn about their employee benefits administered by MOSERS, including pension plan features, how different career and life events may affect their pension benefit, and their retirement savings plan options with MO Deferred Comp.

The remaining 2025 webinars are scheduled for July 10, August 14, and November 5 (evening). These 2.5-hour webinars, with daytime and evening sessions available, include speakers from MOSERS and MO Deferred Comp.

Your employees can register for an upcoming webinar at myMOSERS by selecting Education and clicking Enroll next to the session they would like to attend. Then, they can follow the step-by-step instructions to complete enrollment and register via GoTo Webinar.

In honor of State Team Member Appreciation Month, we want to express our gratitude for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to Missouri's state employees.

As vital liaisons between MOSERS and our members, your dedication to timely and accurate reporting is truly valued.

Thank you for all that you do!

Direct Deposit Authorization form - June 2025

Guide to Rollovers for Your Judicial Buyout Distribution - May 2025

Highlights of Your Total Compensation Package brochure - May 2025

The SAM II payroll reports for the April 16-30 pay period, as well as any outstanding supplemental payroll reports, are due by the end of day on Thursday, May 15.

Need help? The fastest way to get assistance is by calling an employer services analyst at (800) 827-1063, option 2. We're happy to walk through your payroll report with you!

We are happy to announce the newest members of the Employer Services team: Jonathon Imhoff and Forrest Luck. Jonathon and Forrest are employer services analysts who work alongside our existing team.

Meet Jonathon Imhoff: Jonathon brings significant experience in public service, including roles in accounting, payroll, and human resources. He most recently worked at the Department of Mental Health, where he managed payroll corrections for over 25 facilities. Jonathon is excited to support employers as part of the MOSERS Employer Services team.

Meet Forrest Luck: Forrest joins MOSERS with a strong background in state government human resources. He previously served as a human relations specialist at the Department of Natural Resources, where he specialized in leave administration, employee relations, and HR systems. Forrest looks forward to helping employers navigate their reporting requirements.

Please email employers@mosers.org or call us at (800) 827-1063, option 2, to reach Jonathon, Forrest, or any member of the Employer Services team. We're here to help with any questions you may have!

We are excited to host our fifth annual MOSERS Month in June!

Encourage your employees to join us this year to learn more about their benefits and plan for retirement with the MOSERS team. Each week, they will meet familiar "office characters" and learn about the new myMOSERS member portal, their MOSERS defined benefit pension, and MO Deferred Comp benefits.

We may not know much about selling paper, but we know retirement benefits! Let your employees know that MOSERS Month is coming soon, directly to their inbox!

Enrolling in a Webinar via myMOSERS instructions - May 2025

Online Office Hours continue daily from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and alternate between employer types. Your questions drive these sessions—drop in to get help with Phoenix, clarify processes, or ask anything you need. There is no formal agenda.

• SAM II Employers: May 9 and May 12-15
• Local Employers: May 16

On the fifth of every month, Phoenix will send an automated message alerting you to the Retiree Sick Leave Report. This report identifies employees from your agency who have recently retired.

• Use the report to zero out the unused sick leave balance in your payroll system for recent retirees.
• Only clear sick leave for employees who retired during the previous month or any earlier period, if not already processed.
• Do not clear leave for members retiring in the current month.

• If running the report in May, only clear sick leave for employees who retired in April or earlier.
• Set your report dates from April 1 through April 30 to capture April retirees.

If a retiree returns to benefit-eligible employment after meeting MOSERS' termination and reemployment rules, they are not eligible to receive service credit for any unused sick leave from before retirement.

• Payroll reports for the April 28 and May 2 supplemental payroll cycles were released into Phoenix on Tuesday, May 6.
• Payroll reports for the April 16-30 regular payroll cycle will be released into Phoenix on Thursday, May 8.
• Any payroll reports that did not auto-submit (due to errors or warnings) must be manually submitted by the end of the day on Thursday, May 15.

Need help? If you have questions, the fastest way to get assistance is by calling an employer services analyst at (800) 827-1063, option 2. We're happy to walk through your payroll report with you.

Please upload your payroll files and work the resulting payroll reports on a regular schedule. This ensures employee benefits remain current and are administered accurately.

Need help? Call us at (800) 827-1063, option 2. We're here to help with any questions you may have.

We are continuing to offer Online Office Hours to assist you as you navigate Phoenix. If you do not have the link to join, please email us at employers@mosers.org.

• SAM II Employers: April 30, May 9, and May 12-15
• Local Employers: May 1-2, May 5-7, and May 16

These sessions are driven by your questions and participation. Please bring any specific topics or issues you would like to discuss. Your engagement will help ensure that both you and your peers get the most out of these sessions.

Please remember that payroll reports must be submitted by the close of business on Wednesday, April 30. Due to the SAM II processing schedule, there are no exceptions to this deadline.

• If you encounter any difficulties completing your report, contact Employer Services as soon as possible at (573) 632-6100, option 2.
• We are happy to assist you over the phone to resolve any issues and ensure your report is finalized.

Phoenix identifies employees designated in SAM II as 50% FTE or greater as benefit-eligible. This first payroll report has revealed instances where benefit-eligible employees hired more than 31 days ago were not entered into SEBES.

If you missed enrolling a benefit-eligible employee through SEBES within 31 days of their hire date, please follow these steps:

• Enter the employee into SEBES using the first date of the current payroll reporting period as the employee’s start date.
• SEBES enrollments are imported into Phoenix approximately every five minutes, allowing you to clear the related error shortly after the enrollment is processed.
• Submit an Application to Correct Service to MOSERS. We will coordinate with OA to review the request. If approved, we will work with OA to add the retroactive service credit and collect any required back contributions.

Thanks to the daily exchange of information between SAM II and Phoenix, we do not anticipate late SEBES enrollments being a recurring issue in Phoenix. Going forward, MOSERS staff will be alerted to new benefit-eligible employees and may contact you if a SEBES enrollment needs to be submitted.

A Local Employer Payroll Reporting FAQ is now available within Phoenix. We encourage you to review the FAQ as you continue working in Phoenix. This resource may help answer many of your questions and will be updated as new questions arise.