• September 1, 2023

  Active employee registration: Three steps to setting up your MTRS eligible new hires in MyTRS

  Step 1: Review new hires and any staff changing jobs to determine if they may be eligible for MTRS membership BEFORE you register your new hires in MyTRS, determine if they are eligible for MTRS membership by reviewing our eligibility criteria online. Employers should review the eligibility criteria...

• August 30, 2023

  Current GASB Report for MTRS employers now available

  The MTRS has been working with representatives from the State Comptroller’s Office, the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), and CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA) to issue the GASB Statement No. 68 schedules for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 to be used by our employer...

• July 31, 2023

  MTRS Board election to be held this fall

  Please spread the word to your employees who are MTRS members As you may know, the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement Board is comprised of seven members, two of whom are elected by the members of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System for four-year terms. Since the terms of our i...

• July 14, 2023

  Process workaround for correcting deduction reports that have the import status Processed with Errors

  Due to a system error, files must be in Validated with Errors status in order to make corrections We have learned that MyTRS is currently not allowing employers to fix deduction report import files with the status of Processed with Errors. If you currently have an imported file with the status of Pr...

• June 26, 2023

  Tips for year-end deduction reporting

  1. Employees receiving a lump sum payment? Ensure employees receiving a lump sum payment are reported with the pay duration of “LS.” If needed, update the pay duration field to “LS” in your payroll software prior to exporting your deduction report to ensure that employees are...

• May 24, 2023

  Recording of the May 23 RetirementPlus (R+) employer seminar now available

  Thank you to those who attended our R+ special election employer training. The recording is now available if you would like to listen to it again or if you missed the seminar. Additionally, you can download the presentation slides of the training....

• May 23, 2023

  Changes to the EFT payments functionality in MyTRS

  MyTRS has been updated to allow employers and the Employer Services Unit (ESU) team to cancel EFT payments that have not yet been processed. You can now cancel payments that you have submitted until 6:45pm on the day the EFT was added to MyTRS. Payments cannot be canceled in MyTRS once they have bee...

• May 16, 2023

  Final RetirementPlus (R+) special election seminar for employers and other important updates

  R+ special election employer training seminar The MTRS will conduct a final R+ special election employer training seminar for school district HR and Payroll staff on Tuesday, May 23, at 9:00 am. Registration is now open via the RetirementPlus employer training registration form. This seminar will re...

• May 8, 2023

  Retiree Insurance–MTRS will process plan rate changes

  1) Important: Send all group insurance rate changes for July 2023 premiums by 6/2/2023 for processing The MTRS has temporarily hidden the Add Rates and Edit Rates buttons on the Insurance Rates screen in MyTRS. We are still working with our vendor to develop validations to prevent plan price changes...

• May 2, 2023

  Retiree Insurance updates

  The MTRS has resolved the “stop date” issue, and you can now change or cancel a retiree’s health plan. However, please note that if your change requires you to delete a row, (the new coverage has the same start date as the existing plan), you will still need to send that change to ...

• April 27, 2023

  Retiree Insurance—Individual rate change functions are temporarily unavailable

  The MTRS has identified an issue with the plan “stop date,” which is preventing users from switching or ending a retiree’s health plan. We expect this issue to be resolved by Monday, 5/1/2023; however, please do not make changes to insurance coverage in MyTRS until further notice. ...

• April 19, 2023

  MTRS has alerted superintendents of new deduction reporting deadlines

  The MTRS has established reporting deadlines for 2021 and 2022. On April 6, 2023 we sent the following message to all the superintendents in Massachusetts, as a first notice. Please review the message below: Time Sensitive Deduction Reporting Deadlines Established Dear Superintendents and Directors,...

• April 18, 2023

  Stop deductions on supplemental pay to employees on workers’ compensation

  This email is to inform you of an important change to retirement-eligible pay (“regular compensation”) for members receiving workers’ compensation. It should be shared with employees who process payroll and your affected MTRS members. After a lengthy appeal process, the Massachuset...

• April 12, 2023

  RetirementPlus special election ballot credentials to be emailed to eligible members

  As part of our ongoing outreach to our members who are eligible for the RetirementPlus special election, our vendor YesElections will begin an email campaign consisting of four broadcasts over the next few months—the first of which will deliver on April 13. These emails will include the individualiz...

• March 30, 2023

  Second RetirementPlus special election ballots to mail to eligible members March 31, 2023

  On Friday, March 31, 2023 our election vendor will mail a second round of ballots to members of the MTRS eligible for the one-time RetirementPlus special election who, as of March 24, 2023, had not yet cast a ballot. Please be sure to remind your eligible employees to make their RetirementPlus parti...

• March 29, 2023

  Active employee reporting—Updates to MyTRS

  The MTRS recently installed two MyTRS updates to improve active member employee reporting. The first update reduces session stalling when signing in immediately after logging out, and the second update—a partial improvement—fixes the Copy Selected button in Deduction Reporting. Although the Copy Sel...

• March 21, 2023

  Recording of the RetirementPlus (R+) employer seminar now available; Seminar for eligible employees to be held in April

  R+ employer seminar materials Thank you to those who attended our R+ special election employer training. The recording is now available if you would like to listen to it again or if you missed the seminar. Additionally, you can download the presentation slides of the training. An online seminar for ...

• March 13, 2023

  R+ special election seminar for employers on 3/15 has been postponed due to impending storm

  New date and time: Tuesday, March 21 at 9am Already signed up? There is no need to re-register, you can still use the same link previously sent to you to access the seminar. Haven’t registered yet? Feel free to register for the 3/21 seminar using the same registration link: RetirementPlus empl...

• March 10, 2023

  Updated RetirementPlus (R+) seminar for employers scheduled and other important updates

  R+ special election employer training seminar The MTRS will conduct an updated R+ special election employer training seminar for school district HR and Payroll staff onWednesday, March 15, at 9:00 AM. Registration is now open via the RetirementPlus employer training registration form. This seminar w...

• March 8, 2023

  MyTRS Performance improvement survey and Employer Self-Service (ESS) error reporting

  For the past several months, the MTRS has been working with our MyTRS vendor to improve the import and deduction reporting functionality in the Employer Self-Service (ESS) module in MyTRS. We are now seeking your feedback to confirm whether the changes made to the system are improving your MyTRS exp...

• February 9, 2023

  Recording of the RetirementPlus (R+) special election employer seminar now available; Seminar for eligible members to be held end of February

  R+ employer seminar materials Thank you to those who attended our R+ special election employer training. The recording is now available if you would like to listen to it again or if you missed the seminar. Additionally, you can download the presentation slides of the training. An online seminar for ...

• February 6, 2023

  Reminder: R+ Special election employer training webinar tomorrow—Register now!

  The MTRS will conduct a R+ Special election employer training webinar for school district HR and Payroll staff tomorrow, Tuesday, February 7, at 9:00 AM. We strongly encourage every district with election-eligible MTRS employees to attend the session for important information. If you haven’t r...

• January 25, 2023

  Reminder: R+ Special election employer training webinars scheduled–Register now!

  The MTRS will conduct two R+ Special election employer training webinars for school district HR and Payroll staff on Wednesday, February 1, at 9:00 AM and again on Tuesday, February 7, at 9:00 AM. If you haven’t registered yet, do it today! We look forward to seeing you at one of the training ...

• January 18, 2023

  RetirementPlus (R+) special election for eligible members is underway; Employer training webinars scheduled for early February

  RetirementPlus (R+) Special Election is Underway Eligible MTRS members received election packets in the mail and now have a final, one-time opportunity to participate in or opt-out of RetirementPlus (R+) by June 30, 2023. This final, one-time special R+ election is a result of Chapter 134 of the Act...

• January 4, 2023

  Working after retirement limits are reinstated

  As of December 31, 2022, the suspension of the post-retirement hours and earnings limits has expired. If your district employs retired members of the MTRS or another Massachusetts contributory retirement system, the standard hours and earnings limitations are back in effect for 2023. Please remember...

• November 28, 2022

  MyTRS—Active employee reporting and R+ Election update

  Please complete any employee address updates and import your October and November 2022 monthly deduction report files by the end of the day Wednesday, December 7. Help us with members’ current addresses We are finalizing our list of members that will receive their final, one-time opportunity t...

• November 21, 2022

  REMINDER: Retiree insurance rate changes due Friday, 12/02/2022

  As previously indicated in our October 26 email, please send your plan rate changes to insuranceupdates@trb.state.ma.us by Friday, December 2 to guarantee processing in time for the December warrant. Changes received after this deadline may not be processed in time for the December warrant. To reque...

• November 16, 2022

  Notice of PRIM Board election; please forward to MTRS members

  The Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System (MTRS) has been asked by the Pension Reserves Investment Management (PRIM) Board to assist them in the statewide election for a representative of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System to the PRIM Board. As you may know, active and ret...

• November 4, 2022

  Active employee reporting—Improvements and changes to MyTRS deduction report processing

  Upgrades to MyTRS The MyTRS upgrades scheduled for installation on Friday, November 4th, starting at 6 pm, should improve deduction report processing speeds on Monday, November 7th. Please log off of MyTRS by 6 pm on Friday and do not log in to MyTRS until Monday, November 7th at 6 am. What’s ...

• October 31, 2022

  Eligible members who transferred into the MTRS to receive a final, one-time chance for RetirementPlus (R+) participation

  The new legislation, Chapter 134 of the Acts of 2022, allows eligible members who transferred into the MTRS from another Massachusetts contributory retirement system a final, one-time opportunity to make a definitive choice, either to: participate in RetirementPlus, or, opt-out of participating in R...

• October 26, 2022

  Retiree Insurance–Plan rate changes are temporarily disabled and other updates

  1) Important: Send all group insurance rate changes for January premiums by 12/02/2022 for on-time processing The MTRS has temporarily hidden the Add Rates and Edit Rates buttons on the Insurance Rates screen in MyTRS. Over the last several months, we’ve noticed that some users were triggering...

• September 1, 2022

  New law offers eligible members who transferred into the MTRS a second chance for RetirementPlus (R+) participation

  On August 3, Governor Baker signed new legislation, Chapter 134 of the Acts of 2022, that allows a second opportunity to elect to participate in the R+ program only to those members (approximately 2,000-3,000) who: were not a part of the original election window in 2001, AND transferred into the MTR...

• August 5, 2022

  Current GASB Report for MTRS employers now available

  The MTRS has been working with representatives from the State Comptroller’s Office, the Public Employees’ Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), and CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA) to issue the GASB Statement No. 68 schedules for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2021 to be used by our ...

• July 13, 2022

  Active employee reporting update

  Registration for membership The MTRS installed a fix to the Registration for Membership widget in MyTRS to allow member registration. Please note: The educator license questions in Step 5 attempt to validate prior to data entry on each field; however, the form will allow you to enter and submit all ...

• July 11, 2022

  Active employee reporting update

  Registration for membership The Registration for Membership widget in MyTRS became inoperable during a weekend system update, and we are working with our vendor to resolve this as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience and will keep you updated. New employer users cannot be added at...

• July 7, 2022

  MyTRS—Retiree Insurance update

  This update covers the following topics: Retiree Insurance training videos and guides Plan price updates Adding new plans to employers Plan prices displaying the wrong value after rate updates New employer users cannot be added at this time Individual plan changes Rate holidays Retiree Insurance tra...

• June 28, 2022

  2021 Annual Statements for MTRS members will be delayed

  We are writing to let you know that Annual Statements for calendar year 2021, which would normally be mailed by the end of June of this year, will be delayed due to issues with our computer system that are impacting the ability to finalize monthly deduction reports. The MTRS will notify members of t...

• June 23, 2022

  MTRS office phones will be unavailable Friday, June 24

  MTRS office phone lines will be unavailable all-day Friday, June 24, in both the Charlestown and Springfield offices while we transition to a new telecommunications service. Phone lines will be operational Monday morning, June 27. Please email your assigned Employer Services Representative if you ne...

• June 10, 2022

  MyTRS—Retiree Insurance update

  This update covers the following topics: Plan prices displaying the wrong value after rate updates Retiree Insurance training guides and videos Plan price updates Rate holidays Adding new plans to employers Employer report issues Individual plan changes As announced in late April, we have restored e...

• May 2, 2022

  Note the 2022 pensionable earnings limits for employees with membership dates after 12/31/1995

  As you know, there are federal and state limits on the amount of pensionable earnings (“regular compensation”) that can be used in computing benefits for active members of public retirement systems with effective membership dates after 12/31/1995. What this means for employers For any me...

• April 27, 2022

  MyTRS—Retiree Insurance update

  The Retiree Insurance functions in MyTRS are now available to employers. Starting today, you can add or make changes to individual retiree insurance selections and premium rates for the insurance plans you offer. Plan Price Updates We have restored employer access to the Edit Rates and Add Rates but...

• April 26, 2022

  MyTRS—Active employee reporting update

  Employee Roster The Edit button on the Employee Roster > Member Employment screen has been restored. You can now resume making changes to employee events. Registration for membership The issues that previously prevented the registration of new-to-MTRS employees and employees who are beneficiaries...

• March 14, 2022

  MyTRS—Registration currently not working for employees without an existing MyTRS profile

  Attempts to register employees who are new to the MTRS will not process The MTRS discovered an error that prevents employers from registering new employees in MyTRS who have no previous MyTRS profile. Additionally, this will prevent employers from importing files that contain unregistered members. A...

• March 4, 2022

  MyTRS—Employee Roster “Edit” button temporarily disabled

  Editing the roster to add a “Member Event” may cause an unexpected change The MTRS has discovered that adding a “Member Event” on the Employee Roster screen could result in an erroneous change to an employee’s rate and R+ status. Thus, we have temporarily disabled the “Edit” ...

• February 10, 2022

  MyTRS—New view and a time-saving tip

  Avoid significant delays; don’t Apply or Save while in Single Record View A new MyTRS navigation feature, Single Record View, allows you to view each record’s data in one vertical window without needing to scroll horizontally to see all available fields. Read more about the new Single Re...

• February 4, 2022

  MyTRS will be offline 5pm Friday until 6am Saturday

  MyTRS will be offline from 5pm Friday, February 4 through 6am Saturday, February 5 for server maintenance, we apologize for the short notice. Questions? Please feel free to contact Robert George....

• January 31, 2022

  MyTRS Retiree Insurance—Update on individual and plan rate changes

  Individual and plan rate changes remain disabled through the February warrant As we reported in December 2021, the MTRS has disabled both the “Add/Change Coverage” button on the Retiree Insurance Selections screen and the ability for employers to update plan rates in MyTRS. The MTRS cont...

• December 15, 2021

  MyTRS—Retiree Insurance Plan rate changes are temporarily disabled

  Adding or changing individual coverage is unavailable; an application fix is forthcoming The MTRS has temporarily hidden the Add Rates and Edit Rates buttons on the Insurance Rates screen in MyTRS. A processing error was identified, and we are working on a fix. Thus, you cannot add rates or edit pla...

• December 7, 2021

  MyTRS—Retiree Insurance “Add/Change Coverage” button temporarily disabled

  Adding or changing individual coverage is unavailable; an application fix is forthcoming The MTRS has temporarily disabled the “Add/Change Coverage” button on the Retiree Insurance Selections screen in MyTRS to prevent a program error that can duplicate health care records and charges to...

• November 29, 2021

  MyTRS is live

  New guides available and two issues under review MyTRS is updated, live, and available on the Employers section of our website. We are pleased to report that employers are logging in and successfully using the updated system; however, there are two technical issues that we are working to resolve: EF...

• November 17, 2021

  The MyTRS Upgrade is coming!

  Employers can access the updated MyTRS on November 29 As a reminder, MyTRS for Employers is not available; the updated MyTRS debuts Monday, November 29 at 6 am and can be accessed from the Employers section of our website. Updated training manuals will be available online and mailed to Employers in ...

• November 4, 2021

  MyTRS Upgrade—Two-factor authentication (TFA)

  Two-factor authentication (TFA) adds an extra layer of security to protect sensitive member data The MTRS is pleased to announce that the updated MyTRS, available to Employers on November 29th, features enhanced data security with two-factor authentication (TFA) login. The addition of TFA adds a lay...

• October 28, 2021

  MyTRS Upgrade—New training manuals for Employers to be mailed

  Make sure we have a current address In preparation for the MyTRS upgrade, the MTRS is pleased to announce two new training manuals for Employers: Active Member Deduction Reporting and Retiree Insurance Reporting. We will mail the new manuals directly to your district and post them to our website upo...

• October 21, 2021

  MyTRS Update—Support for all browsers and system downtime

  The MyTRS update, due at the end of November, supports all modern web browsers, including Chrome and Edge. Due to the update, MyTRS will be unavailable to Employers for two weeks, starting on Sunday, November 14 at 9 pm through the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, and will be operational on Monday, Nov...

• October 18, 2021

  Retiree insurance announcements and reminders

  1) Send all group insurance rate changes for January by 11/5/2021 for on-time processing We are asking all employers to send their retiree insurance changes by November 5th so we can enter them earlier and be more available to provide training and support during the upcoming MyTRS release. If you do...

• October 14, 2021

  Post-retirement employment hours limit increased to 1,200

  Legislative action increases the limit on hours for retired public employees from 960 to 1,200 annually As part of the FY2022 state budget process, the post-retirement hours limit was increased from 960 to 1,200 hours per calendar year, retroactive to July 1, 2021. The earnings restrictions on post-...

• October 7, 2021

  MyTRS—Updated version coming at the end of November

  An updated version of MyTRS is coming at the end of November 2021 and features compatibility with all modern web browsers, including Chrome and Edge, and enhanced login security with two-factor authentication. The MTRS is committed to ensuring a smooth transition by providing updated resources and s...

• October 1, 2021

  MyTRS will be offline this weekend

  MyTRS will be offline from 5pm Friday, October 1 through 6am Monday, October 4 for server maintenance. Please plan accordingly....

• September 28, 2021

  Fall monthly deduction report reminders

  With the 2021-2022 school year underway, we would like to offer you some reminders and a notice about a change in procedure to help you have a successful reporting year. 1. Discontinuing the use of HR Contract Term Starting with the 2021/2022 school year, you should no longer use the contract term o...

• August 27, 2021

  MTRS members’ 2020 account statements have mailed

  All 2020 annual statements have mailed as of August 26 to the home addresses of our more than 111,000 active and inactive members. For your reference, and in support of your continuing and valued efforts to have unenrolled members complete the MTRS online enrollment process, we are also taking this ...

• August 10, 2021

  Active employee registration: Three steps to setting up your new hires in MyTRS

  Step 1: Ensure that your employees are eligible for MTRS membership BEFORE you register your new hires in MyTRS, make sure that they are eligible for MTRS membership by reviewing our eligibility criteria. Key reminders Employees must meet all four regulatory eligibility requirements with the excepti...

• June 29, 2021

  Annual tips for efficient year-end deduction reporting

  1. Employee receiving a lump sum payment? Set the pay duration to “LS” in your payroll software. Change the pay duration field to “LS” in your payroll software prior to exporting your May deduction report to ensure that employees are setup correctly for the June report. 2. Fo...

• June 3, 2021

  Phishing alert–beware of email solicitations that reference the MTRS and offer “Retirement Reviews”

  Phishing alert–beware of email solicitations that reference the MTRS and offer “Retirement Reviews” Unsolicited emails may be “phishing” attempts. The MTRS is not affiliated with, nor do we endorse any commercial companies. We’ve recently been alerted of unsolicited emails to MTRS ...

• April 28, 2021

  Three retiree insurance reminders for the spring season

  1) Group insurance rate changes for July 1, 2021: Beat the rush! If you have already submitted your group insurance rate changes for July, thank you. If not, immediately complete our Group Rate Premium Change form ASAP and email it to insuranceupdates@trb.state.ma.us. Deadline reminder: For your Jul...

• April 27, 2021

  Current GASB Report for MTRS employers now available

  The MTRS has been working with representatives from the State Comptroller’s Office, the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), and KPMG to issue the GASB Statement No. 68 schedules for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2020 to be used by our employer units in their FY2021 financi...

• March 29, 2021

  Three critical reminders for active employee monthly deduction payments

  If you are not the contact who mails check payments to the MTRS, please forward this message to the appropriate contact. 1. The payment address for checks changed September 2019. Checks continue to be mailed to our former address and are being returned to sender by the USPS. Please be sure that you ...

• February 8, 2021

  Active MTRS member deduction reporting

  Deadline for finalizing 2020 reports is April 16, 2021 The deadline for finalizing the 2020 MTRS deduction reports is Friday, April 16, 2021. This year’s deadline is later than previous years to account for delays due to the ongoing pandemic. However, by statute, each monthly deduction report ...

• January 25, 2021

  Active member deduction reporting: Add your 2021 payroll calendar(s) in MyTRS

  Two critical reminders when adding your 2021 calendar(s) in MyTRS: Do not delete or overwrite any of your previous years’ calendars. Please follow the exact steps in the Guided Practice to preserve previous payroll calendars, which our staff use to generate service credit reports for members. ...

• January 12, 2021

  Note the 2021 pensionable earnings limits for employees with membership dates after 12/31/1995

  As you know, there are federal and state limits on the amount of pensionable earnings (“regular compensation”) that can be used in computing benefits for active members of public retirement systems with effective membership dates after 12/31/1995. What this means for employers For any me...

• December 21, 2020

  Waiver of post-retirement employment restrictions extended

  Legislation extends waiver of earnings and hours restrictions for most retired public employees through 2021. In April, Chapter 53 of the Acts of 2020 waived earnings and hours restrictions for many retired public employees working in the public sector for calendar year 2020, during the Governor’s S...

• December 14, 2020

  MyTRS will be offline 6pm Monday until 6am Tuesday

  MyTRS will be offline from 6pm Monday, December 14 through 6am Tuesday, December 15 for server maintenance. Please plan accordingly. Questions? Please feel free to contact Robert George  ...

• December 4, 2020

  Three retiree insurance reminders for the winter season

  1) Group insurance rate changes for January: Please send your new senior rates to us ASAP so everyone’s changes can be processed on time If you have already submitted your group insurance rate changes for January, thank you. If not, immediately complete our Group Rate Premium Change form and e...

• November 19, 2020

  MyTRS will be offline this weekend from 6pm Friday to 6am Monday

  MyTRS will be offline from 6pm Friday, November 20 to 6am Monday, November 23 for server maintenance. Please plan accordingly. Questions? Please feel free to contact Robert George.  ...

• October 20, 2020

  Employer questions on the FFCRA as it relates to retirement deductions and credit

  With the 2020-2021 school year starting, the MTRS has been receiving questions from employers about benefits paid under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”). We have listed the most common questions and answers below to help provide guidance for employers. Q: If we are p...

• October 1, 2020

  MTRS members’ 2019 account statements were mailed September 30

  2019 annual statements were mailed on September 30 to the home addresses of our more than 109,000 active and inactive members. For your reference, and in support of your continuing and valued efforts to have unenrolled members complete the MTRS online enrollment process, we are also taking this oppo...

• September 23, 2020

  MyTRS will be offline this weekend from 6pm Friday to 6am Monday

  MyTRS will be offline from 6pm Friday, September 25 to 6am Monday, September 28 for server maintenance. Please plan accordingly. Questions? Please feel free to contact Robert George.  ...

• September 15, 2020

  MyTRS will be offline today from 6pm to 9pm

  Updated 9/15/20 at 3:35pm MyTRS will be offline from 6pm to 9pm for server maintenance, we apologize for the short notice. Questions? Please feel free to contact Robert George  ...

• September 4, 2020

  MyTRS will be offline Friday evening to Monday morning

  From 9pm on Friday, September 4 through 6am on Monday, September 7, MyTRS will be offline for maintenance. During this time, MyTRS will not be available to newly enrolling members, and a message advising members that MyTRS is temporarily offline will appear on our “Welcome to MyTRS” and ...

• August 18, 2020

  Fall monthly deduction report reminders

  With the 2020-2021 school year starting shortly, we would like to offer some reminders to help you have a successful reporting year. 1. September deduction report audits An audit will be performed reviewing the salaries and position codes reported in your September report, you may be asked to confir...

• July 21, 2020

  Active employee registration: Three steps to setting up your new hires in MyTRS

  Step 1: Ensure that your employees are eligible for MTRS membership BEFORE you register your new hires in MyTRS, make sure that they are eligible for MTRS membership by reviewing our eligibility criteria. Key reminders Employees must meet all four regulatory eligibility requirements with the excepti...

• May 12, 2020

  Five tips for efficient year-end deduction reporting

  1. Employee receiving a lump sum payment? Set the pay duration to “LS” in your payroll software. Change the pay duration field to “LS” in your payroll software prior to exporting your May deduction report to ensure that employees are setup correctly for the June report. 2. Fo...

• May 7, 2020

  MTRS Guidance on potential furloughs and other fiscal emergency measures

  The MTRS is hearing that due to the anticipated economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, school district employers may be considering local cost saving measures and wondering how they would impact their employees’ retirement benefits. If your district is considering such measures, we encourag...

• April 30, 2020

  Current GASB Report for MTRS employers now available

  The MTRS has been working with representatives from the State Comptroller’s office, the Public Employees’ Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), and KPMG to issue the GASB Statement No. 68 schedules for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 to be used by our employer units in their FY2020 finan...

• April 15, 2020

  New State and Federal laws impact post retirement restrictions and paid sick leave

  As the MTRS continues to provide essential services remotely, we appreciate your assistance in providing benefits to your employees and retirees during this difficult time. New State and Federal laws impact post retirement restrictions and paid sick leave Legislation temporarily changes earnings and...

• April 8, 2020

  Three processing reminders for the spring season

  As the MTRS continues to provide essential services remotely, we appreciate your assistance providing benefits to your employees and retirees during this difficult time. Three processing reminders for the spring season Group insurance rate changes for July 1, 2020: Beat the rush! Deadline reminder: ...

• March 12, 2020

  Coronavirus (COVID-19) update

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, As we all continue to monitor the evolving impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the MTRS is implementing modifications...

• February 5, 2020

  Active MTRS member reporting

  Deadline for finalizing 2019 reports is March 27, 2020 The deadline for finalizing the 2019 calendar year deduction reports is Friday, March 27, 2020. We will notify Superintendents of “severely delinquent” employers with 4 or more months of deduction reports that have not reached “...

• January 17, 2020

  Note the 2020 pensionable earnings limits for employees with membership dates after 12/31/1995

  As you know, there are federal and state limits on the amount of pensionable earnings (“regular compensation”) that can be used in computing benefits for active members of public retirement systems with effective membership dates after 12/31/1995. What this means for employers For any me...

• December 9, 2019

  Active member deduction reporting: Add your 2020 payroll calendar(s) in MyTRS

  As the busy holiday and W-2 seasons approach, now is an ideal time to add your 2020 payroll calendar(s) in MyTRS. Two critical reminders when adding your 2020 calendar(s): Do not delete or overwrite any of your previous years’ calendars. Please follow the exact steps in the Guided Practice to ...

• November 12, 2019

  MTRS Board election now underway

  As we mentioned in our e-mail of July 31, 2019, we are now conducting an election for the two members of the Board who are elected by the active and retired members of our system. This election is held once every four years. If any of your employees who are MTRS members believe that they […]...

• November 6, 2019

  Active member reporting, new MyTRS feature: Ability to return reports to “Initial” status

  We are excited to announce a new feature in MyTRS that allows your district’s Employer Services Representative to return a deduction report in “Pending” status back to “Initial” status in order for you to be able to make required corrections or adjustments. If your repo...

• November 4, 2019

  Three retiree insurance reminders for the winter season

  1) Group insurance rate changes for January: Beat the rush! Please send your new senior rates to us ASAP so everyone’s changes can be processed on time If you have already submitted your group insurance rate changes for January, thank you. If not, at your earliest convenience, please complete ...

• October 22, 2019

  Monthly deduction report reminders for the fall

  With the 2019-2020 school year underway, we would like to offer some reminders to help you have a more successful reporting year. 1. September deduction report audits We will be reviewing the salaries and position codes reported in your September report, and may ask you to confirm or edit the provid...

• October 17, 2019

  Retirement seminars starting soon—Two western MA locations just added!

  UPDATED AS OF 10/24/2019 For MTRS Tier 1 members (established membership BEFORE April 2, 2012) As we recently announced, we will be presenting our popular “Ready for Retirement” seminar at 9 locations across the Commonwealth. Please remind your soon-to-be-retiring employees that we’...

• October 11, 2019

  Employer training programs on two topics to be presented in November

  Be sure to register at least five business days before your preferred session. Space is limited, so if you register and cannot attend, please notify us as soon as possible. If needed based on demand, we will schedule additional sessions and notify you of their availability. Feel free to share this e...

• September 9, 2019

  Mailing address for active member deduction payments has changed

  Effective immediately, the mailing address for all monthly deduction reporting payments by check has changed to: Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System PO Box 358020 Pittsburgh, PA 15251-5020 Our bank will be accepting payments at the old address for at least a few weeks so if you have rece...

• July 31, 2019

  MTRS Board election to be held this fall; please spread the word to your employees who are MTRS members

  As you may know, the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement Board is comprised of seven members, two of whom are elected by the members of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System for four-year terms. Since the terms of our incumbent elected members expire on December 31, 2019, the Boar...

• July 24, 2019

  MTRS deduction reporting: Follow these three steps to set up your new hires in MyTRS

  Step 1: Ensure that your employees are eligible for MTRS membership BEFORE you register your new hires in MyTRS, make sure that they are eligible for MTRS membership by reviewing our eligibility criteria. Key reminders Employees must meet all four regulatory eligibility requirements. (Exceptions: Th...

• June 26, 2019

  MTRS members’ 2018 account statements were mailed June 25

  On Tuesday, June 25, annual statements were mailed to the home addresses of our more than 109,000 active and inactive members. For your reference, and in support of your continuing and valued efforts to have unenrolled members complete the MTRS online enrollment process, we are also taking this oppo...

• June 21, 2019

  MyTRS will be offline Friday evening and Saturday

  MyTRS will be offline for maintenance tonight, 6–9pm, and tomorrow, 9am–6pm. During this time, MyTRS will not be available to members, and a message advising members that MyTRS is temporarily offline will appear on our Member sign in and Enroll in the MTRS pages. Questions? Contact your districtR...

• May 30, 2019

  MyTRS will be offline Friday evening to Monday morning

  From 6pm on Friday, May 31 through 6am on Monday, June 3, MyTRS will be offline for maintenance. During this time, MyTRS will not be available to newly enrolling members, and a message advising members that MyTRS is temporarily offline will appear on our “Enroll in the MTRS” page. Questi...

• May 23, 2019

  Ensure that your year-end deduction reporting goes smoothly with these five tips

  For any employee who will receive a lump sum payment for the summer, use the pay duration code of “LS” in your payroll software. Also, be sure to do this before you export your June deduction report from your payroll system. As a best practice, we recommend that you enter these LS codes ...

• May 6, 2019

  Please submit your retirees’ July group insurance rate changes by May 31st

  Deadline reminder: For your July 1st group rate changes to be processed in time to be reflected in our retirees’ June 30th checks (in payment of the July 1st premium), you must submit them no later than May 31st. If you have not yet submitted your group insurance rate changes for July premiums...

• May 1, 2019

  Employer training programs on two topics to be presented in June

  Be sure to register at least five business days before your preferred session. Space is limited, so if you register and cannot attend, please notify us as soon as possible. If needed based on demand, we will schedule additional sessions and notify you of their availability. Feel free to share this e...

• April 24, 2019

  Reminder: “Your MTRS Benefits” seminars coming soon—please spread the news!

  As we recently announced in our e-mail of April 11, in May we will be holding “Your MTRS Benefits” educational seminars throughout the Commonwealth. Please help us publicize our programs by reminding your employees who are MTRS members that they are being offered, and that this is a prim...

• April 11, 2019

  “Your MTRS Benefits” seminars coming soon—please spread the news!

  In May, we will be presenting “Your MTRS Benefits,” our two-hour retirement education program for all MTRS members who want to learn about the MTRS retirement plan and benefits. Please help us publicize our programs by letting your employees who are MTRS members know that they are being ...

• March 28, 2019

  Three processing reminders for the spring season

  Group insurance rate changes for July 1, 2019: Beat the rush! Deadline reminder: For your July 1st group rate changes to be processed in time to be reflected in our retirees’ June 30th checks (in payment of the July 1st premium), you must submit them no later than May 31st. If you have already...

• March 12, 2019

  Current GASB Report for MTRS employers now available

  Over the last few months, we have worked with representatives from the State Comptroller’s office, the Public Employees’ Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), and KPMG to issue the GASB Statement No. 68 schedules for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2018 to be used by our employer ...

• January 23, 2019

  Active member deduction reporting reminder: ADD your 2019 payroll calendar(s) in MyTRS

  It’s the start of a new year and that means it’s time to add your 2019 payroll calendar(s) in MyTRS. If you haven’t done this already, be sure to add your calendar(s) BEFORE you import your January report. When adding your 2019 calendar(s)… Do not delete or overwrite any of your pr...

• January 18, 2019

  MyTRS member registration process enhanced: New fields, new form

  In July 2018, in an effort to improve our online registration and enrollment processes for employers and members alike, we asked school district representatives who register our members in MyTRS for feedback on the process. As a result of your comments, we have made the following changes, which will...

• January 15, 2019

  Note the 2019 pensionable earnings limits for employees with membership dates after 12/31/1995

  As you know, there are federal and state limits on the amount of pensionable earnings (“regular compensation”) that can be used in computing benefits for active members of public retirement systems with effective membership dates after 12/31/1995. What this means for employers For any me...

• November 5, 2018

  Three annual reminders regarding MTRS retiree insurance processing

  1) Group insurance rate changes for January: Beat the rush! Please send your new senior rates to us ASAP so everyone’s changes can be processed on time If you have already submitted your group insurance rate changes for January, thank you; if not, at your earliest convenience, please complete ...

• October 25, 2018

  Employer training programs on two topics to be presented in November and December—register now!

  Be sure to register at least 5 business days before your preferred session. Space is limited, so if you register and cannot attend, please notify us as soon as possible. If needed based on demand, we will schedule additional sessions and notify you of their availability. Feel free to share this e-ma...

• October 24, 2018

  Member seminars starting soon; Woburn program just added

  “Ready for Retirement” seminars starting soon—Woburn program just added For MTRS Tier 1 members (established membership BEFORE April 2, 2012) As we recently announced, we will soon be presenting our popular “Ready for Retirement” seminar at 9 locations across the Commonwealth...

• October 22, 2018

  Employer news, October 18, 2018

  “Ready for Retirement” seminars coming soon— please spread the word! For MTRS Tier 1 members (established membership BEFORE April 2, 2012) In November, we will be presenting our popular “Ready for Retirement” seminar at 9 locations across the Commonwealth. Please remind your ...

• October 10, 2018

  MTRS employer news: 2018 Deduction reporting deadline and reminders

  Payroll deduction reporting updates Deadline for 2018 reports: March 8, 2019 We have recently begun notifying the superintendents of districts that are severely delinquent in deduction reporting of their district’s status, and we will send additional notices to delinquent districts in the comi...

• October 5, 2018

  Employer news, October 5, 2018

  For employers and members: Beware of sales solicitations that say “MTRS” We are not affiliated with, nor do we endorse, any commercial companies Occasionally, financial planning companies will use “MTRS” in their advertising or presentation materials, or otherwise imply that ...

• July 5, 2018

  MTRS update: Note the 2018 pensionable earnings limits for employees with membership dates after 12/31/1995

  As you know, there are federal and state limits on the amount of pensionable earnings (“regular compensation”) that can be used in computing benefits for active members of public retirement systems with effective membership dates after 12/31/1995. What this means for employers For any me...

• May 1, 2018

  MTRS news: Update regarding “regular compensation” for members receiving workers’ compensation

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, We are writing to advise employers that our regulatory agency, the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERA...

• April 10, 2018

  MTRS news: Three retiree insurance reminders for the spring season

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Please note these three reminders regarding retiree insurance processing: 1) Group insurance rate changes for July 1, 2018: B...

• April 9, 2018

  MTRS update: GASB Statement No. 68 Report now online

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Over the last few months, we have worked with representatives from the State Comptroller’s office, the Public Employees’ Reti...

• February 23, 2018

  MTRS notice: SJC decision regarding “regular compensation” for members receiving workers’ compensation

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, We are writing to advise employers that the Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed a determination by the Contributory Retiremen...

• November 27, 2017

  MTRS update: Upcoming enrollment outreach initiatives

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, As you know, your employees who are joining the MTRS for the first time, or who are already members and are changing district...

• November 7, 2017

  MTRS news: Three retiree insurance reminders for the fall season

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Please note our annual fall reminders regarding retiree insurance processing: Group insurance rate changes for January: Beat ...

• August 24, 2017

  MTRS update: 2 tips and 5 reminders for enrolling new hires

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, With the new school year about to begin, MTRS enrollment season is in full swing. Below are some tips and reminders for succe...

• January 3, 2017

  MTRS update: Payroll deduction reporting news, tips and reminders

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Please note these two important updates regarding: the deadline for finalizing all calendar year 2016 deduction reports; and ...

• October 21, 2016

  MTRS news: Three retiree insurance reminders for the fall season

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Please note these three timely fall reminders regarding retiree insurance processing: 1) Group insurance rate changes for Jan...

• March 23, 2016

  MTRS news: Two timely updates regarding deduction reporting

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, Please note these two timely updates: 1) The deadline for finalizing all calendar year 2015 deduction reports was Friday, Mar...

• January 14, 2016

  MTRS update: Payroll deduction reporting news, tips and reminders

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, Please note these two important updates regarding: the deadline for finalizing all calendar year 2015 deduction reports; and ...

• November 25, 2015

  MTRS news: Three important updates regarding retiree insurance processing

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Please note these three timely updates regarding retiree insurance processing: 1) Global insurance rate changes for January: ...

• February 6, 2015

  MTRS update: Retiree Insurance functions now available in MyTRS

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, In October, we added Retiree Insurance functions to the employer self-service area in MyTRS, and asked a small number of dist...

• December 8, 2014

  MTRS update: Payroll deduction reporting news, tips and reminders

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, Please note these two important updates regarding: 1) the deadline for finalizing all calendar year 2014 deduction reports; a...

• October 24, 2014

  MTRS update: You will need to change your MyTRS password on or after October 25, 2014

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, Please note that, pursuant to our MyTRS Password Security Policy, you will need to change your password when you sign on to M...

• July 21, 2014

  MTRS update: FINAL deadline for active members to submit Part 2 of §3 purchase applications is August 31, 2014

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, As you know, because of the extraordinary influx of §3 service purchase applications we received as a result of last year’s i...

• July 15, 2014

  MTRS reminders: Membership eligibility and the serious consequences of improper enrollment

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officers, Personnel Administrators and Town Treasurers, As you begin another busy hiring and MTRS enrollment season, I want to take this opportunity to remind you of the importance ...

• March 18, 2014

  MTRS update: Payroll deduction reporting news and a reminder

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, Please take note of these two timely updates: 1) 2013 deduction reports: The deadline for finalizing your calendar year 2013 ...

• March 6, 2014

  MTRS update: New process for reporting retiree insurance changes

  Dear School District Superintendents, Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officials, Town Treasurers, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Note: If your district is one of the 47 districts currently participating in the GIC’s Retired Municipal Teacher (RMT) program, this update do...

• February 7, 2014

  MTRS update: Payroll deduction reporting news, tips and reminders

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, Please take note of these three timely updates: 1) 2013 deduction reports: The deadline for finalizing your calendar year 201...

• December 13, 2013

  MTRS update: Payroll deduction reporting news, tips and reminders

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, Please note these important updates regarding: 1) the deadline for finalizing all calendar year 2013 deduction reports; 2) th...

• November 26, 2013

  MTRS reminder: Pensionable earnings limitations for members hired after 1/1/2011

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers: As a reminder, the federal Internal Revenue Code 401(a)(17) limits the amount of annual pensionable earnings (“regular compen...

• September 25, 2013

  MTRS update: October 2 deadline for Part 2 of §3 service purchase applications

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, As you know, due to the extraordinary influx of §3 service purchase applications as a result of the interest rate increase th...

• September 10, 2013

  MTRS update: Member online enrollment tool now available

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, As scheduled, the member self-service module in MyTRS is now available for your newly hired members to use to enroll in the M...

• August 22, 2013

  MTRS reminder: Member deadline to submit Part 2 of §3 purchase applications is October 2, 2013

  Dear School District Superintendents, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, Business Managers, Town Treasurers, Personnel Administrators and Payroll Officers, As explained in our broadcast e-mail of March 13, to help ease the administrative burden on you, and to assist members in qua...

• March 13, 2013

  MTRS reminder: April 2 is the deadline for purchasing §3 service at lower interest rate

  Dear School District Superintendents, Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officials, Town Treasurers, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, As a final reminder, and also clarification of our e-mail of February 15, the application filing deadlines for §3 creditable service purchases...

• February 15, 2013

  MTRS §3 service purchases at buyback interest: Member app portion due 4/2/2013; employer app portion due 10/2/2013

  Dear School District Superintendents, Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officials, Town Treasurers, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, As you know, pursuant to pension reform legislation enacted in November 2011, the interest rate charged on certain service purchases will doub...

• April 19, 2012

  MTRS update: Deduction reporting progress; future steps and deadlines, if applicable

  Dear School District Superintendents, Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officials, Town Treasurers, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, I am writing to bring you up to date on the progress that districts have made since my e-mail to you of February 16, and also to advise distri...

• February 16, 2012

  MTRS update: Deduction reporting

  Dear School District Superintendents, Directors, Business Managers, Payroll Officials, Town Treasurers, Charter School and Education Collaborative Directors, This communication is to report on the progress we are making with the new retirement contribution deduction reporting system and to ask for y...