TRS tells employers how to complete annual certification; deadline Aug. 15 and $250/day late penalty

A staff member for the Teachers' Retirement System told employer representatives that annual certification of employer reports must be completed and submitted by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15, and warned that a $250-per-day late filing penalty may apply if reports are not timely filed.

The presenter said the annual certification compiles employer contributions, reported earnings and service credit for more than 160,000 active TRS members and that the process can only be started after all pay-period reports for the 2024–25 fiscal year are uploaded and processed. A link to begin the certification was made available July 1; clicking that link freezes uploads for the 2024–25 reports and begins the process that produces final totals used for pension benefits.

The presenter said the certification workflow contains six pages employers must review: General/member summary, Edit Explanations, Final Sick Leave, Federally Funded Salaries, Workers' Compensation and the Final Annual Certification Review. Employers must mark each page "review complete" at the bottom of the page; changes on one page can affect others, requiring rechecks. Employers cannot add members…