As part of a financial audit, the Office of Retirement Services (ORS) sent an email from ors−outreach­­ @ michigan.­gov via research.net to select staff at each reporting unit. The email requests staff to complete an online form, to report information regarding when wages are earned compared to your reporting unit’s pay cycle. This information is vital for end-of-year budget planning.

Report request emails were sent Wednesday, Aug. 8. If you have already completed the report, thank you for providing the information. No further action is needed.

If you have not yet completed your report, we ask all reporting units to complete it by the end of the day Friday, Aug. 30.

If you are a contact for multiple reporting units, it is possible we sent the report request email to another contact within your reporting unit. Please check with your other contacts on file with ORS to see whether someone else may have received the email for the other reporting unit(s).

If you received the email but are not the correct person to provide the data, please forward the email to the correct person.

If you have not received an email but believe you should have, please check your junk or spam folders, and check with your other contacts on file with ORS to see whether someone else may have received the email for your reporting unit.

The first day of school is fast approaching. Use this recently updated Back-to-School Checklist to ensure you aren’t missing or forgetting any important reporting tasks as the new school year gets underway.

Bonuses are payments made to employees that are not guaranteed, not associated with additional duties or merit-based activities, or not defined in the contract or union agreement. A payment is considered a bonus if it meets this definition, regardless of whether your reporting unit calls it a bonus payment.

Bonus payments are considered nonreportable compensation for retirement purposes on DTL2 records; however, they are considered part of gross earnings and should be reported on DTL4 record.

Examples of bonus payments include but are not limited to:

• Signing bonuses.
• Retention bonuses.
• Termination incentive payments.
• Revenue-sharing payments.

For more information see 4.03: Nonreportable compensation.

Voya Financial is ready to attend your benefit fair and/or professional development day to discuss the benefits of the State of Michigan 401(k) and 457 Plans and answer questions. Call the Michigan-based education team at 517-284-4422 to reserve your date(s).