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TFFR Retirement Eligibility Reports available by request

A critical part of workforce planning is analyzing staffing needs and strategizing in preparation for employee retirements. TFFR's retirement eligibility report includes:  

• a 30-year projection of TFFR member retirement eligibility.  
• member names, for workforce planning. (Note that the personal information included in the report must be kept confidential.) 

If you are interested in receiving a retirement eligibility report for your organization, contact RIO. Upon request, we will produce and send the report. The report is available after Nov. 1.

Member Action forms are required

A Member Action form must be completed when a TFFR participating employer:

1. Hires a new teacher, administrator, or superintendent. These hires should also complete a Designation of Beneficiary form.
2. An inactive TFFR member returns to covered employment.
3. A TFFR member takes or returns from a leave of absence.

The form is due within 30 days after a member is first reported to TFFR. Employers will be assessed a $250 penalty for late reporting.

How to complete and submit a Member Action form:

1. Find the current form on RIO's website. (If you submit an outdated form, you may be asked to complete it a second time to ensure all required information is provided.)
2. Contact RIO to request a secure link to send the form and supporting documents.
3. A RIO staff member will send an email with a link to the State of North Dakota's Secure File Transfer System.
4. Scan the form and documents creating one PDF. (Only the sides of the form where you provided the member's information are needed.)
5. Upload the PDF to the File Transfer System and click submit. Once RIO receives the form and documents, it will be promptly processed.

Not sure if your new hire is a TFFR-covered employee, see NDCC § 15-39.1-04.

What should I do with the Employer Summary Report?

At the end of August, RIO mailed a 2022-2023 Employer Summary Report to our TFFR employer partners. 

1. If you haven’t done so yet, review the report to verify that your reported salaries and service hours are correct. Be sure to confirm that all salaries were reported in the year earned. The most common error is reporting in the wrong fiscal year. 
2. Keep the report handy. When you work with your auditors, they will request the report for documentation purposes, so don’t throw it away.  

If you have questions or if you find reporting errors, contact RIO so that the associated TFFR member accounts can be corrected. 

Retired TFFR members can return to work with limits

Retired TFFR members (i.e., teachers, administrators and supervisors) can return to TFFR-covered employment with limitations. Be sure to review the communication RIO sent to our employer partners in September to make sure you aren't putting retirees benefits in jeopardy and that you are properly reporting their salaries, contributions and hours.

Preview TFFR's new Pension Administration System

TFFR's much-heralded new pension administration system is still on schedule and under budget! Those are both great achievements for a large-scale information technology project. RIO is currently completing the design phase of the project and will soon begin testing to provide assurance the system is performing as needed. Presently, the new system is scheduled to go active in the fall of 2024. As we are about one year away from the launch, RIO is beginning a campaign to educate and inform our business partners and members about the new system and the opportunities that it presents for easier reporting, more transparency and improved accuracy. Interested in a first look? RIO will preview the new pension administration system during breakout sessions at the 2023 NDCEL and NDSBA conferences. We encourage all our employer partners who are responsible for TFFR member enrollment and reporting to attend one of these informational events.

Model 2 Partial will move to full percentages only

Over the past year, the TFFR board of trustees has conducted a review of its policies and procedures seeking to become more efficient and streamlined in order to make program administration and participation more manageable. Among the policies adopted is a change to the Model 2 Partial percentages an employer may pay in member contributions.  

Beginning July 1, 2025, member contributions paid by the employer must be in full percentages (e.g., an employer may contribute 1% or 2% of the member contributions for an employee). They can no longer make partial contributions (e.g., an employer cannot contribute 1.5%). As long as contribution are in a full percentage increment, employers can continue to make member contributions for employees. 

Please contact RIO with any clarifications regarding this policy change. Again, the change is not effective until July 1, 2025, allowing employers time for contract modifications and budgeting concerns. 

Upcoming education and outreach events

Are you new to TFFR employer reporting or looking for a refresher? RIO will host a New Business Manager Workshop, Nov. 2, 2023, 10:00-11:30 a.m., CT. Register or learn more

Have TFFR members who are nearing retirement? The agency will offer a virtual Group Benefit Presentation on Nov. 29, 2023, 5:00-6:30 p.m., CT. Learn more

Want a preview of the new Pension Administration System's employer portal or a face-to-face visit with the TFFR program staff? Chief Retirement Officer Chad Roberts will "Preview TFFR's Modernized Employer Reporting System" and the agency staff will have an exhibit booth at the NDCEL and NDSBA conferences later this month. 

Keep up with TFFR program changes through Info Mixers

RIO hosted its first TFFR Info Mixer of the new school year in September with program staff presenting current salary, contribution and service hour reporting requirements, including what to report if you are employing a retired teacher. 

Info mixers are educational with formal presentations followed by Q&A. RIO hosts the 30–45 minute webinars during the school year. For our employer partners who are unable to attend, the mixer are recorded and posted on the TFFR employer webpage under the Presentations dropdown.  

What does audit want now? Find out on Nov. 2

Do you feel like you are always getting requests for an audit? Wonder how you get selected? What are the auditors looking for or checking? Well, here is your chance to ask RIO’s internal audit staff your questions. Sara Seiler and Dottie Thorsen will speak during the New Business Manager Workshop on Nov. 2, 2023.    

In case you missed it . . . 

Evanoff appointed to TFFR board of trustees, Sept. 26, 2023 

Burgum creates Teacher Retention and Recruitment Task Force, Sept. 8, 2023 

DPI receives grant to help paraprofessionals become teachers, Sept. 7, 2023

Burgum grants request from ESPB for flexibility to address teacher shortage, Aug. 8, 2023

North Dakota the first state to obtain approval for principal apprenticeships, July 14, 2023 

Retirement Reminders: where RIO answers your questions

Welcome to Retirement Reminders, where RIO's retirement specialists answer your questions about the TFFR program. With the start of a new school year, reportable compensation is a frequent question. Below are two questions RIO regularly receives from our members and employer partners. 

If an employee holds a teaching license, do they automatically contribute to TFFR? 

No, it depends on their position and job duties. If the position requires a teaching license and meets the criteria outlined on page 10 of TFFR’s Employer Guide then yes, they should be reported. A great example is the business manager. If the person employed as the business manager is licensed, they are reportable to TFFR. If the business manager doesn't hold a teaching license, they are not eligible for the program and should not be reported. 
  
At our school, employees who do not participate in the school’s health care plan receive an extra payment. Is this considered reportable compensation? 

No, under the definition of salary, NDCC 15-39.1, this payment is not reportable: 
a) “Fringe benefits or side, nonwage, benefits that accompany or are in addition to a member’s employment, including insurance programs, annuities, transportation allowances, housing allowances, meals, lodging, or expense allowances, or other benefits provided by a member’s employer.” 
b) “Insurance programs, including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, long-term care, workforce safety and insurance, or other insurance premium benefits.” 
f) “Amounts received by a member in lieu of previously employer-provided benefits or payments that are made on an individual basis.”

Have a question for RIO's retirement specialists, contact the agency.

Connections: meet an employer and a program employee

Cathi Heuchert, Grafton Public Schools A little bit about me . . .  My name is Cathi Heuchert, and I have been the business manager at Grafton Public School for 17 ½ years.  I grew up in Grafton and returned here soon after graduation from Moorhead State University with a degree in accounting. I spent 21 years working in the accounting department at the local GM and CaseIH dealer prior to accepting the position at the school. My husband, Glenn, and I have been married for 40 years and have a son, Aaron, who will soon be 30 years old. We also have a chocolate lab named Sadie and three farm cats.   What is your favorite book, tv show, or movie? I like to read, but don’t find a lot of time at this point. My book, tv show or movie of choice is a good mystery or crime drama. I like a lot of suspense or twists and turns in the plot.  Where is your favorite place to vacation? I enjoy camping just about anywhere to get away and relax. Some of my favorite places are Lake Bronson and Itasca State Parks in MN; Lake Metigoshe, Turtle River and Icelandic State Parks in ND; and the ND Badlands. We feel fortunate to have such beautiful places to visit in our state and neighboring states.  What is your favorite hobby? I love the outdoors, so biking, hiking and geocaching are some of my favorite activities.  When not outdoors, I enjoy diamond art painting, playing piano and organ, watching the MN Vikings and MN Wild, and attending UND hockey games.  What do you like best about your job? I like the variety of duties and the many changes and challenges I have seen throughout the years. It is a job that keeps me hopping and never bored!  What advice/tips would  you offer other Business Managers? We have a wonderful resource in the business manager listserv, so take advantage of networking with others when you need a question answered. Always remember that there is no stupid question. We are all always learning. Often it just helps to connect with someone else to know that we all occasionally run into situations where we second guess ourselves and need reassurance. Most of all, work hard and be nice to people!

Rachelle Smith, Retirement and Investment Office Tell us about life before you joined the RIO team? I grew up on a farm by Bowbells, ND, and married my high school sweetheart after college. We lived in five states and moved nine times before we settled in Bismarck, our home for the last 23 years. We have two children, a daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and a spoiled rescue pup. I have worked a variety of jobs throughout the moves and years. I have been a state employee for 14 years.    What is your educational background? I graduated from Bismarck State College with an AAS in Secretarial Science (a degree no longer offered which probably has me aging myself).  Why did you choose to work for RIO? I was looking for the perfect job and the position as the Retirement Division's administrative assistant checked all the right boxes. My interview with RIO is my all-time favorite and I knew it was the place where I was meant to be. I applied because I missed having creativity in my work and this position offers a mix of all the work I enjoy doing.   What aspects of your job do you find the most challenging? Keeping on top of all that is happening at the agency and with the TFFR program, but it is also what I like the best as no day is the same.   What do you enjoy doing in your free time away from work? My husband and I along with Rivers, our dog, love to spend time fishing at the lake in the summer. Bonus is if the relaxing at our lake place includes family and friends. We also enjoy four wheeling and traveling. I love to make projects with my Scan ‘n Cut, making fishing lures, and reading. But my newest, most favorite, is baby snuggles with our one-month-old granddaughter. I am so enjoying this grandma gig!

Need to correct a report?

Did you discover a reporting problem and need help getting it corrected, contact the agency.

Make a seamless transition, sign up for ACH payments

To prepare for the launch of TFFR's new pension administration system, RIO is asking employers to sign up for Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments. 

• Employers that sign up now will have a seamless transition to the new system.
• Making payments with ACH saves time and money, one less check to manually cut and mail each month.
• ACH payments offer increased security and fast delivery.

More than 75% of TFFR employers have requested the paperwork and are sending payments by ACH. Have questions or need more information, contact the agency.

TFFR forms shortcut

Always use the forms on RIO’s website. Using forms you print and file puts you at risk of using outdated materials which may require you to complete a form again.

Employing a new teacher, complete a Member Action form and a Designation of Beneficiary form. Note that only ND licensed teachers are eligible for TFFR's benefit program. If you employee a teacher who has a permit or sub-license only, they should NOT be reported.

Employing a retiree, complete a Retired Member Employment Notification form each year a retiree is employed. Submit the form no later than 30 days after their employment begins. 

Did a TFFR member move or get married? They need to complete a Change of Name or Address form. 

Download TFFR Fast Facts

Looking for contribution rates or member tiers. Download the 2022 TFFR Fast Facts.