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 A Nelson’s checkermallow flower (sidalcea nelsoniana) in the Willamette Valley. Because of conservation efforts by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a local coalition, populations of this and other threatened and endangered species of local prairie wildflowers are rebounding. Learn more on the Benton County Prairie Species Habitat Conservation Plan website.
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EDX questionnaire coming soon
Help shape the next-generation EDX
The time you have waited for is almost here. Get out your EDX wish lists and tell PERS what you want to see in your future reporting system!
The PERS Modernization Team is tasked with redesigning the PERS pension administration system and the interface you use to report data to PERS. Eventually, this system will replace Employer Data Exchange (EDX).
All PERS employer reporters will soon receive an email invitation to complete a questionnaire. Your input will be an important part of the functionality design of the system.
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When you receive the email invitation, click the link to answer questions about how you transmit your information to PERS, the pain points you have with current employer data-reporting methods, and features that would improve your user experience.
Your feedback is essential to designing a system that supports accurate reporting, streamlined interactions, and an improved overall employer experience.
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Thank you,
PERS Modernization Team
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The Employer Service Center (ESC) team is thrilled to announce a major milestone in employer reporting.
Together with you, the ESC team has succeeded in posting all prior-year wage records reported through 2025. At this time, the only suspended records remaining are on this year’s reports.
This achievement will have two main benefits:
1. This year’s year-end cleanup process should be a breeze.
2. Once all 2026 wage records are reported and posted, and all invoices are paid by year-end closing, employers can avoid prior-year earnings statements for 2026 wage records. That is a big savings.
You have done the work and deserve a huge shout-out. Thank you to all of our employers for partnering with the ESC team to achieve this important milestone!
~Employer Service Center representatives and staff
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Top 5 things employer reporters are
doing RIGHT
Last July, Employer News shared employers’ top five reporting errors. This year, let’s look at the bright side — what are most employer reporters doing right?
1. Contacting ESC for a status check on new employees.
Many of you are contacting ESC to request a status check before reporting a new employee in EDX.
You see that contacting your ESC representative (or the Call Center) before submitting the new-hire record saves time and effort down the road.
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2. Looking up instructions.
Let’s be honest — EDX is not always intuitive. For one example, you would not think to use a status code called “11 – Retiree New Hire with Hour Limit” to hire a retiree who has no annual-hour limit. When faced with a challenge like this, you are going to the employer guides (in this case, guide 8, Hiring a PERS Retiree), quick references (e.g., EDX Status Codes), calling the Call Center (888-320-7377 option 4), or contacting your ESC representative.
Taking the time to look up how to report information correctly saves you time, effort, and frustration in the long run.
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3. Getting your payroll system to work with EDX.
In ESC, we understand that we cannot help with this. We would if we could. Considering the complexity of both systems, this is an impressive achievement.
4. Signing up for Debit (pull) payment in Automated Clearing House (ACH).
This option saves work and ensures your payments are on time.
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5. Attending live events.
We understand that you are balancing many responsibilities, only one of which is PERS reporting. More and more of you are taking the time to attend a monthly webinar session or a Thursday Meet ’n Greet. We are so proud of your commitment to supporting your staff through accurate PERS reporting.
Monthly ESC webinars
Webinars cover specific, beginner-to-intermediate reporting activities such as reporting a new employee, hiring a PERS retiree, correcting suspended records, and understanding your statement. All webinars include plenty of time for questions. Since the monthly webinar program began, it has served about 2,060 attendees, and monthly attendance continues to grow. Information is on the Training webpage.
Thursday Meet ’n Greets for new employer reporters
These are one-hour virtual meetings in which the ESC employer trainer explains employer reporting, answers questions, and shows the different training options and resources. Nearly 300 new employer reporters and web administrators have attended a Meet ‘n Greet so far. Anyone is welcome to attend, and people can attend more than once. To sign up, email Rachel Schizas.
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Questions?
Contact the Employer Service Center through the ESC Call Center or your representative.
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Dear Rep,
My record suspended, but I don't understand the EDX error message.
What do I do? Thanks, Error Message Mystery
DEAR MYSTERY:
This is a great question.
Some EDX error messages are pretty straightforward. Bad Format and Flagged errors usually point out math errors and entries that EDX just wants you to double check.
For example, “F - The Regular Hours are zero and the wage code is 01.” You either forgot to enter hours with wage code 01, or you are reporting wages without hours and should use wage code 08 instead of 01.
Suspended record errors, on the other hand, can be more difficult to figure out. For example, “The SSN entered is not found to have a record of open employment with this employer” has at least five possible causes.
To solve an error message mystery, follow these steps:
1. Open employer reporting guide 6, Correcting Suspended Records.
2. Click on any page and press Ctrl + F. A search field opens in the top right of the document (systems may vary).
3. Enter the first couple of words from the error message. The search tool will show you where that message is in the guide, the possible reasons why you got that error message, and solutions for fixing the error.
4. If none of the solutions fits or fixes your situation, please contact your ESC rep. You can even schedule some one-on-one time to open your account and correct the issue together.
Have a question for Dear Rep?
Email it to pers.edx.support@pers.oregon.gov.
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Employer contribution rates are updated on July 1 of every odd year based on the information in the actuarial valuations done 18 months prior. Therefore, this is not a rate-change year.
However, you can see an estimate of your rates for the 2027-29 biennium by reviewing your 2024 actuarial valuation report (published in 2025 and based on 2024 valuation data). Reports published in odd years (based on data from the previous even year) are advisory, meaning informational only.
Valuation reports are posted on the Actuarial Valuations webpage.
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A large number of employer side accounts will reach their end date in 2027. This means that a rate offset that was “purchased” by that side account 20 years ago will end next year.
PERS Actuarial Services is working with all 143 affected employers to keep them apprised of the status of their account or accounts, their options, and the side account expiration process.
Learn the process and the statuses a side account can go through on its journey to its December 31, 2027, end date on the Side Accounts webpage. Scroll to the section “Expiration of Side Accounts in 2027.”
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Only a side account can cause an even-year rate change
The only reason an organization’s rate would change in an even year is because of the start or end of a side account.
- If a side account amortizes or expires — that is, reaches zero (or less) balance or hits its 20-year expiration date — the rate offset it has been supplying stops.
- If an employer opens a new side account, the offset could begin in an even year under two scenarios:
- If the employer made the side account deposit without a calculation the previous even year.
- If the employer made the side account deposit with a calculation and requested an even-year start.
Learn more about opening a side account on the Side Accounts webpage, “Benefits of a Side Account.”
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July 1 was the membership start date for December hires and active-service positions
July 1 is a popular contribution start date (CSD), so there are a couple of things you need to know. First, it is the CSD for:
- Eligible employees who were hired into qualifying positions between December 2 and December 31, 2025, and completed their six-month wait time on June 30, 2026.
- Eligible employees in non-qualifying positions who were employed on or before January 1, 2026, and worked 600 hours or more in the first half of 2026. The start of their wait time would be counted as January 1 through June 30, 2026, making them qualifying members (technically “active service”) as of July 1.
Once a non-qualifying employee reaches 600 hours within a calendar year, submit a Demographic Correction Request to have their position type changed to active service, as explained in employer guide 10, Reporting Wages for a Non-Qualifying Employee, section “Changing From Non-Qualifying to Qualifying Status,” subsection “When an Employee Reaches 600 Hours Working for One Employer” or “When an Employee Reaches 600 Hours Working for Multiple Employers.”
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Definitions
CSD An employee’s CSD is their first day of PERS membership. It is the first day of the month after they complete their wait time. For a chart listing the CSD for every employee start date in 2026, go to this new List of 2026 Hire-Date CSDs (PDF).
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Eligible employee In this context, an eligible employee is one who has successfully achieved their six-month wait time and is eligible for membership. Wait-time rules are in employer guide 1, Overview of PERS, section “PERS Membership.”
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Paying qualifying wages Once these employees achieve membership, you begin submitting IAP contributions on their salary earned as of the first full pay period after July 1. Also, you start seeing contribution charges on your invoices.
For previously non-qualifying employees, you start reporting wages as qualifying after ESC changes their position type to active service. For instructions on reporting wages for an employee in a qualifying position, refer to employer reporting guide 9, Reporting Wages for a Qualifying Employee.
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Save or print this newsletter
A link to the web version of this newsletter will be posted on the Newsletters webpage within a day after publication. Open it and click the link at the top to open the web version, which you can save as a PDF to your files and/or print.
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Need help?
Contact the Employer Service Center to ask questions and get one-on-one reporting help.
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