Employer Frequently Asked Questions

I am a new payroll clerk and the person that I replaced left before I started; I received no training on how to complete the payroll reports for MainePERS. Could you help me?

A:  We can help you over the phone and arrange a time for one-on-one remote training. Please contact us at 512-3200 or via e-mail at [email protected]. 

Do you have the new employer rate that goes into effect July 1?

A:  The most current rates are posted on our web site each year once available to MainePERS. You can find the current rates here. 

I have an employee that I should have been deducting MainePERS contributions from that did not appear on my monthly payroll report. What do I do?

A: If the earnings are in the current contract year, you will need to submit an adjustment form (by month) through ESS. If the earnings are in prior years, you will need to submit the earnings by year to your employer services technician so that a cost can be determined. Please contact your employer services technician if you have any questions.

How do I report a full-time employee that is out on a Leave of Absence (LOA)?

A: If you are continuing to pay this employee, report them in the same manner as you did before, using the full-time Personnel Status Code (PSC) and Position Code. You would also need to submit a Personnel Status Change Form through ESS for this employee, notifying MainePERS of the employee’s leave of absence. Lastly, a Personnel Status Change Form should be submitted to MainePERS upon the employee’s return to work, notifying us about the end of the leave.

I have an employee that is a substitute teacher and a substitute Ed Tech II. How do I report this?

A: If your employee is paid on an hourly basis as a Substitute Ed Tech II and on a daily basis as a Substitute Teacher, the information for each position must be reported separately. This enables MainePERS to credit your employee with an accurate amount of creditable service. You should use Position Code Y0209 for both positions, and report each time unit code (H or D) as separate lines on the monthly payroll detail report. 

I have an employee that is getting paid two different hourly rates. What should I do?

A: If your employee holds one position, but is getting paid two separate rates of pay, due to shift differential or overtime, for example, the employee is expected to be reported on one line with their base rate of pay.

If your employee holds one position, but is getting paid a different rate of pay for separate duties, then this should be reported on two separate lines. For instance, if you have an ED Tech II (Y0207) that works three days per week in the Middle School at $25.00 per hour, and two days per week at the High School at $30.00 per hour, these are two separate base rates of pay, and should be reported as such.

If your payroll software doesn’t have the capability to report these lines separately, and you report electronically to MainePERS, the expectation is that you report all the earnings on one line, then submit an adjustment form to separate the information into two lines. If you file manually, you may add a line to the payroll report and enter the details prior to submission. Please contact your employer services technician if you need assistance.

I have an employee that is a long-term substitute. What Personnel Status Code (PSC) and Position code do I use?

A: You should code them as a substitute, 17-Y0209. 

I have been deducting contributions from a retiree. How do I report a retiree correctly on the payroll report and what about the contributions that have already been deducted and sent to MainePERS?

A: Please contact your employer services technician or account associate as soon as you discover an error and we will assist you.

I have a new hire and I would like to check and see if they were previously a member of MainePERS. What do I do?

A: Contact MainePERS Employer Services Unit at (207) 512-3200, or by email [email protected] and we will confirm if the employee has prior membership with MainePERS.

I would like to know if this employee is retired from MainePERS.

A: Contact MainePERS Employer Services Unit at (207) 512-3200, or by email [email protected] and we will confirm if the employee is a retiree.

Our payroll software combined last month and this month’s information on one report. What do I do?

A: Unfortunately, if your software cannot separate the two months, you will need to correct the payroll reports manually, creating one report for each month. Because each month (or filing period) must be entered into MainePERS records separately, we cannot accept combined reports.

I have an hourly employee who wants the pay for their school year earnings extended through the summer months, how do I report them?

A: Details regarding rules and reporting requirements on the ‘Wage Payment Option’ can be found here.

I am a new payroll clerk and the person that I replaced left before I started.  I’ve received no training on how to complete the payroll reports for MainePERS. Could you help me?

A: We can help you over the phone and arrange a time for one-on-one remote training. Please contact us at 512-3200 or via e-mail at [email protected].

I have an employee that I should have been deducting MainePERS contributions from and they did not appear on my monthly payroll report. What do I do?

A: If the earnings are in the current contract year, you will need to submit an adjustment form (by month) through ESS. If the earnings are in prior years, you will need to submit the earnings by year to your employer services technician so that a cost can be determined. Please contact your employer services technician if you have any questions.

How do I report a full-time employee that is out on a Leave of Absence (LOA)?

A: If you are continuing to pay this employee, report him/her in the same manner as you did before, using the full-time Personnel Status Code (PSC) and Position Code. You would also need to submit a Personnel Status Change Form through ESS for this employee, notifying MainePERS of the employee’s leave of absence. Lastly, a Personnel Status Change Form should be submitted to MainePERS upon the employee’s return to work, thus notifying us about the end of the leave.

I’ve been deducting contributions from a retiree, how do I report him correctly on the payroll report and what about the contributions that have already been deducted and sent to MainePERS?

A: Please contact your employer services technician for assistance.

I have a new hire and I would like to check and see if they were previously a member of MainePERS. What do I do?

A: Contact MainePERS Employer Services Unit at (207) 512-3200, or by email [email protected] and we will confirm if the employee has prior membership with MainePERS.

I would like to know if this employee is retired from MainePERS.

A: Contact MainePERS Employer Services Unit at (207) 512-3200, or by email [email protected] and we will confirm if the employee is a retiree.

Our payroll software combined last month and this month’s information on one report. What do I do?

A: Unfortunately, if your software cannot separate the two months, you will need to correct the payroll reports manually, creating one report for each month. Because each month (or filing period) must be entered into MainePERS records separately, we cannot accept combined reports.

I have been reporting an employee under the wrong plan code for the past 3 years; do we have to pay back the past Employer Contributions that were due?  How do we do that?

A: Yes, please contact your MainePERS employer services technician or account associate for assistance.