Employer Resources

NHRS provides a variety of instructional and informational material for employers. This page serves as a jumping off point for a variety of employer-related information, organized by topic.

Additional employer resource material is in development, so employers are encouraged to check this page regularly. If there are topics not covered on this page you would find useful, please let us know.

Important Updates

DRS Upgrade Project: Parallel Processing begins October 9!

NHRS is only a few weeks from the start of our pension administration system upgrade. Click here to view the latest news on the DRS Upgrade Project page.

Click here for training materials and handouts related to the upgrade. These materials will be added to this page in December, when the current system goes offline.

NHRS Data Reporting System (DRS)

  • DRS Overview
    • Note: Instructions and other training materials related to the DRS upgrade project are available here. The materials below are for the existing DRS portal.

      The NHRS Data Reporting System (DRS) is an online portal for participating employers that consists of three separate modules:

      • The Employer Reporting module is used to report monthly wage and contribution data for active, full-time employees.
      • The Retiree Reporting module is used to report hours worked and compensation paid to NHRS retirees who are on the payroll. This reporting is done annually.
      • Employers and third-party administrators (TPAs) use the Insurance Reporting module to update insurance premiums and to submit insurance authorizations for their retirees.

      The DRS is accessed through a link (Employer DRS) on the main NHRS website. Employers must contact an Employer Services representative to obtain an initial NHRS-assigned password. 

      During the first login, employers will be required to create a new password for future logins.  DRS passwords will need to be a minimum of eight characters in length.  Passwords must have a mixture of letters, numbers, and special characters.  In this mixture you must have at least one letter (A through Z, upper), one number (0 through 9) and at least one special character: ~!@#$^()_,.'?+-=

      If employers attempt to log into the DRS unsuccessfully three times, a lockout will occur.  Passwords will be automatically reset after 10 minutes.  In the event an immediate sign on is necessary, please contact a NHRS DRS Support representative at (603) 410-3508 for assistance. 

      NHRS remains committed to ensuring the security of our equipment and data.  Therefore, passwords must be changed every 120 days.  This feature protects confidential employer and NHRS data.

      Logging into the DRS

      Written instructions: Logging into the DRS
      Recorded presentation: Logging into the DRS
      DRS Access Form  (Employers must submit this form to add, terminate, or modify DRS access for authorized users)

  • Employer Reporting Module
    • Employers are required to submit data reports to the New Hampshire Retirement System by the 15th of each month, and send member and employer contributions to the retirement system by the 25th of each month, in order to avoid the imposition of penalties for late payment or incorrect data

      Employers may submit member payroll reporting files via web entry or XML, comma-delimited, or fixed-length files. For employers not using web entry and instead submitting a file, XML is the preferred method among the three choices.

      Employer reporting files layouts

      The following file layouts for reporting member wage and contribution data are available for download by employers and/or their payroll vendors: 

      Note: NHRS makes available to participating employers an XML Schema Verification Application to test whether their file is valid before uploading it. (Read more)

      Submitting reporting files

      NHRS has created step-by-step instructions for employers on how to submit their reporting files via  file upload and web entry: 

      In 2011, the Legislature made a number of changes to the retirement system statute, including changes to the definition of Earnable Compensation that impact employer reporting. Most of these changes involve members who were not vested prior to January 1, 2012. For reporting purposes, employers are able to check a member's vested status as of December 31, 2011:

      Written instructions: How to Lookup Vested Members 

      In the event that an employer compliance audit finds that wage information was reported incorrectly, employers must submit corrected data to NHRS via a file upload to the DRS. For instructions on how to submit corrected data, see:

      Written instructions: Reporting Corrected Wages 

        File exceptions

        When a reporting file has been submitted after passing the balancing process, it may fail the editing process due to Reporting Exceptions, or errors, in the batch file. NHRS has developed step-by-step instructions for clearing common exceptions:

        Note: There are a handful of exceptions that must be cleared by NHRS: 

        • Salary Variance Exceeded
        • Save to PensionGold failed
        • Pay Period is after termination date
        • Pay Period prior to employment date (Employers may clear this In some instances, see instructions above)

        Glossary of DRS terms

        Submission of Payments

        Employers must send their contributions to NHRS via payment voucher in the DRS. Please assure that payment is actually received by NHRS no later than the 25th of each month. 

        Written instructions: How to Enter a Payment Voucher 

        Pay by ACH

        NHRS accepts payments by ACH (Automated Clearing House) and encourages all employers to make their contribution payments using this method, which is the most secure and timely payment option available. 

        NHRS has partnered with Citizens Bank to create "NHRS QuickPay," an online bill pay service to facilitate the submission of employer contributions via ACH at no cost to employers.

        Employers who use their own ACH module may contact Kelly McGarr at (603) 410-3652 for ACH setup instructions. 

        Payment Discrepencies 

        Employers may receive email notification if a payment discrepancy exists between their monthly contributions payment and what NHRS expects the payment to be based on reported wages from the posted batch. Please note that discrepancies of up to $10 (either above or below the expected payment amount) will be accepted by the DRS. 

        If you see a payment discrepancy in your submitted contributions, there are reports available in the DRS that can help to locate the error. NHRS has prepared a guide to help employers navigate these reports. 

        Written instructions: Reconciliation Reports

    • Retiree Reporting Module
      • Legislation effective January 1, 2019, modified the laws governing NHRS retirees who work part-time for retirement system participating employers. These changes also impact how employers report retiree data to NHRS. Annual reporting of retiree hours worked and compensation paid in the prior calendar year is due to NHRS no later than February 15.  

        Grandfathering provision

        The law also contains a “grandfathering” provision that allows retirees already working part-time for an NHRS-participating employer(s) as of January 1, 2019, to work a maximum of 1,664 hours per calendar year for as long as they remain in the position they held on the effective date of the bill. This is a greater annual hourly limit than allowed for non-grandfathered retirees, who may work up to 1,352 hours per calendar year.

        In order for NHRS to effectively administer the grandfathering provision, employers were required by law to provide the names and position titles of retirees in their employment to NHRS no later than February 15, 2019. The names and positions provided in 2019 are being used annually to verify that these retirees remain in the same position as of January 1 each calendar year, beginning in 2020.

        Employers are required to annually check the list of Grandfathered retirees and verify that these retirees remain in the same position(s) they held on January 1, 2019. This review should be completed no later than February 15 each year. For instructions on how to annually verify the status of Grandfathered retirees, see:

        Written instructions: Checking retiree Grandfathered status 

        Employers have the option to search for one or more retirees by Social Security number (SSN) in the DRS. This is a useful tool for employers who are unsure if an employee is also an NHRS retiree. For guidance on how to confirm an employee's status, see: 

        Written instructions: Confirming Retiree Status

    Other Employer Information

    Termination Forms

    When a member terminates employment to retire and begin collecting a pension benefit, NHRS sends his or her employer a termination form to document recent wage information and payments made after the termination date, if any. 

    NHRS cannot finalize the benefit payment until this information is received. An extended delay in finalizing the retirement benefit may have an adverse impact on your former employee.

    The forms and instructional graphics on how to fill out them out are available here.

    Participation

    NHRS has approximately 460 active participating employers – the State of New Hampshire, individual communities, school districts, counties, and others. Not every political subdivision in New Hampshire participates in the retirement system for its Employee members, although most do.  Participation is mandatory for employers of Police, Fire, and Teacher members.

    Employers who would like to participate in NHRS for their Group I employees should contact the Employer Audit Team at (603) 410-3681.