Category Archives: Employer

DRS Notice: 25-013Date: July 10, 2025Applies to: DCP EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-013, New requirements coming for age 50+ catchup contributions What’s changing? Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, employers who offer Washington state’s Deferred Compensation Program (DCP) will be required to identify and report all highly compensated employees who are age 50 or older to DRS. DCP…

Posted on: June 24, 2025Applies to: All EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-012, Reporting Accurate Separation Dates and Using a Retirement Checklist Understanding and reporting accurate separation dates for your retiring employees is crucial. To separate from service means a member has terminated all employment with their employer (WAC 415-02-115). The separation date is the last day…

DRS Notice: 25-011Date: May 28, 2025Applies to: School DistrictsSubject: DRS Notice 25-011, Return to Work exception extended Retirees who return to work at a school district can continue to work through Jan. 1, 2030. This is because House Bill 1936 passed in the 2025 session. Retirees can work up to 1,040 hours and still receive…

DRS Notice: 25-010Date: May 28, 2025Applies to: All EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-010, Contribution Rate Changes for PERS, PSERS and WSPRS Pension contribution rates The contribution rates presented in the chart below become effective July 1, 2025. Contribution rate changes for PERS, PSERS and WSPRS are based on ESSB 5357. On or before Aug. 1, we…

DRS Notice: 25-009Date: May 27, 2025Applies to: DSHS EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-009, Letter and Form for Transferring Qualified PERS Employees into Public Safety Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) Plan 2 Please note: We are emailing this notice to only the primary main contact for each employer. If this is not part of your responsibilities, we ask that…

DRS Notice: 25-008Date: May 20, 2025Applies to: School Districts, Charter Schools, Tribal Schools, Educational Service DistrictsSubject: DRS Notice 25-008, Separation Dates for DRS and SEBB As an employer, it’s important to know how the separation date reported to DRS affects your employees’ health insurance options in retirement. The timing of their resignation, and how and…

DRS Notice: 25-007Date: May 13, 2025Applies to: All EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-007, New Employer Homepage Launches May 14, 2025 A new employer homepage is coming soon. On May 14, 2025, employers who visit https://www.drs.wa.gov/employer/ will see some exciting changes. To help employers understand what’s changing, we’ve developed a crosswalk between today’s webpage and the new…

DRS Notice: 25-006Date: April 29, 2025Applies to: All EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-006, Beneficiary Form We’ve noticed that some employers are not providing their employees with the latest version of the Beneficiary Form. When an older form is used, it does not process automatically through our system. This means the information must be entered by hand…

DRS Notice: 25-005Date: April 11, 2025Applies to: All EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-005, Statewide Training In order to provide on-going support and information to employers, Employer Support Services (ESS) is offering in-person training at various locations throughout the state, beginning May 14th. The topics covered will be: We are happy to provide you with the opportunity…

DRS Notice: 25-004Date: March 31, 2025Applies to: DSHS EmployersSubject: DRS Notice 25-004, Some PERS Plans 2 and 3 Members Eligible for PSERS Plan 2 beginning June 1, 2025 A new law will take effect June 1, 2025, that expands membership in PSERS to include some current PERS Plan 2 and 3 members who meet the…