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Secured Employer Website (Production)

Secure Employer
Website
(Production)
Pension Administration Learning Management System

Employer Learning Center
Employer Readiness Environment (Non Production)

Employer Readiness
Environment
(Non Production)
Welcome to CalSTRS Employer Support Portal where you can find updates and resources to support your transition to the new Secure Employer Website (SEW).

— Message Board —

10/11/2024 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of July 19, 2024.
03/29/2024 – Employer Information Circular EIC24-2 Volume 40 Issue 2 regarding postponing the new file format when the new Secure Employer Website goes live in Fall 2025 is now available.
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06/13/2024 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of May 17, 2024.  Therefore, the system will be unavailable on Thursday, June 20, 2024.  We apologize for any inconvenience.
04/22/2024 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of March 15, 2024. Therefore, the system will be unavailable on Thursday, April 25, 2024. We apologize for any inconvenience.
02/23/2024 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of January 18, 2024. Therefore, the system will be unavailable on Thursday, February 29, 2024. We apologize for any inconvenience.
01/12/2024 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of November 17, 2023. Therefore, the system will be unavailable on Thursday, January 18, 2024. We apologize for any inconvenience.
10/30/2023 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of September 20, 2023. Therefore, the system will be unavailable on Thursday, November 2, 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience.
09/04/2023 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of July 14, 2023. Therefore, the system will be unavailable on Thursday, September 7, 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience.
06/19/2023 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of May 19, 2023. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, June 23, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, June 26, 2023 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
06/01/2023 – The Employer Learning Center is available for your training resource needs today at Training.CalSTRS.com. Please update bookmarks and favorites, as PALMS is no longer accessible. Former PALMS users will receive an email notification of their new account with the Employer Learning Center with a request to login and create a password. Anyone can create an Employer Learning Center account to access CalSTRS training materials. Please reach out to EmployerTraining@CalSTRS.com with any questions or concerns.
03/01/2023 – New version of the Contribution File Specification has been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
02/21/2023 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of January 20, 2023. Please see Release Notes v1.7 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
02/21/2023 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, February 25, 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience.
02/10/2023 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of January 20, 2023. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, February 17, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. until Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
01/17/2023 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, January 21, 2023. We apologize for any inconvenience.
10/17/2022 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of September 14, 2022.
10/05/2022 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of September 14, 2022. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, October 14, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, October 17, 2022 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
09/19/2022 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, September 24, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.
08/15/2022 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, August 20, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.
08/01/2022 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of May 16, 2022.
07/18/2022 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, July 23, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.
07/18/2022 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of May 16, 2022. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, July 29, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, August 01, 2022 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
06/20/2022 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, June 25, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.
05/16/2022 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, May 21, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.
04/25/2022 –

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, April 30, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.

04/18/2022 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of March 16, 2022.  Please see Release Notes v1.6 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
04/08/2022 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of March 16, 2022. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, April 15, 2022, at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, April 18, 2022, at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
03/25/2022 – New version of the F496 Error Resolutions has been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
03/21/2022 – The Employer Contacts job aid has been updated and posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under New Secure Employer Website Job Aid. This job aid contains descriptions of the different Employer Contact types with a list of the processes that can be performed in the Secure Employer Website and contains a step-by-step process for managing Employer Contacts in the Secure Employer Website.
03/15/2022 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Sunday, March 20, 2022. We apologize for any inconvenience.
02/15/2022 –

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, February 19, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.

02/15/2022 – New versions of the Contribution File Specification and the Employment File Specification have been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
02/14/2022 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of January 14, 2022. Please see Release Notes v1.5 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
02/08/2022 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of January 14, 2022. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, February 11, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, February 14, 2022 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
01/17/2022 –

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, January 22, 2022 from 4:00 p.m. until 11:59 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.

01/10/2022 –

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Sunday, January 16, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience.

12/23/2021 – Two New Teachers' Retirement Law Courses Now Available!

The Class of Employees computer-based training and Benefit Structures computer-based training are now available under Teachers' Retirement Law Trainings. These courses also include related laws and other materials to better assist learners with the topics. As these are new courses you will be prompted to enroll with a black "enroll me" button, but once the button is clicked you will have access to the materials.

If you have any issues with accessing the materials, please contact EmployerTraining@CalSTRS.com.
12/17/2021 – The latest environment build in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented with a production snapshot of data as of November 17, 2021. Please see Release Notes v1.4 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
12/17/2021 – New version of the Benefit Structures Job Aid has been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Teachers’ Retirement Law Job Aids. Updates include an added Education Code reference for other retirement system service and new information on viewing a member's benefit structure on the new SEW.
12/07/2021 – New versions of the Contribution File Specification, Employee Match File Specification, and the Employment File Specification have been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
12/06/2021 –

A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of November 17, 2021. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Thursday, December 16, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Friday, December 17, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.

11/09/2021 – An updated version of Service Credit Purchase Request Job Aid has been posted. This document provides a description of the Account Receivable type, a list of the leave types that require employer approval, common reasons a Service Credit Purchase Request would be rejected and the step-by-step processes for an employer to approve Service Credit Purchase Requests.

A new job aid on Purchasable Service Credit Records was also added. This document provides a description of how to create a purchasable service credit record in the Secure Employer Website.

11/09/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, November 19, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, November 22, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
10/18/2021 –

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, October 22, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, October 25, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.

10/13/2021 – An updated version of the Creditable Service Job Aid has been posted. The document provides information about what constitutes creditable service for the CalSTRS Defined Benefit Program and Cash Balance Benefit Program pursuant to Education Code sections 22119.5 and 26113, respectively. References to other Education Code (EDC) sections are provided where applicable. The board has the final authority to determine whether activities not specified in law are creditable service.
10/11/2021 – The latest database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment successfully completed and now has a production snapshot of data as of September 15, 2021.
09/27/2021 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of September 15, 2021. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, October 8, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, October 11, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
09/20/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, September 24, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, September 27, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
08/26/2021 –

The Cash Balance Program Participation class has been added to the CalSTRS Employer Training Services webinar series for the 2021-22 fiscal year. Instructor-led trainings also include Creditable Service, Membership, and Creditable Compensation offered each quarter in addition to periodic trainings covering the Reduced Workload Program, Unused Sick Leave, and Working after Retirement. For more information on trainings and registration click on the Teachers’ Retirement Law Trainings document in the Employer Support Portal under Other Job Aids.

08/17/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, August 20, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, August 23, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
07/19/2021 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of July 14, 2021. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, July 30, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, August 02, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
07/19/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, July 23, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, July 26, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
06/28/2021 –

Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, July 02, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Tuesday, July 06, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.

06/08/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, June 18, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, June 21, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
06/08/2021 – Due to routine maintenance, the Pension Administration Learning Management System (PALMS) will be unavailable from Friday, June 11, 2021 until Sunday, June 13, 2021. The materials and resources on PALMS will be available on Monday, June 14, 2021. There will be cosmetic differences on the web page as we work to update the site branding and improve user experience.
06/01/2021 – The latest database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment successfully completed and now has a production snapshot of data as of May 17, 2021.
05/26/2021 – The webinar series CalSTRS Employer Training Services offered this year was so successful that we’ve decided schedule more of them throughout the 2021-22 fiscal year. Instructor-led trainings will include Creditable Service, Membership, and Creditable Compensation offered each quarter in addition to periodic trainings covering the Reduced Workload Program, Unused Sick Leave, and Working after Retirement.

You can find information about these trainings and links to register for them in the Teachers’ Retirement Law Trainings document located in the Secure Employer Website under Reference Items.

05/17/2021 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of May 17, 2021. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, May 28, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Tuesday, June 01, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
02/08/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
01/20/2021 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of January 15, 2021. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, January 29, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, February 01, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
01/19/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, January 23, 2021 until Monday, January 25, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
01/11/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Saturday, January 16, 2021 until Monday, January 18, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
12/22/2020 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable Thursday, December 31, 2020 until Monday, January 04, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
04/27/2021 – New online training is now available on the Pension Administration Learning Management System (PALMS).

 

The new training modules are:

Introduction to the New Secure Employer Website Course

  • Processing Pending Work Items

 Employment Organization Maintenance Course

  • Employer Contact Types - Employer Readiness Environment
  • Cash Balance Employer Organization Tasks

Employee Change Requests

  • Employee Change Requests Overview
  • SR Earnings Limit Exemption
  • One-Year Final Compensation
  • Employer Certification for Disability
  • Employer Certification for Death Before Retirement

Employer Reporting Requests

  • Employer Reporting Requests

Service Credit Purchase Requests

  • Service Credit Purchase Requests Overview
  • Approving Service Credit Purchase Requests
  • Rejecting Service Credit Purchase Requests

Program Enrollment Requests

  • Program Enrollment Requests Overview and Submission
  • Program Enrollment Requests Resolving Errors
  • Program Enrollment Requests Statuses and Action Statuses
  • Updating Rejected Program Enrollment Requests

To log in to your account, or create a new one, visit PALMS. For questions about the training, contact CalSTRS Employer Services at EmployerHelp@CalSTRS.com

04/20/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, April 23, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, April 26, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
04/05/2021 – The latest database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment successfully completed and now has a production snapshot of data as of March 15, 2021.
03/22/2021 – The latest maintenance release in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented on March 22, 2021. Please see ERE Release Notes v1.3 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
03/22/2021 – Three new employer training modules are now available on the Pension Administration Learning Management System (PALMS). A list of all the training modules available can be found PALMS. To log in to your account, or create a new one, visit PALMS. For questions about the training, contact CalSTRS Employer Services at EmployerHelp@CalSTRS.com.
03/08/2021 – Due to a scheduled maintenance release, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, March 19, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, March 22, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
02/18/2021 – Due to scheduled maintenance, the Employer Readiness Environment will be unavailable from Friday, February 19, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, February 22, 2021 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
11/13/2020 – A database refresh in the Employer Readiness Environment is scheduled to occur with an updated production snapshot of data as of November 13, 2020. Therefore, the system will be unavailable from Friday, November 20, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. until Monday, November 23, 2020 at noon. We apologize for any inconvenience.
09/21/2020 – The latest maintenance release in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented on 09/21/2020.  Please see Release Notes v1.2 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
05/20/2020 – New version of the Match File Specification has been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
03/10/2020 – New versions of the Contribution File Specification and the Employment File Specification have been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
03/03/2020 – Sixteen new employer training modules are now available on the Pension Administration Learning Management System (PALMS).  A list of all the training modules available can be found PALMS. To log in to your account, or create a new one, visit PALMS. For questions about the training, contact CalSTRS Employer Services at EmployerHelp@CalSTRS.com.
03/03/2020 – The new Employer Readiness Environment Testing Guide has been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal under Employer Toolkit.
01/31/2020 –

New online training is now available on the Pension Administration Learning Management System (PALMS). The new training modules are:

  • Soft Launch Orientation
  • Enrollment Transaction Type

To log in to your account, or create a new account, visit PALMS. For questions about the training, contact CalSTRS Employer Services at EmployerHelp@CalSTRS.com.

01/28/2020 – The latest Environment Patch and Security Update in the Employer Readiness Environment have been successfully completed on 01/27/2020.
01/26/2020 – The latest Production Release in the Employer Readiness Environment has been successfully implemented on 01/24/2020.  Please see Release Notes v1.1 in the Employer Toolkit on the Employer Support Portal for more information.
01/23/2020 – New Soft Launch Job Aids have been posted to the Tools & Resources section of the portal.
11/16/2019 – The Pension Solution Soft Launch Kickoff Webinar recording is available on the CalSTRS YouTube Channel.
11/07/2019 – Welcome to the Employer Support Portal! This website is designed to support employers during the transition to the new Secure Employer Website in fall 2021. Feel free to click around and become familiar with the Tools and Resources section, which contains support documents for the Soft Launch of the Employer Readiness Environment and the Pension Administration Learning Management System, which is the repository for employer training. The Employer Readiness Environment will be available for testing reporting files beginning in February 2020.

Tools & Resources

  • Contribution File Crosswalk Contribution File Crosswalk
  • Contribution File Specification Contribution File Specification
  • Contribution File Template Contribution File Template
  • Employee Match File Specification Employee Match File Specification
  • Employment File Specification Employment File Specification
  • Employment File Template Employment File Template
  • ERE Release Notes v1.7 ERE Release Notes v1.7
  • F496 File Specification F496 File Specification
  • MR87 File Specification MR87 File Specification
  • Pension Solution Project Webinar Video – October 2024 Pension Solution Project Webinar Video – October 2024
  • Success Criteria and Testing Guide Success Criteria and Testing Guide
  • VDF File Specification VDF File Specification
  • Cash Balance Contribution Rates Cash Balance Contribution Rates
  • Cash Balance Reporting Schedules Cash Balance Reporting Schedules
  • Contribution File Business Rule Validation Contribution File Business Rule Validation
  • Contribution File Template Instructions Contribution File Template Instructions
  • Contribution Reporting Terminology Contribution Reporting Terminology
  • Creating a Remittance Advice Creating a Remittance Advice
  • Employee Change Request – Certification for Disability Employee Change Request – Certification for Disability
  • Employee Change Request – Employer Certification for Death Before Retirement Employee Change Request – Employer Certification for Death Before Retirement
  • Employee Change Request – One Year Final Compensation Employee Change Request – One Year Final Compensation
  • Employee Change Request – Reduced Workload Program Employee Change Request – Reduced Workload Program
  • Employee Change Request – SR Earnings Limit Exemption Employee Change Request – SR Earnings Limit Exemption
  • Employer Contacts Employer Contacts
  • Employer Reporting Requests Employer Reporting Requests
  • Employment File Business Rule Validation Employment File Business Rule Validation
  • Employment File Template Instructions Employment File Template Instructions
  • Employment Maintenance Terminology Employment Maintenance Terminology
  • Formatting the “Error Details” report Formatting the “Error Details” report
  • Managing Payroll Summaries Managing Payroll Summaries
  • Processing Pending Work Items Processing Pending Work Items
  • Program Enrollment Requests Program Enrollment Requests
  • Purchasable Service Credit Records Purchasable Service Credit Records
  • Service Credit Purchase Requests Service Credit Purchase Requests
  • Submitting an Online Accounts Receivable Contribution Transaction Submitting an Online Accounts Receivable Contribution Transaction
  • Submitting an Online Employment Transaction Submitting an Online Employment Transaction
  • Submitting an Online F496 File Transaction Submitting an Online F496 File Transaction
  • Uploading a Contribution File Uploading a Contribution File
  • Uploading an Employee Match File Uploading an Employee Match File
  • Uploading an Employment File Uploading an Employment File
  • Using the Secure Employer Website Using the Secure Employer Website
  • Annualized Pay Rates Annualized Pay Rates
  • Bargained One-Year Final Compensation Bargained One-Year Final Compensation
  • Benefit Structures Benefit Structures
  • CalSTRS Retirement Incentive Program CalSTRS Retirement Incentive Program
  • Cash Balance Benefit Program Participation Cash Balance Benefit Program Participation
  • Class of Employees Class of Employees
  • Community College Comparison Calculation Community College Comparison Calculation
  • Creditable Compensation Creditable Compensation
  • Creditable Compensation Checklist Creditable Compensation Checklist
  • Creditable Service Creditable Service
  • Creditable Service Checklist Creditable Service Checklist
  • Defined Benefit Membership Checklist Defined Benefit Membership Checklist
  • Defined Benefit Program Membership Defined Benefit Program Membership
  • Employer Organizations Employer Organizations
  • Reduced Workload Program Reduced Workload Program
  • Unused Sick Leave Unused Sick Leave
  • Working After Retirement Working After Retirement
  • CalSTRS Business Area Contacts CalSTRS Business Area Contacts
  • Common Reporting Scenarios for Employers Common Reporting Scenarios for Employers
  • Employer Approvable Errors FAQ Employer Approvable Errors FAQ
  • Employer Learning Center Account Instructions Employer Learning Center Account Instructions
  • Employer Learning Center CBT Navigation Employer Learning Center CBT Navigation
  • Employer Learning Center Training Registration Employer Learning Center Training Registration
  • Employment Terminations Employment Terminations
  • F496 Employer Approvable Errors Job Aid F496 Employer Approvable Errors Job Aid
  • Secure Employer Website Account Registration Secure Employer Website Account Registration
  • Supporting Documentation for Common Employer Request Types Supporting Documentation for Common Employer Request Types
New File Format Regulations
FAQs



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