Better Together

The Montana Public Employee Retirement Administration (MPERA) relies heavily on a partnership with each of our participating employers to achieve sound administration of retirement plans and to provide the best service to employees. The things we do together today will have a big impact on your employees’ financial future. Thank you for partnering with us.

MPERA asks each participating employer to designate one or more Portal Access Manager(s) for the Employer Reporting Information Center (ERIC) to enhance our partnership in providing retirement benefits to your employees. Please provide MPERA Employer Support Center with information on any changes to your contact information, including name, phone number, email address and title.

We understand retirement may not be your primary focus and we ask you to direct your employees to MPERA with questions or for account-related service. Contact MPERA to request materials such as retirement plan handbooks, 457(b) plan information, and other information. We also encourage you to work with MPERA Education Specialists to schedule retirement seminars and events for your staff.

MPERA may also periodically send information for you to provide to your employees about upcoming training events, and we thank you in advance for forwarding or distributing these communications.

Importance of Accurate Reporting & Compliance

Accurate reporting of member and non-member information and data is of the highest importance (MCA 19.2.506; ARM 2.43.2114). Inaccurate reporting can result in bad information being given to members for years and influence the member's retirement planning decisions, only to be discovered at the time of retirement. Accurate reporting helps maintain the plans’ federal tax qualified status, preserve the plans’ financial soundness, and ensures all members and beneficiaries are treated equally.

MPERA’s external auditor tests employer compliance with rules and statutes. Our auditor will contact your agency prior to any audit and request information either in-person or remotely, to review your reporting compliance. The auditor will also educate the agency personnel on compliance issues as needed.

The external auditor will ensure the following items are correctly and consistently carried out to protect employees’ retirement benefits:

• Verify that agencies are complying with applicable Montana rules and statutes
• Ensure compensation reported meets the definition of compensation based on the applicable rules and statutes
• Verify employee contributions correspond with reported salaries
• Test compliance with Internal Revenue Code 414(h)(2) regarding Employer Pick-up Contribution regulations

Employer Reporting and Information Center (ERIC)

ERIC is MPERA's secure internet site designated to assist our employers with accurate reporting and compliance. This tool provides you with an effective, time-saving way to submit and view critical financial and employee information online.

The Employer Reporting Manual is also available to assist our employers with step-by-step instructions for various tasks related to payroll reporting.

Registration in ERIC consists of two steps:

• First, you must have an Okta account. Okta is the State of Montana's convenient and secure way to access Montana government services.

• Second, your organization must have a Portal Access Manager (PAM) agreement approved with MPERA. If your organization has an established PAM, contact your PAM for access to ERIC. If your organization is new to ERIC or does not have a PAM, contact MPERA. Unused access expires in six months or sooner upon review.