The PSPRS STARS pension administration system provides employers and local boards with online tools to manage member information, submit contributions and payments, administer retiree insurance and complete other pension-related responsibilities.
Employers and local boards can use this page as a central resource for STARS training and support, including step-by-step guides, training videos, file specifications, troubleshooting resources and frequently asked questions. Users who need assistance can also find information below on the best ways to contact PSPRS for support.
STARS Support
Submit via STARS portal: Enables member/employer specific questions for quicker resolution and ensures inquiries are tracked and answered as received.
Email [email protected] to flag
urgent secure message support and
grant employers STARS access.
Staff will share ad-hoc video conferencing
details, allowing employers to screenshare and resolve issues together.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Training Videos and Guides
Training below is for employers and local boards using the PSPRS STARS pension administration system. The training videos and guidebooks below provides employers and local board secretaries with support as they navigate the new system. Please see the links below for recorded training and download this training checklist.
Topic
Training video
Training manuals
STARS Resources
FAQS
System
PSPRS recommends that employers and local boards watch the STARS training videos and review the guidebooks that are posted to this page. Additionally, reviewing the ‘file specification, common errors and visual aid’ documents in the “STARS Resources” section on this page will be helpful.
The STARS system works properly with all reputable internet browsers.
PSPRS will no longer require many of the forms we use today as the system moves many processes online. However, one exception is the STARS Account Administration Authorization Form used by employers and local boards to add or remove STARS administrators.
Please email [email protected] for general access to STARS.
Member and retiree data that existed prior to the April 13, 2026, launch of STARS was preloaded into the system. However, post-launch demographic updates, such as new hires, terminations and leave without pay, must be added manually or via file import into STARS to maintain current and accurate information.
Yes, with the exception of Social Security numbers, employers and members have the ability to update member information directly in the system. If a Social Security number is incorrect, the employer must contact PSPRS via secure messaging within STARS.
Yes, the new system can handle processing multiple actions at a time.
Administration
Most new users will have to have their names and contact information entered and job duties assigned by their employer or local board’s designated STARS administrator to gain access to the system.
PLEASE NOTE: Employers must contact PSPRS to add staff users to multiple employer accounts (ex. police, fire, elected officials). This can be done by emailing [email protected]. Please include the requested staff user names, email addresses and phone numbers, employer names and system numbers and include contact information for PSPRS to reach you. the requested staff user names, employer names and system numbers and include contact information for PSPRS to reach you.
That depends on the permissions assigned by PSPRS. Ideally, each user will only have the access necessary to complete assigned duties. Example roles include human resources, cancer insurance, health insurance and finance, allowing users various access levels to carry out required tasks.
Employers can request W-9 forms from PSPRS by emailing the finance team at [email protected].
Contributions & Demographic Uploads
Employers can upload demographic changes or contributions in file uploads and do not have to submit updates by one-by-one (manually). However, the ability to submit a change manually for individual changes is also an option.
Yes, STARS is versatile, allowing file-importing employers to make entries or adjustments manually (one-at-a-time) and vice versa.
No. PSPRS is working with its vendor to allow employers to add members into STARS who have transferred but whose status has not been updated as termed by the previous employer. This feature is expected to be implemented before the end of the year.
In the meantime, employers experiencing difficulty adding transferring members to their roster can contact PSPRS for help by using the STARS Secure Message tool.
Yes, but credits will not be separately distinguished between employer and member contributions. They will all be classified as pension contributions.
Any credits created in the system are approached on a “first in, first out” basis, following this hierarchy:
- Fire insurance premium tax credit (applied to both employer and member contributions)
- Prepaid credit contribution
- Work report adjustment credit contribution
As credits become available, they will be applied to any open invoices or work reports, billing adjustments or late fee interest transactions on a first in, first out basis.
Any unused prepaid credit account or contribution prepayment credits at year’s end (June 30) will be automatically applied to the employer’s unfunded liability or reserve balance(s) based on the new application of credits mentioned above (FIPTC, prepaid credit, work report adjustment). Employers can email [email protected] about the year-end credit sweep process.
No. Employers have the option but do not have to adjust their work reports in response to contribution calculation differences for warnings to submit files and proceed to invoicing and payment. Most of the time, these differences are minor – often less than several cents in total – and result from STARS breaking down submitted employer contribution files and then rounding calculations by individual member, benefit plan, tier and benefit elections. Please note that work reports will reflect calculations performed by STARS if employers do not adjust reported contributions. Also, STARS includes notifications of file errors, which unlike warnings must be corrected by employers in order to process the record.
Health Insurance
Yes. Employers use STARS to enter retiree health insurance changes through file uploading and manual entry. These files notify PSPRS of changes to ensure appropriate pension deductions and subsidy calculations, as well as benefit election updates and amendments to employer-administered health insurance plans.
Yes. Public safety and participating corrections/detention/court probation and surveillance employers use STARS to administer cancer insurance tasks, including the payment of premiums.
Local Board
No. Local board secretaries are encouraged to use the STARS Documents tab to upload meeting minutes, and Secure Message tab to submit notes and provide notice of changes to local board members and personnel.
Payment
No. STARS accepts Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments in the new Employer Self-Service (ESS) portal and does not support E-Bill payments.
Physical checks are also discouraged because they are less secure, less efficient and more expensive than modern electronic payment methods. The federal government and banks have actively pushed for this transition, with the U.S. Treasury moving to phase out most paper checks for federal payments by September 30, 2025. However, we do understand that this is the primary or only payment method for some of our employers, and for that reason we do continue to accept physical checks.
The ACH payment process enhancement is easier for employers and also supports PSPRS compliance with the statutory requirement to calculate an interest penalty on contributions not remitted within 15 business days after an employer’s pay period end date.
Yes. STARS can accommodate multiple bank accounts, which can be used by employer administrators and users who make payments for multiple employers, like police, fire, corrections and elected officials.
Yes, while PSPRS offered a good faith “grace period” during the transition it is now charging interest on late payments in compliance with state law. Employers may contact PSPRS if there are factors that may warrant the consideration of waiving penalties.
Employers can generate a record of transactions through the Transactions tab, which includes work reports history, billing adjustments, payments and credits. Employers can click on the transaction number hyperlink to view the transaction details.
In the details, there will be summary at the very top including pay-period end date, the created date, who created the transaction, and then lower down, there is a summary of the fund buckets, contribution types, dollar amounts that were calculated and payment amounts. Users are able to print this view as a record of transactions by right clicking and selecting “print.” Employers have requested a formal invoice be available in STARS — this is being worked on — and is expected before the end of the year.