Reporting Instruction Manual
Step 4: Review the report

Check your report status

After you upload your report, check the View Report Totals screen. You'll see one of three status updates:

• In progress means you uploaded the report today, and it's processing. 
• Loaded means the report finished correctly overnight. 
• Not loaded means there was an error.

The computer system updates your records overnight while the office is closed. This is called a batch process. If your file doesn't load, you can contact Employer Reporting for help. You can call 800-381-5111 or email ORS_Web_Reporting@Michigan.gov.

If you loaded a report but did not accept it, you can delete it. You can only do this if no records have posted to the system. Once records post, you can't delete the whole report. You must edit individual records instead. For records that already posted, you must submit a change on your next report.

How reports are processed

Reports must go through a batch process to move data into the Michigan Public Schools Retirement System. This happens overnight Monday through Friday. ORS will send an email to the employer reporting 1 user or the web administrator.

You'll get an email if the report has errors or if it posts successfully. The email shows how many records are posted, suspended, or flagged. Suspended records have errors you must fix before they can post. Flagged records have minor issues but will still post to the system.

Reviewing report totals

Always check your totals before you accept a report. This ensures that wages and years of service (YOS) are correct. Once a report posts, your reporting unit owes the final money to ORS. If you accept a report with errors, you might pay late fees.

Check the employee count and total wages against your own records. Some totals might be slightly different due to rounding. Use the Download Detail link to see a list of any differences.

Using the Download Detail report

The Download Detail link opens your report as a spreadsheet. You can use it to find errors in your records. It shows both member and employer money. To find the link, click Work on Reports on the Things To Do menu. The link is near the bottom of the screen.

Understanding the spreadsheet columns

The Download Detail spreadsheet is organized into specific groups of columns. Each group helps you check different parts of your data.

• Columns A–E (Employee Info): These show the employee's name and Social Security number. They also list the retirement benefit plan and healthcare choices.
• Columns F–M (Pay Periods): These list the dates for the pay period and the type of record. They show the wages you reported for both active employees and retirees.
• Columns N–T (Retirement Money): These show retirement contributions. The spreadsheet compares what you reported to what ORS calculated. If there is a difference, it will show in the discrepancy column.
• Columns U–V (Work Details): These show the total hours worked and the rate of pay for that period.
• Columns W–Z (Tax-Deferred Payments): These show Tax-Deferred Payment (TDP) info. This includes the agreement number and the money taken out of the paycheck.
• Columns AA–AL (Defined Contribution): These show data for Defined Contribution (DC) Plans. This includes employer match percentages and any calculation differences.
• Columns AM–AN (Employment End): These show the date an employee left their job and the reason why they left.
• Columns AO–AX (Personal Healthcare Fund): These show the totals and percentages for the Personal Healthcare Fund.
• Columns AY–AZ (Voya and IRS Limits): These show if data was sent to Voya Financial. They also show if an employee reached the yearly IRS limit for savings.

How to save your report

The Download Detail report shows exactly what is in the ORS system. These files stay online for only 12 months. ORS recommends that you save a copy to your own computer.

To save it, go to the Work on Reports screen. Select View Totals, then the Download Detail link. In Microsoft Excel, select File,Save As. Choose a folder on your computer and save the file as an Excel Workbook or .xlsx file.

Accepting a report

You must accept a report to post wages and YOS to member accounts.

1. Select the Accept button on the View Totals screen.
2. Review the validation screen. This page compares your current report to your last one.
3. Select I Agree, if the totals are correct. Select I Disagree, if the totals are incorrect to make changes.

The status will change to Accepted once you finish. You may need to accept a report more than once if you make edits. Clicking Done on one record does not accept the whole report.

How to Unaccept a Report

Sometimes you might decide that your report is not ready for the final records to post. You can change this even if you have already accepted the report. You can return an accepted report to an Added or Suspended status by "unaccepting" it. You may only do this if the report has not posted yet.

You do not need to unaccept a report just to edit your records. If you make edits after you accept a report, the system will process those changes during the nightly update.

Steps to Unaccept a Report

1. Go to the Work on Reports screen to find your report.
2. Click the link that says View Totals/Accept in the View Totals column.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the page.
4. Click the Unaccept button.
5. Check the confirmation screen to finish the process.

Deleting a report

You can delete a report if no records have posted and the Pay Cycle Statement is not yet created. This statement is usually created on day seven of the pay cycle.

Check eligibility: Go to the Work on Reports screen. Look at the percentage complete column. It must show 0.00. If it is higher, you can't delete the report.

How to delete: Select the Delete link next to the report. Click Yes on the confirmation page.

Avoid fees: If you delete a report after the deadline, you might be charged a $50 late fee. Call Employer Reporting at 800-381-5111 before deleting. You must speak with ORS to ensure the fee is removed.

Fixing Errors in Your Reports

Why Accuracy Matters

Errors in retirement data can cause big problems. If service hours are wrong, a member might not be able to retire on time. If pay is reported incorrectly, their pension estimate will be wrong. Fixing errors later takes much more work than fixing them now.

How Errors are Found

Every night, the ORS system checks your data for mistakes.

• ORG Fix: These are errors that your reporting unit must correct.
• Suspended/Bad Format: These records will not post until you fix them.
• Flagged: These records will post, but you should still check them for mistakes.

How to Fix a Record

The way you fix an error depends on when you find it:

1. You just loaded the report today (before the overnight process): You can still add, edit, or delete records. You can also delete the whole report and start over.

2. You accepted the report today (before the overnight process): You can "unaccept" the report. This moves it back to "Added" or "Suspended" status so you can make changes.

3. The report already ran through the overnight process: You have two main choices:

• Use the Edit link on the Work on Reports page to fix errors one by one.
• Use the Error Download Detail report to see a list of all records that need fixing.

4. The record has already posted: Once a record is posted, you cannot change it on the original report. You must submit a positive or negative adjustment record on your next payroll report. This applies to both DTL2 and DTL4 records.