Enrolling New Employees FAQs

Starting a new job can be an exciting and overwhelming time for an employee. We’re here to help your new employees get started on their retirement savings and learn more about the TCDRS benefits you are providing them.

As soon as you enroll your new employee in TCDRS, they can register for online account access. We send a welcome mailer within two weeks of the employee’s enrollment. This mailer highlights the retirement benefits you provide, includes the employee’s account number, and encourages online registration and beneficiary designation. (If you need an employee’s account number, you can use the Employee Lookup feature under "Employee Accounts" in the left menu of the Employer Portal to get it.)

Here are the most common questions about employee enrollment:

Q) Is there a probationary period for enrollment?

A) No. There are no probationary periods allowed for employees participating in the retirement system. Even if you have a waiting period for health benefits, you must still deduct retirement deposits starting with the employee’s first paycheck.

Q) Do all of my employees need to be enrolled in the plan?

A) Yes. All of your permanent employees should be enrolled. The only employees who may be excluded from TCDRS enrollment are temporary workers. It is up to your organization to define what “temporary” means to your organization. Here are some questions you may ask to assess: Will this position be seasonal? Do employees in this position consistently leave after a short period of time? Will I only employ this person for a specific project? It is a good idea to review the situation periodically as an employee’s status may change. If an employee’s status changes from temporary to permanent, benefits are not retroactive.

Q) What if I forget to enroll an employee?

A) When you discover the error, enroll the employee right away and start including them on your payroll reports going forward. Your next step is to bring that employee’s account up to date by submitting an adjustment to your prior payroll report.

Plan Administration