Q: I work for a small organization - am I required to create and send an employment file or payroll file when we move to AUREUS, or will there be website tools available?

A: The AUREUS platform is very flexible. If it makes sense for your organization to develop a file to report employment-related information or payroll files, we encourage the automation. However, if it makes more sense to utilize the website tools (e.g., “wizards”), then we encourage you to use those. Either option is fine with URS.

Q: If URS is OK with me using the website “wizards”, why have I not heard much about them?

A: We have shared several webinars relating to the website tools since Fall 2020 and have posted the webinars and other resources to the AUREUS page. Recently, we have placed additional emphasis on ensuring payroll and HR vendors receive the file specifications so they have enough time to develop and test the files before the 2024 end-to-end User Acceptance Testing (“UAT”) sessions.

Q: When should my vendor have the various AUREUS files developed and ready for URS’s 2024 end-to-end User Acceptance Testing session process?

A: To participate in the UAT processes, we urge you to have your files developed before July 24, 2024.

Q: Will URS be using API’s?

A: URS is aware that several vendors and employers desire to establish an API with URS. We’re working with our vendor and IT Security personnel. However, at this time, URS is not planning to go live with API connectivity for any files being sent to URS by the employer or vice versa.

Q: Will URS be using SFTPs?

A: As of September 2023, we are planning to go live with the ability to have employers send an Employment File or Payroll File to URS through the URS Employer Portal or through a secure file transfer protocol (SFTP). However, once the file has been sent via SFTP to URS, the employer representative must log into the URS Employer Portal to review and correct any errors identified by URS before URS will be able to process/post the file.

Q: What file format should I use when sending an Employment File or Payroll File to URS?

A: The files should be comma delimited and saved as a .txt. URS can accept .csv files as well, but not if they have been parsed into different columns by Excel or other spreadsheet programs.

Q: Are there specific field lengths for the various columns in the Employment File or Payroll File?

A: Generally, there are no minimum or maximum character limitations (except where noted in the applicable specifications document – for instance, the Comments field in the Payroll File is limited to 200 characters).

Q: How often do I submit the Employment File?

A: It depends on your organization’s needs. If you are experiencing a great deal of turnover and sending a file to URS every hour is beneficial, we encourage you to do so. If you are on the other extreme and rarely experience employment events (e.g., hiring, changes like leave events, or terminations), perhaps sending URS a file every month or two makes the most sense for you. When you experience changes, batch them together (minimum batch size is one person; there is no maximum batch size) and send URS a file.

Q: What is the value if a person chooses to not disclose their gender on the Employment File?

A: 

• Populate it with the letters 'UND' (without the quotes). If this is not possible for your system, send an email to AUREUS@urs.org.
• 'U' is no longer acceptable. 

Q: What is the value if a person chooses to not disclose their marital status on the Employment File?

A:

• ‘UND’ (without the quote)
• Leave the field value blank.

Q: Can an employee be reported more than once on an Employment File Submission?

A:

• For New enrollments, this will be very unlikely because the employee should be reported based upon their Retirement Eligibility (eligible, ineligible, eligible to exempt) or Post-retirement status.
• For Employment Changes, it may be possible, but URS would advise against it. An example of a possibility might include starting and stopping a leave period (e.g., FMLA) where the start and end date occurred extremely close to each other. URS recommends the employer sends separate files, though – one for starting the employment change and one for ending the employment change.
• For Terminations, it is also unlikely, because the member should have one and only one “open and active” employment record with the employer at a given time (see the earlier discussion about New enrollments).

Q: How often do I submit the Payroll File?

A: Submit one file for every payroll cycle you run. If you run multiple payroll cycles, submit a file for each. Employers are required to submit their payroll files to URS within 30 days of the pay period ending date.

Q: What’s the difference between Gross Salary and Retirement Salary?

A: Gross Salary is defined by federal agencies like the IRS. Retirement Salary is defined by Title 49, Utah Law. See the URS Employer Guide for more information on what is/not included in Retirement Salary.

Q: What files/reports does the employer "push” to URS and what files will URS “push” to the employer via the URS Employer Portal? What other files/reports are available for the employer to extract?

A:

• Employer Sends to URS
  • Employment File
  • Payroll File
• URS Sends to Employer via the URS Employer Portal:
  • Payroll Changes File
  • Tier 2 Change Report
• Employer Requests the Following via the URS Employer Portal (URS does not actively push them to the employer on a regular basis):
  • DC Participant Loan Report
  • Employee Roster Lookup Report
  • Employer Transaction Report
  • Tier 2 Election Status Report

Q: Where can I get more information about the AUREUS Project?

A: There are multiple sources, including the URS Employer’s AUREUS webpage, where we store the file specifications documents and deep-dive webinars, and the Inside Story. We also send periodic emails to employers and vendors, keeping them apprised of critical updates. Finally, send an email to AUREUS@urs.org and a member of the AUREUS Project Team or Employer Services Business Process Team will follow-up with you.