Professional Services Firm Will Perform Gemini Project Assessment
To ensure a seamless transition from our current annual reporting process to pay-period reporting, the TRS Board of Trustees has announced plans to hire a professional services firm to perform a project assessment of Gemini. This assessment will help the staff and board identify any obstacles to a successful go-live and ensure that our members have an excellent enrollment experience as they engage with the new TRS Supplemental Savings Plan (TRS SSP).
This assessment will delay the start of accepting production payroll data on a pay-period basis. TRS will announce the new target implementation date once the assessment is completed.
In the meantime, the Gemini Team and TRS will continue to work during 2020 and into 2021 on all development aspects of Gemini. We are not taking our foot off the proverbial pedal and we’ll need your full cooperation and input to make Gemini and the launch of the SSP successful.
As employers, here is what we need and what you can expect in the coming months:
- Continue to work with your payroll vendors or internal IT teams to ensure they are working with TRS toward certification (successful file creation and submission of payroll data to TRS in the Gemini file format).
- Be prepared to send pay-period data when the go-live date is announced. Note: Sufficient notice will be provided and catch-up payroll data for the 2020-2021 school year will not be required.
- For the 2020-21 school year, all employers will file an annual report with TRS with a due date of August 15, 2021.
- Employer training for Gemini will be scheduled as soon as it is practical.
Background for Gemini
TRS will be:
- developing a new software which will allow employers to report on a pay-period basis;
- communicating updates on the progress of the project, which is called Gemini;
- providing training on the new reporting method on an on-going basis; and
- testing employer data files in the new file format prior to the anticipated implementation.
Pay-period Reporting Information for Employers
- File Format instructions (Version 1.5 as of Dec. 2020, share with IT staff/or payroll vendor)
- Employer Bulletin FY21-11, Follow up: SSP Employer Participation Agreement
- Employer Bulletin FY21-10, Follow-up and FAQs About the SSP Employer Participation Agreement
- Employer Bulletin FY21-9, SSP Employer Participation Agreement Must Be Uploaded By March 31, 2021
- Employer Bulletin FY21-4, Professional Services Firm Will Perform Gemini Project Assessment
- Employer Bulletin FY21-1, Gemini Update
- Employer Bulletin FY20-14, Reporting Expectations Before and After the Gemini Release
- Employer Bulletin FY20-13, Gemini Implementation Date Change
- Employer Bulletin FY20-12, Testing Process for Employer Payroll Files
- Employer Bulletin FY20-08, Pay-period Reporting Update
- Employer Bulletin FY19-14, Annual Reporting Changing to Pay-period Reporting on July 1, 2020 (later changed to Jan. 1, 2021)
- New File Layout for Monthly Payroll Reporting video
- Outline (used in the webinar listed above)
- FAQs
January 2021 Gemini Update Presentation
TRS staff gave a Gemini update on January 20, 2021 to Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO) attendees. The videos follow.
- Gemini Update (Part 1) An interactive presentation of the Gemini project that includes an overview of the project, status updates and questions and answers throughout.
- Gemini Update (Part 2) A video demonstration of the Gemini Employer Portal application, including user registration, multi-factor authentication, employer information screens, file upload, error corrections and payments. Interactive questions from the 300+ attendees and answers from the TRS Gemini team regarding the application and reporting requirements.
September 2020 Gemini Overview and Demonstration Presentation
TRS staff gave a Gemini update in September 2020 to Illinois Association of School Business Officials (IASBO) attendees. The videos follow.