ESS Submission Instructions

• To navigate the report, click the page navigation arrows at the bottom of the screen. Do not use your browser’s “Forward” or “Back” button. It will invalidate your session.
• Save your report frequently to prevent any unexpected loss of data.
• Yellow triangles or red exclamation points may appear in the report to indicate possible errors. Click on the icon to view the error message. If the error message applies to data that can be corrected in an enterable field, correct the error; otherwise, disregard the error message and continue working on the report.

Follow the steps below or view a PDF of instructions with sample screens.

Step 1

Log in to ESS. On the ESS home page, click on “Employer Reports” in the banner menu or “Annual Report” in the Outstanding Reports section.

Step 2

On the Employer Reports page:

1. Verify the Work Report Status field is “Initial.”
2. Click on “Actions” in the row for the annual report and select “Edit” from the drop-down menu.
3. The Work Report Editor screen will appear.

Step 3

The Work Report Editor screen displays each member’s name and SSN. Enter the following information for each member:

1. Pretax employee contributions.
2. After-tax employee contributions (if applicable).
3. Accrued contributions (contributions earned by June 30 but not paid until July and August).
4. Service credit earned. (Enter service credit as a decimal, e.g., 1.00 for a full year or 0.50 for a half year. For reemployed retirees, enter 0.00.)
5. For membership type code, enter “R” if the member is reemployed. Leave this field blank for active members.
6. Include notes if needed.
7. If the report contains more than one page, click the page navigation arrow at the bottom of the screen to go to the next page.
8. Click “Save” when finished. You will automatically return to the Employer Reports page to submit the report.

Note: If a member’s name or Social Security number is incorrect, call STRS Ohio toll-free at 888‑535‑4050.

Step 4

After saving the annual report, you will automatically return to the Employer Reports page. The report status of the annual report will be listed as “Initial.” To submit the report:

1. Click on “Actions” in the Tools column for the annual report. Then select “Submit” from the drop-down menu.
2. Click “Yes” to confirm you want to submit the report.
3. Then click “OK.”

Once the report is submitted, it will disappear from your screen. To view submitted reports, change the Work Report Status field to “Submitted.”

Step 5

If you remitted contributions to STRS Ohio during the fiscal year on compensation paid to members for TPO service, submit a completed TPO Contribution Certification form via secure file upload the day you submit your annual report.