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12/4/2025 2026 Voluntary Savings Plan Contribution Limits
SUNY offers two voluntary options to boost your retirement savings. Employees are encouraged to take advantage of the SUNY 403(b) Voluntary Savings Plan and the NYS Deferred Compensation 457 Plan. The plans do not include employer contributions; however, you can enroll and contribute up to the maximum annual limit in both plans!IMPORTANT NEW RULE for participants with 2025 FICA earnings at $150,000 and over: Beginning in 2026, ALL catch-up contributions must be Roth (after-tax).Please consult with a tax advisor on how after-tax contributions could affect your tax planning.More information is available in the Voluntary Savings Plan 2026 Contribution Limit memo.
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11/25/2025 NYSHIP Rates & Option Transfer 2026
The NYS Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) 2026 Option Transfer Period (OTP) will run from Monday, Dec. 1 through Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. No action is required if you are not making any changes for 2026. Faculty & staff who wish to request any of the following changes allowed during OTP must submit a completed PS404 Health Insurance Transaction Form to Employee Benefits, Couper Administration, Room 242, no later than Dec. 31, 2025.
- Change pre/post tax status;
- Switch from Opt-Out to NYSHIP health coverage;
- Cancel NYSHIP coverage or change from family to individual coverage without the need for a qualifying event
- Change from Empire to an HMO plan or vice versa
- Considering changing from Empire to an HMO Plan? It is important to understand that our three HMO plans require establishment of a participating primary care physician for the enrollee & dependents with specialist care referrals necessary for most services. Please refer to the 2026 Choices book or contact Employee Benefits with questions.
HOW DO I REQUEST AN ELIGIBLE OTP CHANGE?
Please refer to Question #17 "Annual Option Transfer Request(s)" on the PS404 Form to submit any of the above changes by Dec. 31:
- More than one OTP change may be requested on the same form
- If you email your form to any employee benefits representative listed below, please use only the last four digits of your social security number in question #2.
- Electronic signatures are not permitted on the PS404 form.
The 2026 biweekly NYSHIP rates, effective with the paycheck dated Dec. 31, 2025, can be found here. Note the Office of Human Resources will be closed from Dec. 25 until Jan. 5.
Karen Kocan: kkocan@binghamton.eduMeaghan Liberati: mliberati@binghamton.eduLuanne Stento: lstento@binghamton.edu -
11/24/2025 Holiday Period 2025-2026
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11/20/25 NYS 529 College Savings Plan Webinar Nov. 25
Are you interested in learning more about NY State's 529 College Savings Program to help save for your child's higher education? SUNY offers the NYS 529 savings plan via payroll direct deposit.
Click here to register for their free, one-hour live webinar being held Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 10:30 a.m.
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10/31/25 NYS Flexible Spending Account (FSA) 2026 Open Enrollment Period
The NYS Office of Employee Relations announces the 2026 open enrollment period for the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Program will run from Saturday, November 1 and end on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. This is a strict deadline. Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC) is the FSA administrator for the 2026 plan year and Bentek is the online enrollment administrator.
FSA is a voluntary benefit that allows eligible employees the opportunity to lower their taxable income by setting aside pre-tax earnings on a biweekly basis:
- Health Care Advantage Account--HCAA: To help pay for designated unreimbursed medical, dental and vision expenses not covered by health insurance
- Dependent Care Advantage Account--DCAA: For those who pay for child and/or elder care while you work
- Adoption Advantage Account - Families who are considering adoption
Employees enrolled in the 2025 FSA Program who wish to continue the benefit in 2026 MUST reenroll during this open enrollment period, no later than 11:59 p.m. on December 8, 2025. FSA participation does NOT automatically carry over year to year. Contributions are withheld biweekly from participant's gross pay during 2026 and deposited into the appropriate account. Certain employees are eligible for an employer contribution for DCAA participation if your union contract includes the agreement to participate in the employer contribution program. This includes employees designated M/C or represented by CSEA, PEF, NYSCOPBA, PBANYS, NYSCOPBA or GSEU.
HAVE PLAN QUESTIONS OR NEED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE?
- TASC offers FSA enrollment online through Bentek at https://app.mybentek.com/
nysfsa/ - NEW ENROLLEES: It is recommended when enrolling to have a recent paycheck handy for your salary and NYS Empl ID number which begins with N. You will also need BU's agency code which is 28020 for faculty & staff.
- Visit https://oer.ny.gov/fsa for a program overview (click on "Learn More About the FSA" button)
- Most questions can be answered via the 2025 FSA Open Enrollment Booklet
- Technical account log-in assistance or for answers not covered in the booklet is available by calling the FSA Customer Service Line at 800-358-7202
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10/2025 UUP Discretionary Program Criteria
UUP 1/2% Discretionary Increase Memos are available online here:
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10/6/2025 Schedule a Meeting with Corebridge
Corebridge financial representative Taylor Jaquays will be on campus October 22 from 10 am - 4 pm. A reservation is required to reserve an in person appointment on a first-come, first-serve basis using the October 22nd Scheduling Calendar link
This is a convenient opportunity to discuss how to boost your overall finacial wellness, the resources available to help shape the future you want, along with establishing a plan to help you reach your financial retirement goals.
You also have the option to schedule a virtual meeting on another date here.
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10/1/2025 NYS Deferred Comp October Webinars
Pre-Retirement:
Fri, Oct 3, 2025 12:00 PMEnrollment:
Monday, October 6, 2025 12:00 PMNYSDCP Hosts the NY State & Local Retirement System (Pension):
Tuesday, October 7, 2025 12:00 PMThe NYS Deferred Comp is joined by the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS) to give an educational presentation on the basics of the Pension and how it will help provide for your future. There will be Q&A sessions throughout the webinar. Registration required.
Social Security:
Thursday, October 16, 2025 12:00 PMJoin us for a conversation on your Social Security benefits. We will discuss Social Security eligibility, important considerations based on your age, and benefit adjustments for spouses and those who are divorced. All are welcome to attend, even if you are already taking Social Security or are not eligible, the information may be helpful for co-workers and loved ones.
Fundamentals of Retirement Income Planning:
Oct 20, 2025 12:00 PMThis workshop will help you learn why it’s important to have a plan for generating income in retirement, factors to consider when transitioning your savings into retirement income, and how to develop a retirement income plan.
https://nationwideinsurance.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Btxe6BZgR5mz47PQDqhs4A
Economic Update Webinar:
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 12:00 PM2025 has been a volatile year and economy conditions are showing signs of stress. But tariff impacts have been smaller than expected and the Fed is set to lower interest rates again, factors which should prevent a sharp slowdown. Get the latest updates on how the U.S. economy is expected to close out 2025 and head into 2026.
NYSDCP Hosts the NYS Teachers' Retirement System Webinar:
Tuesday, October 28, 2025 12:00 PMEven in turbulent economic times like these, you can achieve future financial strength and security by building a strong pension at NYSTRS. This presentation will provide an overview of the important benefits NYSTRS provides, with an emphasis on issues pertaining to members approaching retirement. Highlights include a review of the fundamental pension components such as service credit and final average salary, key retirement thresholds to reach for, the tools needed to maximize these benefits, retirement benefit options and much more. Hopefully you’ll leave our meeting with a handle on what’s needed to plan wisely on your road to retirement, as well as what costly errors to avoid along the way.
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TASC Issuing New Flex Spending Debit Cards
Total Administrative Services Corp (TASC) has informed the Office of Employee Relations (OER) they will be issuing new Flex Spending Account (FSA) debit cards for employee and family FSA participants. It is anticipated the new cards will be mailed on June 23, 2025.
Cardholders will experience a 5-7 day gap (dependent on USPS delivery) where old cards are inactive and new cards are in transit. Participants will be provided instructions on accessing their funds during the transition.
Note the following communication schedule and carefully review the information when received.
- 1st participant email: Thursday, 5/22/25
- 2nd participant email: Tuesday, 6/17/25
- 3rd participant email: Monday, 6/23/25
Assistance may be obtained by contacting TASC weekdays at 800-358-7202.
More information is available on the TASC New Debit Card Website.
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1/30/2025 2024 414-H Reporting
2024 414-H Report Memo -
12/4/2024 Holiday Period 2024-2025
Holiday Period 2024-2025.pdf -
12/4/2024 Required Annual Compliance Training 2024
Required Annual Compliance Training 2024.pdf -
11/27/24 NYSHIP Option Transfer Period & Insurance Rates 2025
The 2025 NYSHIP Option Transfer Period will run until December 31, 2024, including the Pre-Tax Contribution Program. No action is required if you are not changing your health plan or NYSHIP tax election for 2025. If you are enrolled in the NYSHIP Opt Out Program, the benefit will automatically continue in 2025.
Option Transfer is also the one time during the year you may cancel your health insurance coverage or change from family to individual coverage without the need for a qualifying event.
Employees who would like to make changes to their health coverage or tax election for 2025 must submit a completed PS404 Health Insurance Transaction Form to Human Resources in AD 242 no later than December 31, 2024. Please note this is not an "open enrollment" period.
The 2025 Bi-Weekly NYSHIP rates will begin with the paycheck dated December 31, 2024 (January 1 is a holiday).
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11/25/24 Weather-Related Absences
Winter is quickly approaching and with it comes a refresher on the campus policies on winter preparedness and planning.
Please review this information with your employees and supervisors and discuss how a change in campus operations impacts you.
Continuity of Operations
During inclement weather, the University must maintain functions and services that meet the needs of students, provide safety operations, maintain buildings and support critical research programs. Therefore, departments should identify and prioritize these functions, and supervisors should communicate expectations to employees who support these functions well ahead of any anticipated weather-related disruptions. Now would be a good time for departments to take some time to develop and review their continuity plans to ensure these vital campus services are provided during a weather event.
Employee Travel
Staff should make a reasonable effort to arrive at work for their regular scheduled shifts. However, there may be occasions when road conditions create an undue hazard. In these cases, supervisors, managers and department heads are authorized to excuse a reasonable amount of tardiness (that is, to treat it as an approved absence charged to leave credits) and not to assess penalties.
Full-day absences resulting from hazardous weather conditions may be excused, but need to be charged to appropriate leave credits if the department is satisfied that it was not possible for the employee to report to work. Requests to charge such absences to sick leave may be subject to medical documentation.
Local government officials, police and media outlets do not have the authority to close state offices and facilities. Declarations of a state emergency/road closures are not equivalent to the closing of state facilities. If classes are canceled, that announcement will be made directly by campus.
Cancellation of Classes
When in-person classes are cancelled, employees who can accomplish their duties remotely may request supervisory approval to fulfill their work obligation from an alternate work location. There is no entitlement to this arrangement. Employees and supervisors should have initial discussions regarding this possiblity now to determine if this will be feasible or not. In general, this does not apply to essential employees that perform work in grounds, central heating plant, maintenance and custodial, law enforcement, animal care, health services, those with responsiblity for laboratory experiments, select administrative employees who may need to meet administrative deadlines (i.e., payroll) and other employees who are essential to maintaining the University's vital or mission-critical services.
If inclement weather conditions arise during the workday, staff may request permission to leave early and charge appropriate accruals. Supervisors and managers will make every effort to approve such requests within operational need.
If severe and extraordinary weather conditions arise during the workday and the University is closed by the governor's order, directed early departures are not charged to leave accruals.
Communication
During inclement weather events, an announcment will be sent via B-ALERT by 6:00 am providing additional information on the status of classes.
Sign up for B-ALERT at https://www.binghamton.edu/emergency/emergency-notification/text-alerts.html
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11/15/24 Voluntary Savings Plans 2025 Contribution Memo
Did you know that any employee who receives a W-2 from New York State is eligible to participate in the SUNY Voluntary Savings 403(b) Plan and the NYS Deferred Compensation 457 Plan? These plans are a convenient way to save money for retirement on a pretax or Roth post tax basis through payroll deduction.
Voluntary Savings Plan 2025 Contribution Memo for all Employees
Please contact a health benefits administrator with Voluntary Savings Plan questions.
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10/2024 UUP Discretionary Program Criteria
UUP 1/2% Discretionary Increase Memos are available online here:
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09/18/2024 NYS Dental Plan Provider Change to Anthem BCBS Oct. 1, 2024
Effective October 1, 2024, the New York State Dental Plan administrator will change from EmblemHealth to Anthem Blue Cross (Anthem). There will be no impact or changes to dental benefits as a result of this transition.Enrollees in bargaining units GSEU, M/C-13, NYSCOPBA, PBANYS and PEF have begun to receive a welcome letter from Anthem Blue Cross along with a new plan benefit card with the Anthem Blue Cross corporate logo. Enrollees should continue to usetheir EmblemHealth card through September 30 and use their new Anthem card starting October 1.If you have any questions regarding the new plan or are an enrollee who does not receive an Anthem ID card, a dedicated Anthem NYS Dental Plan toll-free number 1-833-821-1949 is available to answer enrollees’ questions.
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09/10/2024 UUP Discretionary Program Criteria Update - Time Sensitive
This memo serves as a follow-up to the notification sent on May 16, 2024, regarding changes to the eligibility criteria for UUP discretionary awards.
To be eligible for the award, supervisors must now meet the following requirements:
1. Annual Compliance Training: Supervisors must have completed all required annual compliance training for 2024.
2. Employee Performance Programs & Evaluations: Supervisors must be up-to-date with performance programs and evaluations for their direct reports. For the first year of this rollout, supervisors will be considered compliant if they file a current performance program where one does not exist, in order to conduct the annual evaluation.
Important Exception: For this year's discretionary process, Deans/Directors may consider a supervisor compliant if they submit an attestation that a draft performance program has been initiated or is in progress, even if it does not yet appear in the electronic system. There is no exception for the completion of the compliance training modules.
Important Deadlines:
- Compliance will be measured as of September 30, 2024. This includes the Title VI training which was recently released.
You can access the training system here:
https://comply.binghamton.edu/
You can access the UUP onlince performance program and evaluation system here:
https://my.binghamton.edu/page/main/mydashboard
For inquiries about the performance program and evaluation status of your direct reports, please contact Sara DeClemente-Hammoud in HR. Information regarding the discretionary program and related letters will be rolled out shortly after this deadline.
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05/16/2024
Preliminary UUP Discretionary Award Memos
Please note that this memo is normally sent around October to initiate the UUP discretionary process. The process will formally be rolled out later in the year, but we are sending the memo now to inform UUP staff and UUP staff who are supervisors of record that the criteria to be eligible for a UUP discretionary award has changed. Individual annual compliance training completion along with performance program and evaluations for direct reports is now a minimum requirement for eligibility. This notification will allow for ample time for employees to meet this criterion, which is required by law and collective bargaining agreement.
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04/02/2024 SUNY 403(b) Plan Contribution Processing Update
When employees establish a SUNY voluntary savings plan 403(b) account or submit a request to change their contribution via Retirement at Work, the request is processed for payroll deduction by the campus Employee Benefits Office. As of March 28, the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) announced these requests will be processed via an automated file transfer. You will continue to submit your requests via SUNY Retirement at Work.
Although we will no longer be manually entering your 403(b) contribution requests, Employee Benefits will continue to audit the transactions based on the bi-weekly feedback reports we receive. Note that it may take up to 30 days for OSC to process your request in the event there is a submission issue that needs to be corrected.
This is also a reminder that if you request a bi-weekly 403(b) contribution that exceeds the net amount available in your paycheck, our payroll system allows for a partial payment deduction. This means if your paycheck cannot withstand the amount you requested, the payroll system will take the partial amount, which may result in a net zero paycheck.
It is important for all employees to consistently review their bi-weekly paycheck for accuracy and immediately contact Human Resources if necessary. -
03/06/2023
Employee Referral Bonus Program
Employee Referral Bonus Program
/offices/human-resources/employee_referral_bonus_program.pdf -
01/01/2023
SUNY Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Policy
Effective January 01, 2023 This policy item applies to State-Operated Campuses
OPDV Gender-Based Violence and the Workplace Policy Compliance
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06/04/2020 Phased Retirement and Other Voluntary Reduction in Work Schedule Programs
A reminder regarding phased retirement and work reduction options available to employees.
For more information regarding Phased Retirement options, please click here.