PAYROLL OFFICE LETTER

U. S. Office of Personnel Management

 Number: P-98-02 Date: February 20, 1998 

Subject: MARCH 1998 HEADCOUNT

This letter is the call for your March 1998 semiannual Headcount

Report. The Headcount Report is reported semiannually (in March and

September) by all payroll offices that withhold monies from salaries

for participants in the Civil Service Retirement System, Federal

Employees Retirement System, Federal Employees Health Benefits

Program, and/or the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Programs. 

The Headcount Report is a "snapshot" of enrollment in these programs

as of a given point in time. The information you report to us plays

a pivotal role in our system of internal accounting control, the

negotiation of Health and Life Insurance premium rates, and in the

determination of the employer contributions for Federal Employees

Retirement System (FERS) employees. 

The Headcount is submitted on the OPM Form 1523 (Supplemental

Semiannual Headcount Report); reporting of enrollment by individual

health benefits plan is accomplished via the SF 2812-A. This

reporting will be for the LAST pay period PAID DURING THE FIRST 15

DAYS of March 1998. If you pay twice during the first 15 days of

March, the Headcount will cover the second pay period paid in that

period. For monthly pay cycles, the reporting period will be for

February 1, 1998 through February 28, 1998. 

In the interest of time, we ask that you FAX your Forms 1523 and

2812-A to us. If you still report via the hard copy SF 2812, please

fax your SF 2812 in addition to the OPM Form 1523 with your SF 2812A. 

Please fax from CLEAR originals THAT DO NOT CONTAIN SMALL PRINT to

ensure that we receive legible copies. 

Our FAX numbers are:

F 202-606-0701

F 202-606-0195
We would like to receive your report on the applicable payroll paid

date. If this cannot be accomplished, we must receive it no later

than March 31, 1998. Please, under no circumstances, delay

submitting your normal RITS or hard-copy SF 2812 because your

Headcount Report is not ready to be submitted. 

It is very important, for the reasons cited above, that the

information you report on your Headcount is ACCURATE and TIMELY. 

Payroll Office Letter 95-4 contains detailed Headcount reporting

requirements. It is available electronically through OPM "ONLINE" or

a copy can be obtained by calling the Financial Policy Staff.

We would also like you to place emphasis on your reporting of

AGGREGATE BASE SALARY (ABS) data. We require ABS for each CSRS and

FERS category included on your OPM Form 1523. The ABS is the total

gross salary, subject to retirement withholding, for the reported pay

period, for each category of CSRS and FERS retirement. For example,

on Line C.2.a, the amount reported will be the total salary (subject

to retirement withholding) paid this pay period to individuals with

CPDF retirement code K. Your ABS reporting provides us with an

important accounting control over RITS/hard-copy SF 2812 reporting. 

We compute withholdings and contributions amounts for each Retirement

category on your OPM Form 1523 based on the ABS, and compare that to

the corresponding amounts you reported to us via RITS or on your

hard-copy SF 2812. We will contact you for an explanation, if this

analysis reveals a significant variance. 

In the preparation of your Headcount reports please include the

following changes which were incorporated after the issuance of

Payroll Office Letter 95-4: 

The SF2812-A with your Headcount should contain totals for the

dollars and enrollees reported on it. The total dollars and

enrollments on the SF2812-A must agree with the dollar and

enrollment totals reported on line B3 of your OPM Form 1523; and

the total dollars must agree with the total dollars reported on

RITS (or the hard copy SF 2812). 

The name of the preparer, in addition to the signature of the

authorized official, is required.

In the Retirement section, the amounts reported on Line C3

(Total Retirement) in the "Deductions Made" and "No Deductions

Made" columns should not include the number of enrollees for

Salary Offset, Military Deposits, and for Civilian Service

Credit reported on lines C1i, C1j, C1k, C2i and C2k.
In addition please refer to the reporting changes announced in

Payroll Office Letter P-97-17 dated December 16, 1997.

If you have any questions concerning the preparation of your

Headcount report, please call us at (202) 606-0666, or send an email,

finance@opm.gov. 

Robert A. Yuran, Chief

Financial Management Division

Retirement and Insurance Service

Attachments (2)

Note - Please call us or send us an email to request the Attachments:

SF 2812-A Report of Withholdings and Contributions for Health

Benefits 

By Enrollment Code

OPM Form 1523 Supplemental Semiannual Headcount Report