Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System

United States

Office of

Personnel Management

The Federal Government’s Human Resources Agency

Retirement and Insurance

Payroll Office Letter

 

Number: P-99-21 Date: September 3, 1999

Subject: SEPTEMBER 1999 HEADCOUNT

 _________________________________________________________________

This letter is the call for your semiannual Headcount for September 1999. The Headcount 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 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 Benefits and Life Insurance premium rates, and in the

determination of employer contributions for employees covered by the Federal Employees

Retirement System.

The September 1999 Headcount will again be submitted on the OPM Form 1523 (Supplemental

Semiannual Headcount Report); with reporting of enrollment by individual health benefits plan on the

SF 2812-A. The September 1999 Headcount will be for the payroll paid during THE FIRST 15 DAYS

of September 1999. For example, if you pay your employees on September 7, as we do, that will be

the payroll that you will use for your Headcount. If you pay twice during the first 15 days of

September, the Headcount will be for first payroll paid during that period. For monthly pay cycles,

the reporting period will be for August 1, 1999 through August 31, 1999. 

In the interest of time, we ask that you FAX your OPM Form 1523 and SF 2812-A to us. If you are

one of the few remaining payroll offices that still report withholdings and contributions via the hard

copy SF 2812, please fax a copy of your SF 2812 to us with your OPM Form 1523 and SF 2812A. 

Please use CLEAR originals THAT DO NOT CONTAIN SMALL PRINT for your fax to ensure they

are legible when we receive them.

Our FAX numbers are:

( 202-606-0701

( 202-606-0195
 

Civil Service Federal Employees Federal Employees Federal Employees

Retirement Group Life Health Benefits Retirement

System Insurance Program System

It is important that we receive your Headcount as soon as possible, but no later than SEPTEMBER

21, 1999. 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 and is available through the OPM Web Site (http://www.opm.gov) or you may obtain a

copy can be obtained by calling the Financial Policy Staff on 202-606-0606. The following changes

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-

0606, or send an email, finance@opm.gov.

Robert A. Yuran, Chief

Financial Management Division

Retirement and Insurance Service

Attachments (2) 

1. Report of Withholdings and Contributions for Health Benefits By Enrollment Code (SF 2812-A)

 2. Supplemental Semiannual Headcount Report (OPM Form 1523)