Planning Retirement
Service Retirement
California State University (CSU) supports the efforts of faculty and staff to plan a fulfilling, financially secure retirement. As part of its total rewards package, the CSU offers an array of retirement options to help employees meet their financial goals.
Retirement program eligibility is based on appointment type, duration, full-time equivalency (FTE), and previous public agency or reciprocal agency employment. The state-mandated retirement program is the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS), coordinated with Social Security.
Medicare
Retirement Plans
The California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) offers a defined benefit retirement plan. It provides benefits based on member's years of service, age, and final compensation. In addition, benefits are provided for disability death and payments to survivors or beneficiaries of eligible members. By statute, the California State University (CSU) participates in the CalPERS program. Membership is mandatory for those CSU employees who are eligible.
CalPERS uses contributions of the employer and the employee as well as income from investments to pay for employee retirement benefits. Employee and employer contributions are a percentage of applicable employee compensation and are made on a pre-tax basis; federal and state taxes are deferred until benefits are paid. Any investment return on an employee’s account is also tax-deferred. The investment of contributions is managed by CalPERS; therefore, employees do not bear any investment risk. Employee benefits grow with years of service and final average salary.
The Federal Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1990 requires that public employees who are not members of a retirement system be covered by either a qualified retirement program or Social Security. This requirement applies to California State University (CSU) employees who are presently excluded from membership in the Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) because they do not meet eligibility requirements (i.e., work less than one half-time, are seasonal, or are employed on an intermittent or temporary basis) are required to participate.
The Part-time, Seasonal, and Temporary Retirement Program (PST Program) is a savings program created by federal law for employees who are not members of a retirement system. The PST Program provides an opportunity for state and California State University (CSU) employees not covered by Social Security and by California Public Employee’s Retirement System (CalPERS) to save for retirement. The PST Program is an eligible 457 Deferred Compensation Plan (457 Plan) under the Internal Revenue Code. Employees enrolled in the PST Program are required to contribute 7.5% of gross wages that are withheld automatically on a pre-tax basis and deposited into a qualified plan.
You can review retirement eligibility requirements on our benefits eligibility page. For more information regarding the PST, retirement program visit the Saving Plus website.
*If you should meet the requirements for CalPERS membership you will be administratively placed in CalPERS membership and you will be notified of the change. Your PST plan will automatically be converted into a 457 Plan with Savings plus. You can elect to continue contributing to this plan or reach out to CalPERS regarding purchasing Service Credit prior to membership.
California State University 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan- Fidelity
The California State University 403(b) Plan is a voluntary program that allows eligible CSU employees to save toward retirement by contributing to tax-deferred investments. The 403(b) contributions are made solely by the employee through payroll deductions, prior to federal and state taxes being calculated.
Schedule a meeting with a Fidelity consultant!
*Employer name is California State University*
Saving Plus
Saving Plus offers two types of plans you can choose to enroll in a 401(k) and a 457 plan.
Updated: December 07, 2023