Tag Archives: member contributions

Overtime Pay Temporarily Excluded from Tier 6 Contribution Rates

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The 2024–25 State Budget included a new law which temporarily excludes overtime pay earned from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024 from the calculation of Tier 6 contribution rates. This may lower contribution rates for some Tier 6 members from April 1, 2024 through March 31, 2026.

For most Tier 6 members with more than three years of service, your contribution rate is based on what you actually earned in public employment two years prior. The minimum rate is 3 percent of your earnings, and the maximum is 6 percent. For more information about how your contribution rate is determined, read our blog post, How Your Tier 6 Contribution Rate Can Change, or visit our Member Contributions page.

Overtime Pay Temporarily Excluded from Tier 6 Contribution Rates

Who is Affected by the Change to Tier 6 Contribution Rates?

As a Tier 6 member, you may have your contribution rate lowered if:

  • You make mandatory contributions toward your retirement (most Tier 6 members); and
  • You earned overtime from April 1, 2022 through March 31, 2024.

The rate decrease will not apply if:

  • You already pay the minimum rate of 3 percent;
  • You did not earn overtime from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2024; or
  • You joined NYSLRS on or after April 1, 2022. Your rate is based on an estimated wage provided by your employer when you were enrolled into NYSLRS rather than your actual earnings.

When Will Tier 6 Contribution Rates Be Updated?

We will work with employers to review your past earnings, determine whether your rate should be lowered and refund contribution overpayments if your rate is lowered.

Tier 6 is now the largest tier in NYSLRS. With more than 400,000 Tier 6 members, it will take several months to collect detailed earnings information from employers and change rates. We thank you for your patience while we make these rate adjustments.

NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time: PFRS Tier 5

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When you join the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), you’re assigned a tier based on the date of your membership. There are six tiers in the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and five in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS). Each tier has a different benefit structure established by New York State legislation.

Our series, NYSLRS — One Tier at a Time, walks through each tier to give you a quick look at the benefits in both ERS and PFRS. Today’s post looks at PFRS Tier 5. Anyone who joined PFRS from January 9, 2010 through March 31, 2012 is in Tier 5. There were 1,967 PFRS Tier 5 members as of March 31, 2021, making up 5.6 percent of PFRS membership.

About Special Plans

Under a regular plan, you need to reach certain age and service requirements to receive your NYSLRS pension. If you’re covered by a special plan, there is no age requirement, and you can receive your pension after completing 20 or 25 years of service.

Nearly 80 percent of PFRS members are in plans covered under Sections 384, 384-d, 384-e or 384-f of the Retirement and Social Security Law. Read our Police and Fire Retirement System blog post for information about different PFRS plans.

Check out the graphic below for the basic retirement information for PFRS Tier 5.

PFRS Tier 5

If you’re a PFRS Tier 5 member, you can find detailed information about your benefits in the retirement plan booklets listed below:

For special plans under miscellaneous titles, please visit our Publications page.

Check out other posts in the PFRS series: