Retirement and Pension System Board of Trustees
The Anne Arundel County Retirement and Pension System Board of Trustees is responsible for the management and proper operation of the retirement and pension system. The Board has the power to do all that it considers necessary and to exercise any and all powers under Article 5 of the Anne Arundel Code with respect to the management of the system.
County Pension Plans
Frequently Asked Questions
- EMPLOYEES’ PLAN: Normal retirement is age 60 with completion of actual plan service plus transferred service totaling 5 years or the completion of actual plan service, transferred service and accrued disability leave totaling 30 years. Early retirement is age 50 with 20 years of credited service.
- DETENTION OFFICERS’ & DEPUTY SHERIFFS’ PLAN: For Category I employees, normal retirement is age 50 with the completion of actual plan service plus transferred service totaling 5 years or the completion of actual plan service, transferred service and accrued disability leave service totaling 20 years. For Category II employees, normal retirement is age 50 with the completion of actual plan service plus transferred service totaling 5 years. Category II employees may retire early so long as he has 20 years of credited service.
- POLICE PLAN: Normal retirement is actual plan service plus disability leave totaling 20 years or age 50 with the completion of 5 years of actual plan service.
- FIRE PLAN: Normal retirement is actual plan service plus disability leave totaling 20 years or age 50 with the completion of 5 years of actual plan service.
DETENTION OFFICERS’ AND DEPUTY SHERIFFS PLAN: Your member contribution is 6.75%.
POLICE SERVICE PLAN: Under the current law your member contribution is 7.25%.
FIRE SERVICE PLAN: Under the current law your member contribution is 7.25%.
- Modified Cash Refund Option: This option gives you lifetime monthly pension payments. At your death, if the total benefits you received do not equal your total retirement contributions plus accrued interest through your date of retirement, the difference will be paid to your beneficiary in a lump sum. This is the normal form of payment of a participant of the Employees’ Plan.
- Joint & Survivor Option: This option gives you a reduced monthly benefit to provide a lifetime guarantee to ONE joint annuitant (your spouse or minor child). Payments are guaranteed to you for life. At your death, your joint annuitant will receive lifetime monthly payments in a pre-selected percentage, 100%, 80%, 66 2/3%, or 50% of your benefit.
- Joint & Survivor Pop-up Option: This option gives you a reduced monthly benefit to provide a lifetime benefit to your and ONE joint annuitant (your spouse or minor child). At your death, your joint annuitant will receive lifetime payments in a pre-selected percentage, 100%, 80%, 66 2/3%, or 50% of your benefit. If your joint annuitant should predecease you, your monthly pension benefit will ‘Pop-Up’ (increase) to the maximum allowance under the Modified Cash Refund Option.
- Social Security Adjustment Option: This option gives you a larger monthly benefit until Social Security Payments begin at age 62 and smaller payments thereafter. The intention is to provide you with a nearly level total income from both sources from date of retirement until death.
Your benefits are guaranteed for your lifetime, at your death, if the total benefits you received do not equal your total retirement contributions plus accrued interest through your date of retirement, the difference will be paid to your beneficiary in a lump sum.
Police Service & fire Service Plans: These public safety plan offer a single life annuity as the normal form of payment for unmarried participants with a five-year guarantee to the named beneficiary from the date of retirement. Married participants receive an unreduced 100% Joint & Survivor Option as the normal form of payment. - Detention Officers’ and Deputy Sheriffs’ Plan: This Plan offers a single life annuity as the normal form of payment with a five (5) year guarantee to the named beneficiary from the date of retirement. Under current law, married participants or single participants who have unmarried minor children, may elect a reduced 100%, 80%, 66 2/3%, or 50% Joint & Survivor option.
Employees Retirement Plan
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
COLA on pre-February 1, 1997 Benefit
COLA on post-January 31, 1997 Benefit
Detention Officers' and Deputy Sheriffs' Retirement Plan
COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA)
COLA on Pre-February 1, 1997 Benefit
COLA on Post-January 31, 1997 Benefit
Fire Service Retirement Plan
COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA)
COLA on Pre-February 1, 1997 benefit
COLA on Post-January 31, 1997 benefit
Police Service Retirement Plan
COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT (COLA)
COLA on Pre-February 1, 1997, Benefit
COLA on Post-January 31, 1997, Benefit
COLA Increases Over the Last Nine Years
Fire & Police Plans | ||
---|---|---|
Date | Pre Increase | Post Increase |
07/01/2016 | 0.39% | 0.50% |
07/01/2017 | 1.65% | 1.40% |
07/01/2018 | 2.01% | 1.40% |
07/01/2019 | 2.34% | 1.10% |
07/01/2020 | 1.92% | 0.90% |
07/01/2021 | 1.17% | 1.60% |
07/01/2022 | 4.00% | 2.50% |
07/01/2023 | 4.00% | 2.50% |
07/01/2024 | 4.00% | 2.1% |
Employees' Plan | ||
---|---|---|
Date | Pre Increase | Post Increase |
07/01/2016 | 0.90% | 0.50% |
07/01/2017 | 2.40% | 1.40% |
07/01/2018 | 2.40% | 1.40% |
07/01/2019 | 1.90% | 1.10% |
07/01/2020 | 1.50% | 0.90% |
07/01/2021 | 2.60% | 1.60% |
07/01/2022 | 3.00% | 2.50% |
07/01/2023 | 3.00% | 2.50% |
07/01/2024 | 3.00% | 2.1% |
Detention & Deputy Sheriffs' Plan | ||
---|---|---|
Date | Pre Increase | Post Increase |
07/01/2016 | 0.90% | 0.50% |
07/01/2017 | 2.40% | 1.40% |
07/01/2018 | 2.40% | 1.40% |
07/01/2019 | 1.90% | 1.10% |
07/01/2020 | 1.50% | 0.90% |
07/01/2021 | 2.60% | 1.60% |
07/01/2022 | 4.0% | 2.50% |
07/01/2023 | 4.0% | 2.50% |
07/01/2024 | 3.5% | 2.1% |
- Service-Connected Disability Retirement is available if you become disabled die to a work related occupational illness or accidental injury which prevents you from working.
- Non-Service Connected Disability Retirement is available if you have a severe medical condition, not work-related, that prevents you from working.
- The participant currently engaging in the illegal use of drugs or narcotics
- A willful effort on the participant’s part to bring about injury or illness to the participant or another person, while the participant is sane or insane.
- The participant engaging in any illegal or criminal enterprise or activity
- Injuries incurred on the job while under the influence of alcohol
- Injuries incurred as a result of military service
- Submit a claim form within one year of employment with Anne Arundel County
- Be hired in a position that no longer allows participation in your former system
- No longer be permitted to accrue benefits in the previous system
- Begin employment immediately following termination of previous employment (no break between employment periods)
- An exempt employee under §802(a)(14) of the Charter; which would be a person assigned to an hourly rate position for temporary help, provided that the person is not compensated for more than 1500 hours per calendar year;
- An employee of the Sheriff in a position that requires the employee to be certified as a Police Officer by the Police Training Commission if the employee was certified as a Police Officer by the Police Training Commission at the time the employee retired;
- An employee of the State’s Attorney in a position that requires the employee to be certified as a Police Officer by the Police Training Commission if the employee was certified as a Police Officer by the Police Training Commission at the time the employee retired;
- OR -
- Retired from the County as an exempt employee under the County Personnel Code § 6-2-101, 6-2-101, or 6-2-105 in a position that is not exempt from the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C §207 et eq. and is reemployed by the County as an exempt employee under§802(a)(14) of the Charter.
You are required to report employment earnings to the County annually and failure to do so may result in cessation of your retirement benefits. Your monthly benefit is subject to an adjustment or suspension if your annual pension benefit received during a calendar year, when added together with employment earnings, if any, exceeds the current salary of a similarly classified position from which you retired. Any offset will not be greater than your annual pension amount.
Pension System Information
Bill No. 95-17 created the Anne Arundel County Employee Retirement Savings Plan. This new retirement plan is an alternative savings plan to the Employees’ Retirement Plan for employees hired on or after July 1, 2018 and for employees hired on or after December 1, 2014 who have not yet vested in the Employees’ Retirement Plan.
The bill allows for eligible employees to make a one-time irrevocable election to transfer from the Employees’ Retirement Plan to the new Savings Plan between July 1, 2018 - December 31, 2018
The Office of Personnel is happy to announce the return of in-person group retirement sessions. We will continue to offer virtual information sessions. These sessions will discuss the County pension, Deferred Compensation and Post-Retirement Health benefits.
Seating is limited for the in-person sessions so we ask that those registering for in-person sessions be within 5 years of retirement eligibility. The virtual sessions are open to all County employees. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU REGISTER FOR THE CORRECT RETIREMENT PLAN.
Future retirement sessions will be posted when available.
To schedule a counseling appointment, or to get more information about the retirement process, please contact the appropriate Pension Analyst at (410) 222-7595.
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