Latest News
SCERS Lowers Long-Term Investment Assumption to 6.75%
The SCERS Board of Retirement adopted new actuarial assumptions that will be used to set contribution rates beginning in July 2021 to keep funding on track and benefits secure for the system’s 25,000 members and retirees.
SCERS Closed for Memorial Day
In observance of Memorial Day, SCERS and all other Sacramento County agencies and offices will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2020.
Sick Leave Rules Under Review
SCERS is developing a policy to clarify the rules for converting unused sick leave to service credit when members do not retire immediately upon separation from employment.
COVID-19 Updates
All SCERS’ COVID-19 updates for members are now compiled and located on this page.
Report Finds SCERS Benefits in Good Health
The SCERS pension fund is on solid footing to pay out benefits for decades to come, with a low probability of falling into financial distress, according to a new report presented to the Board of Retirement in February 2020.
SCERS Holiday and Payment Calendar is Here
SCERS benefits are paid on the last working day of every month. For your convenience, we have provided a calendar of pay dates and Sacramento County holidays.
SCERS Closed for Presidents’ Days
SCERS will be closed for Lincoln’s Birthday on Wednesday, February 12 and Washington’s Birthday on Monday, February 17. Happy Presidents’ Days!
Changes to 2020 Tax Withholdings
The IRS released a revised Form W-4 for the 2020 tax year. This allows employees or retirees to more accurately estimate the amount of taxes to withhold from their income.
1099-R Tax Forms
Attention: 1099-R tax forms are being mailed on January 30th. To allow sufficient mail processing time, if you do not receive your 1099-R by February 10th please contact our office at (916) 874-9119.
SCERS Board To Approve COLA
The SCERS Board will adopt annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retirees and beneficiaries at the February 2020 Board meeting.
Funding Remains Strong
The funded status for the Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS) increased to 82.6 percent, as of June 30, 2019, according to the annual actuarial valuation approved by the Board of Retirement on November 20, 2019.
The fund was helped by a 2018-19 fiscal year investment return of 7.2 percent, finishing the fiscal year with approximately $9.8 billion in assets. SCERS continues to manage an unfunded liability of $2.1 billion over a 20-year period to ensure sufficient assets are in place to support long-term benefit obligations.
Retirement Board Election Results
The Sacramento County Department of Voter Registration and Elections announced election results on October 11, 2019, for three seats on the SCERS Board.
View the Retirement Board Election page for details.
Retirement Board Election Update
The 2019 Board of Retirement candidate nomination period is closed. Ballots will be mailed mid-September for the Miscellaneous Representative position.
Pension Fund Nears $10 Billion
SCERS’ investments returned 7.2% in the 2018-19 fiscal year, finishing with a market value of $9.7 billion.
SCERS assumes a 7% annual rate of return — meeting or exceeding that target helps keep the fund strong to support benefits without needing to increase contribution rates. For the last 3, 5, and 10 years ending June 30, SCERS delivered annualize returns of 10.4%, 6.5% and 9.7%, respectively.
2019 Annual Report: Strategic Management Program
The Strategic Management Program improves the maturity of SCERS’ strategic management capabilities with the introduction of improved processes for ownership of goals, objectives, implementation actions, performance tracking/measurement, and integrated risk management.
The following six goals guide our continuous improvement:
Read the Summer Issue of SCERS’ Newsletter
Our Summer 2019 newsletter is out! This issue spotlights our Chief Investment Officer, offers tips on submitting retirement documents early, a note about Board elections, and more.
Active and retired members can find the newsletter in their mailbox or may pick up a copy at SCERS’s downtown office. The newsletter has also been posted under Newsletters.
Retirement Board Elections Coming Soon
Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS) Retirement Board will elect three new members next month: a Miscellaneous Representative, Retiree Representative, and Alternate Retiree Representative. Ballots are being mailed to members, so make sure your mailing address is up to date!
Visit scers.org/elections for more detail on the open positions, upcoming nomination period, and voting period.
Date and Time Changes for Retirement Planning Seminars
Based on member feedback, we have pushed back the start time of our quarterly retirement planning seminars to 9 a.m. (previously 8 a.m.) and condensed the seminar to end at 4 p.m. (previously 4:30 p.m.). We also moved the October event to October 21 (previously October 3) due to a schedule conflict.
Overtime and Service Credit Policies
The SCERS Board of Retirement adopted new policies in April 2019 that clarify how compensation and service credit will be incorporated into pension calculations. SCERS will no longer include in Final Compensation any portion of allowances or pay incentives earned after April 27, 2019, as a result of overtime, expired compensatory time off (CTO), or CTO-over-max. SCERS also will limit service credit to one (1) year in a 12-month period. These policies provide for more consistency in pension calculations based on a better interpretation of law.
New Issue of SCERS Newsletter Published
The latest edition of the SCERS newsletter has been published. The Spring 2019 newsletter includes a spotlight on SCERS’ new Chief Benefits Officer, a retirement checklist, FAQs regarding service credit purchases, fast facts regarding benefit recipients, and details on upcoming events.
The newsletter has been posted on the SCERS website in the Newsletters section and has been mailed out to all of our active and retired members.