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Let’s Make it Official
Join the nearly 870 employers that partner with TCDRS.
Why Tcdrs
Benefits That Work for You
When you partner with TCDRS, you get a retirement plan that provides employees with reliable monthly benefits for life. With TCDRS, you’ll get:
A Competitive Offering
Help your organization recruit and retain talented workers.
Savings-Based Benefits
An employee’s benefit is based on savings account balance and employer matching, so their savings aren’t subject to stock market swings.
Account Portability
If an employee leaves your organization, they can keep their money in TCDRS, roll it over into another qualified retirement account or withdraw it.
Lifetime Benefits
All retirees receive a benefit for life. Depending on the payment option they choose, they can also provide a lifetime benefit to their beneficiary.
How it Works
Planning for Success
Here’s how the plan works at a high level:
Step 1
A percentage of your employee’s paycheck is deposited into their TCDRS account. That percentage (from 4% to 7%) is set by you.
Step 2
Your employee’s savings grow at an annual, compounded rate of 7% interest.
Step 3
At retirement, your employee receives a benefit payment based on the final account balance and employer matching. You choose the employer matching from “dollar for dollar” up to $2.50 for every dollar.
FUNDING YOUR PLAN
A Sound Investment
Your employer contribution rate is the percentage of payroll your organization is required to contribute to fund future benefits for your current employees, former employees and retirees.
- Each year, independent actuaries estimate the benefits you will pay to your employees and how much you need to invest to pay for those benefits.
- Your rate will change every year based on changes in your workforce and investment earnings.
- You’ll review your benefits levels each year and can make adjustments based on your workforce needs and budget.
Our Funding Methods
Locally Funded
While assets are pooled for investment, your plan is funded only by your organization, your employees and investment earnings. TCDRS receives no state funding.
Disciplined Funding
Each employer participating in TCDRS pays 100% of its required contribution rate each year, so the money is there when it’s time to pay the benefits.
Investment Earnings
Because benefits are funded in advance, investment earnings account for 74 cents of every dollar paid to retirees.
Explore our investments
Eligibility
Let’s Go
Join the many counties, appraisal districts, hospital districts and more whose employees enjoy retirement benefits with TCDRS.
Any governmental entity of the State of Texas that is not currently eligible to participate in another statewide public pension plan can join TCDRS to provide retirement benefits for all your employees (except temporary staff).
Apply Online
You’ll be in good company — nearly 870 employers partner with TCDRS.
Getting Started
Simple Steps. Big Benefits.
There are five steps in the application process with TCDRS, and it costs nothing to pursue possible participation with TCDRS.
Step 1
Apply Online
It’s easy to get started! First, we’ll just need to confirm that you’re eligible to participate.
Apply nowStep 2
Download our Employee Data Worksheet
This will help us build accurate cost projections. We will send you instructions on how to securely provide this data to TCDRS. Please do not email it.
Download NowStep 3
Schedule a Retirement Plan Review
Once we have rates and your benefit plans, we will go over details with you and your board to build a plan that’s the right fit.
Step 4
Sign Up
When your board decides to join TCDRS, you will finalize your benefit selections for the upcoming plan year.
Step 5
Assign Staff to Administer Your Plan
You will be assigned a dedicated Employer Services Representative and have access to training resources and materials.
Contact Us
We’re Here for You
Your Employer Services Representative Kristina Fox is available to answer any questions
800-651-3848 | ext. 303
Send Kristina a message.