Amendments
Retirement
Your agency's contract may be amended to provide additional benefits to your employees. School districts must work through the county schools to amend their contract.
Before amending your contract, learn about any changes to optional contract provisions, the various benefit options available, and estimated cost information. Schools can refer to the Public Agency & Schools Reference Guide (PDF, 6.3 MB) for their optional benefits.
For employees who aren't covered by Social Security, learn about the 1959 Survivor Benefit Program.
The Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA) mandated all contracting agencies provide the following benefit formulas to their employees.
Miscellaneous Formula
- 2% at 62 (Government Code Section 7522.20)
Safety Formulas
- 2% at 57 (Government Code Section 7522.25)
- 2.5% at 57 (Government Code Section 7522.25)
- 2.7% at 57 (Government Code Section 7522.25)
Select from the options below for a listing of agencies that opted for that benefit prior to the enactment of the Public Employees' Pension Reform Act of 2013 (PEPRA).
Miscellaneous Formulas
- 2% at 55 (Government Code Section 21354) (PDF)
- 2.5% at 55 (Government Code Section 21354.4) (PDF)
- 2.7% at 55 (Government Code Section 21354.5) (PDF)
- 2% at 60 (Government Code Section 21353) (PDF)
- 3% at 60 (Government Code Section 21354.3) (PDF)
Safety Formulas
Health
If your agency would like to make changes to its monthly employer health contribution, add or remove an optional provision such as vesting, or terminate its health contract, email the CalPERS Health Contracts Unit.
Amendment Process
It takes approximately 90-120 days to complete an amendment to the contract. A CalPERS employer representative will provide the necessary documents for adoption by your agency's governing body. All requirements and procedures will be outlined in a cover letter sent with the documents. Review the Contract Amendment Procedures (PDF) to see how to request an actuarial valuation or amend your contract.
For more information about amending your contract and for details on optional benefits, refer to your Public Agency & Schools Reference Guide, the California Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL), or call us at 888 CalPERS (or 888-225-7377).
Contracts
Resources
- 1959 Survivor Benefit Program
- Contract Amendment Procedures (PDF)
- Cost-Sharing FAQs (PDF)
- Employer Contributions
- Golden Handshake FAQs (PDF)
- Public Employees' Pension Reform Act (PEPRA)
- Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL)
- Risk Pooling
Forms & Publications
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can optional benefits included in the contract be taken away from current employees?
You can only amend your contract to eliminate or reduce certain benefits for employees hired after the effective date of the amendment to the contract only.
- Can our agency add a benefit to our contract and make it retroactive to a specific date?
Retirement law prohibits making benefits retroactive. Benefits are applicable upon completion of an amendment to the contract only.
- When is an employee election required for a contract amendment?
If the amendment to the contract changes the employees' rate of contribution, a secret ballot election among the employees affected is required.