Retirement
Full-time state employees are automatically a member of the Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS). However, you must accrue five years of creditable state service before you are vested (guaranteed retirement benefits when age requirements are met). The state makes all contributions to your retirement account. Vested members of TCRS become eligible for service retirement upon completion of 30 years of creditable service or upon attainment of age 60.
You must make a beneficiary designation. You may designate one person, your estate, an institution, or more than one person as beneficiary. It is very important the beneficiary designation be current. Certain situations such as divorce, remarriage, or death may warrant a change in beneficiary.
NOTE: Group IV of the TCRS is open for membership to state judges. A state judge is defined as any person employed as a judge of a court of record whose salary is paid wholly from the Treasury of the State. Prior to September 1, 1990, state judges were a member of Group I, II or III. A Group IV member is eligible to apply for an unreduced service retirement benefit upon attaining age 55 with 24 years of service or age 60 with eight years of service.
Deferred Compensation
Deferred compensation is a benefit designed to provide employees an opportunity to supplement their retirement plan. Employees may choose to make pre-tax contributions to a variety of investment options through the 401(k) or the 457 plan. A minimum $40 monthly is required to participate in Deferred Compensation. The state will match the first $100 per month contributed each employee's 401K account.
Enrollment applications for the deferred compensation program are available in the Human Resources office or in the Edison system under Employee Self-Service. For further information about the various investment options available, contact Great-West Retirement Services at (615) 244-1030 or (800) 922-7772, or visit the RetireReadyTN 401(k)/457 Participant Login - Empower Retirement (empower-retirement.com)