Reminder: Member Contribution Rate Increase for 2021

July 14, 2021

As part of legislation passed in 2018, contributions to PERA increased for all members on July 1, 2021. We know that increasing the amount you contribute to PERA is not easy but keep in mind:

Every dollar you contribute is placed in your own personal retirement account at PERA.
Your contributions will come back to you, either as a monthly retirement benefit that can’t be outlived, or as a lump-sum payment to you if you refund your account.
Your contributions are earning interest, currently 3%.

Member Contribution Rates - July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022

State, School, and Denver Public Schools Divisions	Safety Officers	Local Government Division	Judicial Division (Excluding Denver County Judges)	Judicial Division (Denver County Judges)
10.50%	12.50%	8.50%	15.50%	10.50%

An additional scheduled contribution increase of 0.5% will take effect on July 1, 2022, for all Divisions.

Safety Officer Definition

For the purposes of PERA benefits, “Safety Officers” include the following employees:

Peace officers with the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
County sheriffs, undersheriffs, deputy sheriffs, noncertified deputy sheriffs, and detention officers in the Local Government Division whose PERA membership began on or after January 1, 2020.
Corrections officers classified as I through IV in the State Division whose PERA membership began on or after January 1, 2020.
Pending action by the Governor on Senate Bill 20-057: Firefighters classified as I through VII employed with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, beginning with service earned on or after July 1, 2020.