Employers' Guide to IPERS Pension Benefits That Attract and Retain Top Talent

Your Role as an IPERS-Covered Employer

As an IPERS-covered employer, you are important to IPERS and its
members. IPERS employers:

• Are partners in administering the Plan—IPERS cannot administer the Plan without your assistance. Reporting officials and other staff help to ensure that IPERS receives the information it needs to properly calculate and pay benefits.
• Leverage risk—Employer contributions are an important part of the IPERS Plan. Your contributions fund benefits for the members you retain. Contributions made on behalf of nonvested members (less than 4 years of service) who leave covered employment stay in the Trust Fund.
• Assist in Plan decisions—The 14-member Benefits Advisory Committee (BAC) includes employer representation and provides advice to IPERS on benefits and services. The BAC needs your input to ensure we are meeting your and our members’ needs. Current membership information is available.
• Manage Plan expenses—Compensation decisions that employers make directly affect IPERS. You can help manage Plan costs by carefully evaluating the compensation decisions you make, including pay spiking. Pay spiking—elevating members’ pay just before retirement or covering ineligible compensation—substantially impacts the costs of the Plan, which in turn increases Plan expenses. (Increased expenses translate into the need for increased contributions. Everyone pays when employers spike pay.)