For Members Nearing Retirement—
Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs
Important Information About Your IPERS Retirement Benefits |
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Eligibility for Benefits and Payout Amount
Eligibility to Retire
If you have less than 22 years of service and do not have a disability, you are eligible to retire at age 55.
If you have 22 or more years of eligible service and retire from a sheriff or deputy sheriff position, you can retire at age 50.
Eligible service includes all of the following:
- Service as a sheriff and deputy sheriff
- Service as a marshal in a city not covered under Iowa Code Chapter 400
- Service as a firefighter or police officer of a city that is not participating in the retirement systems established under Iowa Code Chapter 410 or Iowa Code Chapter 411 (Chapter 411 established a statewide retirement system for municipal police officers and firefighters)
- Certain service as an airport firefighter
In addition, you must be a sheriff or deputy sheriff when you end IPERS-covered employment to be eligible for early or normal retirement benefits.
Disability Benefits
If you meet certain conditions, you may receive disability benefits from IPERS at any age. For more information about these benefits, see In the Event of the Unexpected or contact IPERS.
Benefit Amount
The formula used to calculate your annual IPERS benefit includes:
- A formula multiplier (based on your years of service).
- Your highest 3-year average salary.
Your annual IPERS benefit is calculated as follows:
Multiplier
(Based on Your
Years of Service) |
X |
Salary
(Your Highest
3-Year Average) |
To determine the multiplier used in the calculation, refer to the chart below.
View enlarged version of chart in a new window.
Let’s look at some examples of the IPERS benefits a member might receive. Please keep in mind that these examples are for illustrative purposes only. Your benefits may be different depending on your employer, age when you begin receiving your benefits, length of service, covered wages, and the payment option you choose at retirement.
| Example 1 |
| Retirement Benefits
Scenario A
Joe works for an IPERS-covered employer for 21 years. He retires at age 55, when he qualifies for a normal retirement pension. His highest 3-year average salary is $51,814. His annual retirement benefit would be $29,673.88 (57.27% x $51,814) under Option 2. Depending on the payment option Joe elects, this amount may be adjusted.
57.27% Multiplier
(Based on Joe’s
years of service) |
X |
$51,814 Salary
(Joe’s highest
3-year average) |
= |
$29,673.88 |
Scenario B
If Joe worked another 3 years and retired at age 58 with a highest 3-year average salary of $55,056, his annual retirement benefit would be $34,685.28 (63% x $55,056) under Option 2. Again, depending on the payment option Joe elects, this amount may be adjusted.
63% Multiplier
(Based on Joe’s
years of service) |
X |
$55,056 Salary
(Joe’s highest
3-year average) |
= |
$34,685.28 |
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Death Benefits
Assuming the same years of service, age, and salary as Scenario B above, a lump-sum benefit of $289,044 would be payable to Joe’s beneficiary in the event of his death before retirement.
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If You Have Special Service and Regular Service
If you have worked as a Special Service and regular member, a hybrid formula may be used to calculate your benefit. The hybrid formula takes all of your service into account by applying the appropriate multiplier for each membership class to the service you earned in that class. The formula multiplier for your first 30 years of regular service is 2 percent per year.
Grandfathered years of Special Service (years in which you contributed at regular rather than Special Service rates while working in a Special Service position) are treated as regular service in this formula. If a hybrid formula is used to calculate your benefits, they could be reduced if you begin receiving them before normal retirement age. A benefit reduction for early retirement will apply only to your regular service credits. Normal retirement age for members with both regular service and Special Service is one of the following, whichever comes first:
- Age 65
- Age 62 if you have 20 or more years of covered employment (62/20)
- When your years of service plus your age equals or exceeds 88 (Rule of 88)
The hybrid formula cannot be used if you have 30 or more years of regular service or 22 or more years of Special Service. The maximum retirement benefit under the hybrid formula is 65 percent of your final average salary. The following examples show benefits calculated using the hybrid formula.
| Example 2 |
Retirement Benefits Calculated Using the Hybrid Formula,
Payable at Normal Retirement Age
Nancy works for an IPERS-covered employer for 21 years. During those years, she worked as a regular-class employee for 6 years and as a deputy sheriff for 15 years. She retires at age 62, when she qualifies for a normal retirement pension. Her highest 3-year average salary is $53,754. Her annual retirement benefit would be $28,435.87 (12% regular-class formula multiplier × $53,754 + 40.90% Special Service formula multiplier × $53,754) under Option 2. Depending on the payment option Nancy elects, this amount may be adjusted.
12% Multiplier
(Based on Nancy’s
years of service as a regular-class employee) |
X |
$53,754 Salary
(Nancy’s highest
3-year average) |
= |
$6,450.48 |
40.90% Multiplier
(Based on Nancy's
years of service as a Special Service employee) |
X |
$53,754 Salary
(Nancy’s highest
3-year average) |
= |
$21,985.39 |
$6,450.48
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+ |
$21,985.39
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= |
$28,435.87 |
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| Example 3 |
Retirement Benefits Calculated Using the Hybrid Formula,
Payable Before Normal Retirement Age
Jack works for an IPERS-covered employer for 20 years. During those years, he worked as a regular-class employee for 10 years and as a police officer for 10 years. He retires at age 55, before he meets normal retirement age. His highest 3-year average salary is $50,000. His annual retirement benefit would be $21,535 (20% regular-class formula multiplier × $50,000 – $2,100 age reduction [7 years before normal retirement age × 3% per year reduction] + 27.27% Special Service formula multiplier × $50,000) under Option 2. Depending on the payment option Jack elects, this amount may be adjusted.
20% Multiplier
(Based on Jack’s
years of service as a regular-class employee) |
X |
$50,000 Salary
(Jack’s highest
3-year average) |
– |
$2,100 Reduction for Early Retirement
(3% per year) |
= |
$7,900.00 |
27.27% Multiplier
(Based on Jack's
years of service as a Special Service employee) |
X |
$50,000 Salary
(Jack’s highest
3-year average) |
= |
$13,635.00 |
$7,900.00
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+ |
$13,635.00
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= |
$21,535.00 |
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