When you need to help employees understand their PERS benefits, you can refer to the webpages listed on this page.
The information is useful for onboarding new employees, helping employees who are near retirement or ready to
retire, or any time you want to ensure you have the latest information, as some PERS’ rates and plan details change
from year to year.
Overview of PERS retirement benefits
PERS provides qualifying public employees a pension (a lifetime monthly benefit) and an Individual Account Program
(IAP) account that provide income during retirement.
The rules and benefits that apply to each PERS-covered employee vary based on PERS plan, job classification, type of
employer, and whether they work part-time or full-time. Review these differences on the
Benefit Component Comparisons
Chart.
PERS also offers a healthcare plan for retirees (see PHIP below).
The Public Employees Retirement System functions through the partnership of three state entities: the Oregon
Legislature, Oregon State Treasury, and PERS, the agency. Watch the video
"How Does PERS Work?" to learn how PERS is
run.
Additional/different benefits
Many employers also offer the
Oregon Savings Growth Plan (OSGP), a
deferred-compensation plan.
Certain employers offer a slightly different benefits package, including Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU),
SAIF, Oregon State
Bar, Oregon Legislature, and Oregon Judicial Department. Contact these employers for details.
PERS plans
PERS members are in one of three plans, depending on when they first became a PERS member. Read the
definitions of Tier One, Tier Two, and Oregon
Public Service Retirement Plan (OPSRP) plans.
Judges are members of the
Judge Member Program.
PERS pension
OPSRP overview: New employees who
have never worked for a PERS-participating employer before are members of the OPSRP plan.
Plan definitions: Continuing
employees who have worked for a PERS-participating employer before might be in the Tier One, Tier Two, or OPSRP
plan. If they aren’t sure, go to the plan definitions page to determine what plan they are in.
PERS IAP
What Is the IAP?: Overview for Tier
One, Tier Two, and OPSRP members.
Employee Pension Stability Account (EPSA) Overview: An
explanation of your EPSA, into which a percentage of your IAP goes.
Member annual statement
Every year, all PERS members receive a statement of their retirement pension and account balances. To understand your
statement, read
Member Annual Statement FAQs.
PERS member journey
This
infographic shows when members need
to engage with PERS throughout their career.
Oregon Savings Growth Plan (OSGP)
OSGP (if
your agency participates): Learn about this optional deferred-compensation savings plan, which is another option for
employees to save more for retirement.
PERS Health Insurance Program (PHIP)
PHIP offers both Medicare and non-Medicare health plans to
eligible PERS retirees, spouses, and dependents.
For new employees
For employees nearing retirement
PERS contact information for members
Member Information Center
Phone: 888-320-7377 (toll free)
Phone hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday
Member Services Submit a
Question form
PERS contact information for employers
Employer Service Center
Phone: 888-320-7377 (toll free): select option 1; then option 2 to reach ESC
Phone hours: 8:30 a.m. to noon,
Monday through Friday
Employer Support
email
For your employees: Sign up to receive news and updates from PERS. Go to
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORPERS/subscriber/new, log in, and choose if you
would like to receive news by email or text message. Then select the topics in which you are interested. You can
unsubscribe or change your subscriber settings at any time by going to
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/ORPERS/subscriber/new?preferences=true#tab1.
For employers: Employers are signed up for PERS-employer emails automatically through their EDX
account. PERS members, however, need to go to public.govdelivery.com and opt in to receive member emails. To
encourage your employees to keep up-to-date with PERS news, PERS is providing posters for you to print and hang in a
common area. You can also email them to remote employees. They include a QR code that you can scan with your phone
camera to open the govdelivery website.
Right-click (or control+click on a Macintosh) any or all posters below to download now. Available in letter size
(8.5"x11") and legal size (8.5"x14").
For letter size (8.5x11”), select one of the following:
For legal size (11x17”), select one of the following: