Retirement Plan Benefits
There are no secrets to a successful retirement. It is the result of your preparation today. A condition of employment with the City of Albuquerque, in most instances, is to participate in the Public Employee’s Retirement Association, also known as PERA.
Seasonal employees, student employees, and those currently employed with, or retired from, the Educational Retirement Board do not qualify to participate in PERA.
The City of Albuquerque contributes a percentage of salary to PERA on behalf of the Employer, pursuant to State law. Employees also contribute a percentage of salary to PERA into their own account. However, a benefit of working for the City of Albuquerque is that the City contributes a large portion of the employees’ contribution amount (up to 75% of the employees’ required contribution).
Contributions amounts are a percentage of your base salary as determined by the coverage plan provided by the City of Albuquerque and are a required payroll deduction for all qualified employees. Contact the Insurance & Benefits Office for further information on contribution rates.
Beneficiary Information
You may designate only one person or one organization as a refund beneficiary and only one person as a survivor beneficiary. The refund and survivor beneficiary can be the same person. If you are married, your spouse must give his or her consent if you choose someone other than your spouse to receive the benefit. In that instance, your spouse must sign a Beneficiary Spousal Consent form before a Notary Public. All member forms can be found on the designated PERA website.
Vesting Information
Vesting means you are guaranteed a pension benefit when you meet the age and service requirements for normal retirement. The service credit used for vesting must be earned while employed with a PERA-affiliated employer. If you are retired from the ERB you are not eligible to participate in PERA and will need to complete an exclusion form.
Tiers and Vesting
You are in Tier 1 if you:
- were hired for the first time on or before June 30, 2013; and
- had member contributions on account as of June 30, 2013; or
- were retired as of June 30, 2013.
You are in Tier 2 if you:
- were hired for the first time on or after July 1, 2013; or
- refunded your employee contributions on or before June 30, 2013, and returned to work for a PERA affiliate on or after July 1, 2013.
Vesting occurs after the member accrues a minimum of five (5) years of PERA service credit and means:
- lifetime pension when age and service credit eligibility for your TIER of membership is met; and
- eligibility to purchase additional types of service credit.
Early Retirement
Employees may be eligible to retire early by using their accumulated sick and vacation leave prior to their PERA retirement date. Any accumulated leave other than sick and vacation are not eligible to be used in Early Retirement. Employees that have entered Early Retirement are not afforded any salary increases which are awarded to City employees. Contact the Insurance & Benefits Division for additional information.
Retirement Seminar Information
Every other month the Insurance & Benefits Division of Human Resources holds a half-day Retirement Seminar for employees considering retirement within the next three years. Presenters include representatives from:
- PERA
- NM Retiree Health Care Authority
- Deferred Compensation Companies
Register for a Retirement Seminar (PeopleSoft Login Required)
2025 Pre Retirement Seminar Schedule: ELC Pre Retirement Seminar
- February 11, 2025: Holiday Park, Meeting room 1&2 ELC Pre Retirement 20250211
- April 8, 2025: Los Duranes, Multipurpose Room 129 ELC Pre Retirement 20250408
- August 12, 2025: Alamosa, Meeting Room A&B ELC Pre Retirement 20250610
- June 10, 2025: City Hall- Council chambers ELC Pre Retirement 20250812
- October 14, 2025: Taylor Ranch, Meeting Room C&D ELC Pre Retirement 20251014
- December 9, 2025: Los Duranes, Multipurpose Room 129 ELC Pre Retirement 20251209
Retirement Resources
- Social Security Administration
- Retired Public Employees of New Mexico
- Retirement Administrative Instruction
Retirement Seminar Schedule
Retirement
A condition of employment with the City of Albuquerque, in most instances, is to participate in the Public Retirement Association, also known as PERA. Once requirements have been met, each employee will need to consider retirement options.
It is in the best interest of the employee to attend a Pre-Retirement Seminar, where information can be obtained from the Insurance & Benefits, Division, Human Resources Department with the City of Albuquerque, a PERA representative, a NMRHCA representative and other vendors.
The City of Albuquerque provides detailed information for the retirement process in the Administrative Instructions No: 7-27.