City
Port
AirportSDCERS Retirement Plan Summary
Airport Authority General Members hired on or after January 1, 2013
Overview
SDCERS was established by the City of San Diego in 1927 to administer retirement benefits for its Members. SDCERS provides benefits to its vested Members when they retire. SDCERS’ responsibilities include collecting contributions, making payments, investing earnings, and managing the retirement fund with direction from a 13-member Board of Administration (Board).
You become a Member of SDCERS after you are appointed to a position as any classified or unclassified,* full or half-time Airport Authority employee. Required pre-tax contributions will be automatically deducted from your bi-weekly paycheck, transmitted to SDCERS, and deposited into the trust fund.
Your defined benefit plan with the Airport Authority is a retirement plan to which you make contributions while you are a Member, and that entitles you, when eligible, to a benefit from the time you retire until your death.
*Note: Unclassified Airport employees initially hired on or after January 1, 2024 have the option to join SDCERS or to participate in a defined contribution plan instead. If such employee does not proactively choose to join SDCERS before beginning employment with the Airport, they will not be eligible for SDCERS benefits and will default to the defined contribution plan.
Plan Sponsor
Airport Authority
Plan Name
APA General PEPRA
Hire Date
Hired on or after January 1, 2013 (and does not have incoming reciprocity from a reciprocal agency, with a reciprocal hire date prior to 2013).
(Note: If you establish incoming reciprocity and have a reciprocal hire date prior to 2013, you will be placed in the plan tier for Airport Members hired between January 1, 2003 and January 1, 2013.)
Member Contribution Rate
This is based on your age upon entry into SDCERS, or into a reciprocal system if you have established reciprocity. Click here to access contribution rate chart.
*Contribution rates are reviewed by SDCERS’ actuary and adopted by the Board periodically – therefore, they are subject to change.
Earning Service Credit
Service Credit represents the amount of time you have earned or purchased in the retirement system as a contributing Member of SDCERS. It is one of the factors used in determining your eligibility and pension benefit amount. Credit earned for part-time status is proportionately awarded.
Vesting
You must have at least five full years of service credit to be vested in the retirement system and eligible for retirement benefits once you have met the minimum age requirement.
Service Retirement Eligibility
Age 52 (or older) with five or more years of service credit
Pension Benefit
Your service retirement benefit is based on a formula which includes:
- Age-Based Retirement Factor, determined by age at retirement;
- Service Credit;
- Final Compensation, your average highest earnings over 36 consecutive months; and
- Cost of Living Annuity
Pension Benefit Formula
(Retirement Factor) x (Service Credit) x (Final Compensation) + Cost of Living Annuity
Retirement Factor
1% per year of service at age 52, increasing to 2.5% at age 67.
Compensation Cap
Cannot exceed limits under PEPRA, Govt. Code §§ 7522.10 and 7522.42. In general, because most Airport members participate in Social Security, the cap on the amount of compensation that can be used to calculate your SDCERS benefit under PEPRA is capped at 100% of the Social Security wage index limit on January 1, 2013 ($113,000 approx.) indexed to inflation based on the CPI for All Urban Consumers. Adjustments will be effective annually each January 1 following the annual valuation.
The calendar year 2026 compensation limit for Airport PEPRA Members who participate in Social Security is $159,733.
The calendar year 2026 compensation limit for Airport PEPRA Members who do not participate in Social Security is $191,679.
Create a Member Portal account to calculate your estimated future pension benefit.