City
Port
AirportSDCERS Retirement Plan Summary
Port Safety 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. Since the San Diego Unified Port District was established in 1962, SDCERS has administered the Port’s retirement plan for Port employees. 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-time Port employee. Required pre-tax contributions will be automatically deducted from your bi-weekly paycheck, transmitted to SDCERS, and deposited into the retirement fund.
Your defined benefit plan with the Port is a retirement plan to which you make contributions while you are a Member, and that entitles you to a benefit, once eligible, from the time you retire until your death.
Plan Sponsor
San Diego Unified Port District
Plan Name
Port Safety PEPRA
Hire Date
Hired on or after 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 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.
Vesting
You must have at least five full years of service credit as a contributing Member of SDCERS to be vested in the retirement system. You will then be eligible for retirement benefits once you have met the minimum age requirement. (Note: Reciprocal service credits may be used to satisfy vesting requirements.)
Service Retirement Eligibility
- Age 55 (or older) with five or more years of service credit; or
- Age 50 (or older) with 30 years of service credit with the Port (reciprocal service credit does not count toward this 30-year requirement)
Pension Benefit
Your service retirement benefit is based on a formula which includes:
- Age-Based Retirement Factor;
- Service Credit;
- Final Compensation – your highest pensionable pay received during your career, averaged over a three-year period (up to the annual pensionable compensation limit established by PEPRA); and
- Cost of Living Annuity
Pension Benefit Formula
(Retirement Factor) x (Service Credit) x (Final Compensation) + Cost of Living Annuity
Retirement Factor
2% per year of service at age 50, 2.5% at age 55, and increasing to 2.7% at age 57+.
Compensation Cap
Cannot exceed limits under PEPRA, Govt. Code §§ 7522.10 and 7522.42. In general, because Port 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 Port Safety PEPRA Members is $159,733.
Create a Member Portal account to calculate your estimated future pension benefit.