CLERGY RETIREMENT

Lay Retirement plan or pension fund contributions are available to those lay employees working 20+ hours per week (1,000 hours or more annually) as a W-2 employee excluding seasonal and temporary staff.

Clergy Pension Plan is available to an ordained Episcopal cleric. Clergypersons automatically participate in the Clergy Pension Plan if they are compensated, regularly employed, expected to work five or more consecutive months for the same Episcopal employer, and their employer pays Assessments to CPF.

Thurgood Marshall who won the landmark school desegregation case, Brown v Board of Education, became the first African-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. A member of St. Augustine's in the District, he is included in the Episcopal Church's calendar of commemorations. His feast is May 17.

Bishop Jane Holmes Dixon became just the second female bishop in the Episcopal Church when she was elected suffragan bishop of Washington.

Bishop John Bryson Chane (in red) led the groundbreaking ceremony at St. Nicholas' Church in Darnestown, Maryland

CLERGY PENSIONS

The Clergy Pension Plan is provided to eligible Episcopal clergy serving in a domestic diocese of the Episcopal Church; their eligible surviving spouses or other named beneficiaries; and their eligible children. The plan is designed to offer a dependable source of income replacement in retirement through the Church Pension Fund.

Benefits are funded by employer contributions called Assessments (although there are certain limited circumstances when a clergy person may self-contribute ).

The assessment is 18% of a clergy person’s total assessable compensation. Payment of this also provides most participants with $150,000 in Group Life insurance and Short and Long-term Disability insurance. Clergy may also contribute to a 403(b) plan on a pre-tax basis through the RSVP program.

For more information, see the Guide to Clergy Benefits

Lay Employee Retirement Plan Options

It is important to verify which retirement plan the parish offers its eligible lay employees. These plans are offered through the Church Pension Group.

The Lay Employees’ Defined Contribution Retirement Plan (the Lay DC Plan), a 401(a) and 403(b) plan, is administered by Fidelity Investments. The employer will contribute at least 5% and may match up to an additional 4% of the employee’s contribution.

First time enrollees must fill out the Employee Enrollment For for the Lay Defined Contribution and RSVP form and return it to the employer.
If a newly hired staff member has previously participated in this plan, they must fill out the Employment Change form and return to the employer.

The Lay Employees’ Defined Benefit Retirement Plan (the Lay DB Plan) is a source of income replacement in retirement. The pension benefit is based on a formula that takes into account compensation history and years of service.

To enroll, an eligible employee must complete the Employee Application for Membership in the Lay DB Plan

The Episcopal Church Retirement Savings Plan (RSVP), a 403(b) plan, provides individuals with a vehicle to save for retirement in a tax-effective way. RSVP is offered by some employers in addition to a defined benefit plan. See the Guide to the Lay Defined Benefit Plan for more information.