Retirement Plan booklet - sdcera

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be eligible if you have ever taken an SDCERA refund following a
previous period of employment, or if you worked for another public
agency in California prior to your SDCERA membership. Read more in
the Purchasing Service Credit fact sheet.
Final compensation
Final compensation is best thought of simply: It’s approximately what you
earn in a one-year period while you are working. SDCERA calculates
final average monthly compensation based on your highest one year
(26 consecutive pay periods) of eligible earnings. The timeframe does not
need to be within a fiscal year or a calendar year; rather, SDCERA uses
your highest 26 consecutive pay periods.
For most members, the last 26 consecutive pay periods are used because
usually you earn at your highest pay rate at the time of your termination.
However, if there is a time period in your employment history as an
active SDCERA member when you were earning at a higher rate than
the rate you earn at the time of your termination, SDCERA will use the
26 consecutive pay periods that provide the highest amount.
Gross, biweekly pay plus
other select earnings categories
are included in your final
compensation calculation.
Uniform allowance, bilingual,
shift premium and Quality
First payments are some common
examples of eligible earnings
categories. Overtime is not an
eligible pay category and is not
included. Visit the calculators page
at www.sdcera.org to see the list
of eligible categories.
You receive a percentage of your final compensation as a retirement
benefit. The percentage you receive is based on your age at retirement,
total service credit and membership group (General or Safety).
If you have established reciprocity (see page 7) your retirement benefit
from all reciprocal systems will be based on your highest final average
monthly compensation, regardless of which system you are working in
when you earn the highest wage.