Tax-Deferred Retirement Savings Plans

As a CSU employee, you have three voluntary retirement savings plans available to you, which allow you to invest pre-tax dollars. The three plans are listed below:

The CSU 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan
The Savings Plus 401(k) Thrift Plan
The Savings Plus 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Contribution Limits

The IRS contribution limits for 2024 that affect 401k, 457, and 403b retirement plans are as follows:

The limit is generally $23,000, although larger limits may apply if you are age 50 or older.
In addition, employees with 15 or more years of service with CSU may be eligible to contribute an additional $3,000 per year, for up to five years, or a lifetime limit of $15,000.
Individuals who are age 50 or older, or will turn age 50 by the end of the 2024 calendar year, are eligible to contribution up to an additional $7,500 per year.

Each participant only gets one limit for contributions to all 403(b) and 401(k) plans, so if you are also a participant in another 403(b) and/or 401(k) plan, your combined contributions to those plans and to the CSU 403(b) Supplemental Retirement Plan in 2024, you are generally limited to $23,000.

If you do participate in more than one 403(b) and/or 401(k) plan, you are responsible for tracking and reporting the amount of all of your contributions to the plans so that the total amount of all your contributions to all plans in which you participate do not exceed the limit.

CSU Supplemental Retirement Plan 403(b)

Eligible employees may defer taxes on a portion of their earnings by investing their deferred salary in a qualified tax sheltered annuity. The deferred income is not subject to current state and federal income taxes; funds are taxed in the year in which they are received. Please view the Universal Availability Notice for information on eligibility, contribution limits, and available transactions under the 403(b) plan.

How to enroll

Ready to enroll? Step by step instructions can be found in the Savings Made Easy brochure, or by doing the following:

Visit the NetBenefits Website

You will be asked to create a Username, Password, and set up security questions for your account. Once you are registered, please specify your monthly contribution amount and choose which investments you would like. If you do not specify any investment choice, your contributions will be directed to the Plan's default investment option, one of the Vanguard Target Retirement Funds (based on the year of your birth).

Allow a month for your request to be processed. Verify that your contribution came out of your paycheck. Enrollments/Changes made on or before the 5th of the month should appear on that month's paycheck. Enrollments/Changes made after the 5th of the month will not appear until the following month's paycheck.

If you are having issues, please contact Human Resources/Benefits at x4426.

How to make changes to your 403(b) SRP contribution

Once you have registered on the NetBenefits website, you may log in using your username and password.
Specify your monthly contribution amount and click submit. Allow a month for your request to be processed. Verify that your contribution came out of your paycheck.
Enrollments/Changes made on or before the 5th of the month should appear on that month's paycheck. Enrollments/Changes made after the 5th of the month will not appear until the following month's paycheck.
Any changes to how your contribution is allocated need to be made through the NetBenefits website.

Transferring balances

If you have balances with MetLife, TIAA, VALIC, VOYA or other legacy fund sponsor, and would like to transfer your 403(b) account, contact Fidelity for information and guidance.

Online at Fidelity NetBenefits
Call directly for support at 800-343-0860
Schedule a face-to-face meeting with a Retirement Planner or contact the Benefits Program Specialist at x4426.

Loans and hardship withdrawals

Participants can have one outstanding loan at any time with Fidelity or from an existing CSU 403(b) account with one of the following legacy vendors, TIAA, VALIC, Ameriprise, AXA Equitable, Lincoln and National Life Group.

Minimum loan amount is $1,000.
If an employee has defaulted on any prior CSU 403(b) SRP loan, a new loan will not be permissible.
Retired and separated employees are not eligible to take a loan.

Processes still needing Chancellor's Office signature

The following paperwork for active employees must continue to be forwarded to the Chancellor's Office:

Distribution Requests from employees who have reached age 59 ½ (does not include hardship withdrawals)
Rollover Requests to IRA Account(s) from employees who have reached age 59
CalPERS Service Credit Purchase "Plan to Plan Transfer and Direct Rollover" form

Please note: CSU Retirees or separated employees must still have paperwork for the following transactions sent to the Chancellor's Office for employer signature:

Rollover to an IRA
Contract exchange to only one of the five current CSU fund sponsors
Distribution request
Loans and Hardship Withdrawals are frozen

Those employees needing the Chancellor's Office signature will need to send their paperwork with a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the following address:

Office of the Chancellor, California State University
Attn: Systemwide Benefits
401 Golden Shore
Long Beach, CA 90802

Their goal is to turn around documents requiring employer signatures in ten (10) business days. For your records, please make a copy of your documents prior to sending.

For the latest 403(b)SRP information, please visit the CSYou Benefits. Should you experience any difficulties in this process, please contact HR Benefits at x4426.

State deferred compensation (457) and state thrift plan (401(k)

Nationwide® is the service provider for recordkeeping, marketing and education and outreach services for the Savings Plus Program (401(k) and 457 plans). Please visit https://www.savingsplusnow.com to establish your new User Name and Password for any of these accounts.

Eligible employees may defer taxes on a portion of their earnings by investing in the Savings Plus Program. Employees have the option of choosing between the State Deferred Compensation Plan (457) and the State Thrift Plan 401(k). The Savings Plus Program offers different investment options plus the opportunity to use a self-managed account to invest in mutual funds. Not sure of the differences between the 401(k), 457, and 403(b) plans, please check out the plan comparison chart.

For online publications, forms, online account access, or for further details, please visit the Savings Plus Program at https://www.savingsplusnow.com/ or by calling them at (855) 616-4776.

Who is Eligible?

If you're currently employed by the State of California (and therefore a CalPERS member) or an active member of the Judges' Retirement System, Judges' Retirement System II, or Legislators' Retirement System you are eligible for the CalPERS Supplemental Contributions Program.

You may also be able to contribute to a deferred compensation or 401(k) plan along with this Program, as long as you remain within the Internal Revenue Code limits.

Distributions

Please review information on the Savings Plus website for Loan, Withdrawal, and Hardship distribution options.

Human Resources