Retirement Benefits
State law requires all regular faculty and staff to enroll in a retirement plan immediately upon employment. Regular faculty and staff and contingent faculty and staff may also participate in the voluntary supplemental retirement plans.
Retirement Plan Options
Regular Faculty and Exempt Staff
Regular faculty and exempt staff can choose between the Employees’ & Teachers’ Reformed Contributory Pension Plan and the Optional Retirement Program (ORP). Prior membership in either retirement plan may affect selection.
- The pension plan is available through the .
- The Optional Retirement Program (ORP) is available through and
Choosing Your Retirement Plan
Review the documents below for help with choosing your retirement plan.
For more information about the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, you can .
For more information on ORP, you can schedule an appointment for a one-on-one consultation with a or .
Non-Exempt Staff
Non-exempt staff must join the pension plan available through the .
Law enforcement officers are required to join the (PDF) available through the and should contact the Employee Benefits unit in the Office of Human Resources for additional information.
How to Apply
Forms, handbooks and more information about applying for the pension plan and the ORP are provided here.
Pension Plan
- (proof of birth is required)
Thinking of Retiring?
Pension participants:
- Attend a
- Run a benefits estimate through your MySRPS portal. Go to and click on MySRPS log in located in the top right corner.
ORP participants:
- ORP Pre-retirement Check List (PDF)
- Set up a meeting with your vendor. Scroll down to the Schedule An Appointment section below.
Ready for paperwork or have planning questions? Please request an appointment with our Retirement Benefits Specialist via email hrbenefits AT_TOWSON
Voluntary Supplemental Retirement Plans
All faculty and staff are eligible to contribute pre-tax and Roth (after-tax) dollars through payroll deduction to supplemental retirement plans offered through following vendors: Fidelity Investments, Nationwide Retirement Solutions, and TIAA.
Participation is voluntary and may be initiated any time during the year. IRS calendar year contribution limits apply to all accounts. Contribution limits are as follows:
| Type | 2024 | 2025 |
| 401(k)/403(b) | $23,000 | $23,500 |
| 457(b) | $23,000 | $23,500 |
| Age 50+ Catch-up | $7,500 | $7,500 |
- Supplemental Retirement Plan Contacts (PDF)
- Pre-Tax Supplemental Retirement Comparison (PDF)
- After-Tax Supplemental Retirement Comparison (PDF)
- Employees’ Pension System Supplemental Retirement State Match FAQ (PDF)
Plan Guides:
- (contact Nationwide to enroll)
USM Retirement@Work
You will no longer need to use paper forms to enroll or make changes to your Supplemental Retirement Account(s)! USM employees now have access to , a new retirement portal that will allow you to make changes to your account(s) online in real-time.
This is for both Fidelity and TIAA customers. Nationwide customers, please contact Nationwide directly.
1
Know your Payroll system and TU's agency code
You will select either Regular or Contract, depending on your employee status.
TU's agency number is 360224
2
Log into USM Retirement@Work Retirement Portal
3
What's Not Changing
While you'll have access to all your USM supplemental retirement investments in one location, these things will not change:
- Your current vendor account access through Fidelity and TIAA
- Your current plan elections and deduction amounts
- Your current investment choices
- Your current beneficiary designations
Please note that access to the State of Maryland's SRA plan account will still occur through the MSRPS Nationwide portal.
Schedule an Appointment
You can schedule an appointment for a one-on-one consultation with a retirement vendor representative to get more information about voluntary supplemental retirement plans.