A Second Chance to Participate in the Teachers' Alternate Retirement Plan (TARP) or Retirement Plus
An Act Relative to Teacher Retirement Election
(House Docket 1594 filed by Representative Consalvo
Senate Docket 1049 filed by Senator Miranda)
An Act relative to benefits for teachers
(House Docket 3384 filed by Representative Peisch)
An Act relative to the retirement options of certain educational personnel
(Senate Docket 574 filed by Senator Timilty)
In 2001, Massachusetts introduced Teachers' Alternate Retirement Plan (TARP) or Retirement Plus, an enhanced retirement option for teachers, school nurses, related service providers and other educators with a deduction rate of 11%. All educators hired after July 1, 2001 were automatically enrolled in the new program, but current educators had only 6 months to opt in. A complicated process and confusing branding meant that many educators didn’t properly enroll, or thought they were enrolled when they really weren’t. (For instance, the branding of TARP as “Retirement Plus” caused many eligible teachers to think they were already in the program when they saw a deduction of “9+2%” on their paychecks). Others were unenrolled from the program without notice when they transferred between different school districts. As a result, several thousand educators will have to work for 3-5 years longer to earn the maximum retirement benefit.
HD.1594, SD.1049, HD.3384, and SD. 574 would allow current non-TARP educators to opt into the enhanced TARP retirement benefits that current employees receive, by paying the difference between what they’ve paid in deductions since 2001 and what they would have paid if they had opted in at the time. This “make-up amount” could be paid in either a payment plan or in one lump-sum payment. The legislation would require modest additional state funding of teacher retirement benefits, and would result in substantial savings to local school districts through the retirement of R+ educators and the hiring of new teachers at significantly lower salaries.