Arizona State Retirement System

The Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) is a defined benefit plan qualified under Internal Revenue Code 401(a) that provides a monthly benefit at normal or early retirement.

 Contributions

Both you and NAU contribute to ASRS. Contributions cover your pension benefit, long-term disability coverage and health care subsidy.

• For the 2024/2025 fiscal year, your total contribution rate is 12.27%.
• For the 2025/2026 fiscal year, your total contribution rate is 12.00%

Vesting

Vesting refers to the requirement of service before “owning” all funds in your account.

• Your contributions are always 100% vested.
• Vesting of your NAU contributions is based on when you were hired:
  • If hired prior to 07/01/2011, you are partially vested after five years of service and fully vested after 10 years of service.
  • If hired on or after, 07/01/2011, NAU’s contributions do not vest unless you separate due to involuntary reductions in force or position elimination.

View ASRS’s What Does ‘Vesting” Mean video.

Normal Retirement

Normal retirement is the earliest you can retire with a full benefit from ASRS. Requirements for normal retirement are based on when you were hired:

Early retirement

In some cases, you may retire as early as age 50 with 5 years of ASRS service and receive a reduced benefit.

To learn more about ASRS visit the Member Education and Member Video webpages.

Still have questions??

Contact the Benefits Team at nauhrbenefits@nau.edu or call (928) 523-2223.