{"id":5965,"date":"2019-07-03T09:12:16","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T16:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/?page_id=5965"},"modified":"2026-05-21T19:24:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T19:24:51","slug":"primary-retirement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/primary-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Benefits &#8211; Primary Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Primary Retirement Plans<\/h1>\n<div class='shortcode-column-container'><!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-2\">\n    \n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-landscape-image wp-image-17863\" src=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/Retirement-Money-with-Tree-Photo-by-Micheile-Henderson-on-unsplash-464x348.jpg\" alt=\"Image of Retirement Money with Tree Photo by Micheile Henderson on unsplash\" width=\"464\" height=\"348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/Retirement-Money-with-Tree-Photo-by-Micheile-Henderson-on-unsplash-464x348.jpg 464w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/Retirement-Money-with-Tree-Photo-by-Micheile-Henderson-on-unsplash-800x600.jpg 800w, https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/06\/Retirement-Money-with-Tree-Photo-by-Micheile-Henderson-on-unsplash-232x174.jpg 232w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 464px) 100vw, 464px\" \/>\n<\/div>\n<!-- shortcode-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-column shortcode-column--count-2\">\n    \n<p>All <strong>regular benefit eligible employees<\/strong> are <u>required<\/u> by state mandate to enroll in a primary retirement plan. <em>Exception: <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Postdoctoral scholars and some international employees are not eligible to participate in a primary retirement plan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><strong>Part Time Faculty and Temporary Employees <\/strong>can become eligible for retirement if they work at least 20 hours a week for at least 20 weeks in a fiscal year. If you become eligible you will be notified by Human Resources.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Plans Offered<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>NAU offers three retirement plans<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-asrs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arizona State Retirement System<\/a> (ASRS)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-orp\/\">Optional Retirement Plan<\/a> (ORP)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psprs.com\/\">Public Safety Personnel Retirement Plan (PSPRS)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>The plan offered depends on the type of employee you are.<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Faculty and University Staff<\/strong> may choose between ASRS or the ORP within 30 days of eligiblity\\hire.\u00a0 If no election is made, you\u2019ll be automatically enrolled in ASRS. This decision is irrevocable.\n<ul>\n<li><em>Exception: University Staff in support and operations roles are automatically enrolled in ASRS and are not eligible to choose a another plan.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public Safety Employees\u00a0<\/strong>may choose between a defined benefit or define contribution option under PSPRS within 90 days. If no election is made, you\u2019ll be automatically enrolled in the defined benefit option. This decision is <strong>irrevocable<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><strong>When your retirement contributions begin<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>If you enroll in <strong>ASRS<\/strong> your contributions will begin effective:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>New Members:<\/em> the first day of the pay period following 183 days of continuous service.<\/li>\n<li><em>Current Members:<\/em> at your date of hire if you have an active retirement account.<\/li>\n<li><em>Forfeited Members:<\/em> at your date of hire if you forfeited your account less than two years ago.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you enroll in the <strong>ORP,<\/strong> your contributions will begin starting the first day of the pay period following your election.<\/p>\n<p>If you enroll in <strong>PSPRS<\/strong> your contribution will be effective:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>New Members:<\/em> the first day of the pay period following 90 days of continuous service.<\/li>\n<li><em>Current Members:<\/em> at your date of hire if you have an active retirement account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>ASRS and ORP\u00a0<strong>Comparison<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Review the difference between <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-asrs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ASRS<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-orp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ORP <\/a><!-- shortcode-tab -->\n<div class='shortcode-tab-container tab-count-2'>\n    <ul class='tabs'>\n                <li class=\"tab\">\n            <a class=\"shortcode-tab__trigger\" href=\"#\" data-header=\"Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS)_1\">\n                <div class=\"shortcode-tab-header selected\">\n                    <h4>\n                        Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tab Open<\/span>\n                    <\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n                <li class=\"tab\">\n            <a class=\"shortcode-tab__trigger\" href=\"#\" data-header=\"Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)_2\">\n                <div class=\"shortcode-tab-header \">\n                    <h4>\n                        Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Tab Closed<\/span>\n                    <\/h4>\n                <\/div>\n            <\/a>\n        <\/li>\n            <\/ul>\n        <!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion \" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS)_1\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Open<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Required for all Classified Staff<\/li>\n<li>Available to Faculty and University Staff. <em>Exception<strong>:<\/strong> University Staff in support and operations roles are automatically enrolled in ASRS.&nbsp;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Income at retirement based on the ASRS benefit formula.<\/li>\n<li>Long term disability coverage included in contribution rate.<\/li>\n<li>For new members, contributions begin after 183 days waiting period.<\/li>\n<li>Existing members start contributing at eligibility\\hire date.<\/li>\n<li>Both you and NAU contribute to ASRS.\n<ul>\n<li>2025\/2026 fiscal year 12.00%<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>ASRS manages investments.<\/li>\n<li>Your contributions are always 100% vested.<\/li>\n<li>For new members, NAU&rsquo;s contributions do not vest.<\/li>\n<li>No additional contributions allowed.<\/li>\n<li>Retiree health care available through either ADOA or ASRS.<\/li>\n<li>Eligible for a health care subsidy after 5 years of service<\/li>\n<li>Not very portable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Review the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-asrs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ASRS webpage<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-faqs-asrs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FAQs<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n    <\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n        <!-- shortcode-accordion -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-accordion shortcode-accordion--closed\" style=\"position: relative;\" >\n        <a class=\"shortcode-accordion__trigger\" data-header=\"Optional Retirement Plan (ORP)_2\" href=\"#\">\n      <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__header\">\n          <h4>Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n          <span class=\"shortcode-accordion__header__arrow\"><\/span>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/a>\n    <div class=\"shortcode-accordion__body\">\n        <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Available to Faculty and University Staff. <em>Exception<strong>:<\/strong> University Staff in support and operations roles are eligible for the ORP.&nbsp;<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Income at retirement based your account value.<\/li>\n<li>Long term disability coverage is provided at no cost.<\/li>\n<li>Contributions begin first day of the pay period after election.<\/li>\n<li>Both you and NAU contribute 7% of pay<\/li>\n<li>You can choose between Fidelity or TIAA as your investment manager.<\/li>\n<li>You direct your investments.<\/li>\n<li>Your contributions are always 100% vested.<\/li>\n<li>NAU&rsquo;s contributions vest after 5 years, earlier vesting may be available.<\/li>\n<li>No additional contributions allowed.<\/li>\n<li>Retiree health care available through either ADOA or ASRS<\/li>\n<li>Not eligible for a health care subsidy<\/li>\n<li>Fairly portable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Review the <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-orp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ORP webpage<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-faqs-optional-retirement-plan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">FAQs<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n    <\/body><\/html>\n\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n    <\/div>\n\n<h3><strong>Still have questions?? <\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Contact the Benefits Team at nauhrbenefits@nau.edu or call (928) 523-2223.<\/p>\n<!-- shortcode-right-column -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-right-column\" >\n    <div class=\"shortcode-right-column__container\">\n<!-- shortcode-block -->\n<div class=\"shortcode-block\">\n      <div class=\"block-header\">\n        <h3>Resources<\/h3>\n    <\/div>\n          <div class=\"block-body\">\n      <div>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-orientation-videos\/\">Orientation Videos<\/a><\/li>\n<li>ASRS &amp; ORP Comparison<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/01\/AUS_ORP_ENG_Feb-2026_FINAL.pdf\">ORP Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2023\/07\/ASRS-Enrollment-Guide-NAU.pdf\">ASRS Enrollment Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefit-plan-document\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benefit Plan Documents and Policies<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefit-contact-information\/\">Benefits Vendor Contact Information<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n          <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center\"><div class=\"eplus-bg-color-row bg-color-nau-yellow\"><div class=\"eplus-bg-color-row-content\">Learn more about your primary retirement Plan<\/div><\/div><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-asrs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Arizona State Retirement System<\/a> (ASRS)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/benefits-orp\/\">Optional Retirement Plan<\/a> (ORP)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psprs.com\/\">Public Safety Personnel Retirement Plan (PSPRS)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Primary Retirement Plans Part Time Faculty and Temporary Employees can become eligible for retirement if they work at least 20 hours a week for at least 20 weeks in a fiscal year. If you become eligible you will be notified by Human Resources. Plans Offered NAU offers three retirement plans Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":235,"featured_media":18148,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","ring_central_script_selection":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5965","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/235"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5965"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24333,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5965\/revisions\/24333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18148"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/human-resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}