Retirement
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Find us at the University of Delaware STAR Health Sciences Complex: 550 S. College Ave., Suite 201, Newark, DE 19713
Is Your Financial Future worth 1%?
Starting or increasing your retirement plan contributions by 1% may help you reach your long-term goals. Take a look at the TIAA hypothetical example and then take the next steps and schedule a TIAA counseling session for retirement savings, managing debt and your investment strategy. Meetings are highly secure and private.
On campus workshops or virtual sessions are available at the following locations, download the PDF and sign-up:
The Roth contribution option:
Another way to save for retirement
In the University of Delaware 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan, your pretax contributions accumulate tax deferred, and withdrawals are taxable.1 With the “designated Roth” option, your after-tax, Roth contributions also accumulate tax deferred, but may be taken tax free in a qualified distribution. A qualified distribution is one that occurs at least five years after the year of your first Roth contribution and is made either on or after attainment of age 59½, on account of disability, or on or after death. These potentially significant tax benefits are similar to a Roth IRA. However, Roth contributions have higher contribution limits than a Roth IRA. Read more.
1 Distributions from 403(b) plans before age 59½, severance from employment, death, or disability may be prohibited, limited, and/or subject to substantial tax penalties. Different restrictions may apply to other types of plans.
Rule of 80
403b Retirement Savings Plan Eligible Employees
As a reminder, on July 1, 2022, Rule of 80 goes into effect. Faculty and Exempt Staff in the 403(b) Retirement Plan will be subject to the following age/service eligibility criteria:
- any age and 30 benefits-eligible years of service
- age and service when combined equal 80 (must be at least age 55 when combined with service; must have at least 15 benefits-eligible years of service when combined with age)
Participants in the State Employees’ Pension Plan (SEPP) are subject to the age and service criteria requirements of the SEPP, through which they receive their monthly pension and health insurance coverage in retirement. Learn more
If you have any questions about this retirement criteria eligibility change, please contact hrhelp@udel.edu.
Important Note: For employees who meet age and service under the current retirement eligibility criteria prior to July 1, 2022, you will remain eligible to retire. This means that you are not impacted by the new retirement criteria.
Retirement contribution limits for 2023
The contribution limits for the University’s 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan and the 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan have increased to $22,500 for the 2023 calendar year. This limit increases to $30,000 if you are age 50 or over by the end of the 2023 calendar year. To review or increase your contribution amount, log into your 403(b) Retirement Account. Once in your account, select 'actions,' 'contributions' and continue through the prompts.
The University of Delaware makes a significant contribution to the primary retirement plans for benefits-eligible faculty and staff. Plans include:
| Type | Applications | Phone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retirement Provider | |||
| TIAA | University of Delaware 403(b) Retirement Savings Plan & 457(b) Plan | • mobile app | 800-842-2776 |
| Fidelity Investments | 403(b) & 457(b) Legacy Retirement Plans | • mobile app | 800-343-0860 To schedule a meeting: call 800-642-7131 or visit Fidelity Reservations |
| Office of Pensions | Delaware Employee's Pension Plan | 800-722-7300 | |
The University is committed to providing you with competitive retirement plan benefits. Based on this commitment and recent regulatory changes, the University conducted an 18-month strategic review of the University of Delaware Retirement Program. (The Retirement Program refers to the Primary Retirement Plan, the Voluntary Retirement Plan and the 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan.) The goal was to determine the best way to enhance services to participants, reduce costs where possible and increase administrative efficiency. The University is making the following enhancements to these plans to better help you save for retirement:
- To make investment elections visit www.tiaa.org/udel
- Streamlined, best-in-class investment options with lower costs. The Retirement Program currently offers more than 150 investment options. A new streamlined investment lineup was carefully selected to give you the opportunity to choose a mix of investments based on your financial goals and preferences. Several of the investment options may have reduced fees compared to other investments in their peer groups.
- New brokerage option. For participants who are experienced investors, we are adding a brokerage option to provide the opportunity to build and adjust an investment portfolio based on your goals. With the brokerage account you can choose from over 4,000 mutual funds from a number of well-known firms. You can invest on your own, take advantage of help or have it managed for you.
- Simplified investing. TIAA will become the single administrative services provider to simplify the investment process. If you invest with Fidelity, you will have the option to keep your current balance(s) with Fidelity, but all future contributions will be directed to TIAA.
- Consolidating the Primary Retirement Plan and the Voluntary Retirement Plan. The University will combine these plans into a single plan called the University of Delaware Retirement Plan to simplify your choices. Please note: The 457(b) plan will remain a separate plan under the Retirement Program.
- New 403(b) Roth after-tax contribution option. 403(b) Roth option, you contribute after-tax money and it potentially grows tax free. In retirement, you don’t pay taxes if you withdraw your money after age 59½.
- Online salary reduction agreements. You can easily update your salary reduction agreements online if you wish to make changes to your retirement plan.
In November of 2017, a comprehensive transition guide with details about the changes and steps you can take will be sent to your mailing address on file with the University.
The University of Delaware remains committed to offering you a leading retirement plan with resources and services to help you create the future you want.
For more information on the upcoming changes:
- Transition Guide
- Frequently asked questions and key dates
- Transition Guide-New Investment Menu
- TIAA Brokerage Services overview and account setup
The Talent Acquisition Team, which is part of UD Human Resources is excited to share details regarding the Talent Encore Program. This program is exclusively for University of Delaware retirees who are interested in working at UD as a temporary employee. The benefit of this program is that the University can capitalize on retirees’ skills and knowledge in order to meet the short term needs of departments all across campus. If you are interested in part-time, temporary work, please complete the survey and a member of the Talent Acquisition Team or a specific department will contact you if an assignment becomes available in your area of interest. If you have any questions about the program, email Lori Koval, Director of Talent Acquisition and Employment.
Retirees of pension plans administered by the Delaware Public Employees’ Retirement System (DPERS) are limited in their ability to return to work for an organization while continuing to receive a monthly pension. To determine if working for the Talent Encore Program will impact you, please review the information.
Leaving the University of Delaware
Participation in an exit interview is voluntary. It is a helpful tool utilized to identify what we are doing well, areas that need strengthening and why employees are leaving.
Exit interviews can be held in person, by printing out our PDF version or by taking our exit interview online survey. For an in-person interview or questions, please call 302-831-2171.