CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
EMPLOYEES' RETIREMENT ASSOCIATION
  
 
Members working full time, are eligible for service retirement:

1. At age 50 or older, with 10 or more years of retirement service credit.
2. At any time, with 30 or more years of retirement service credit.
3. At age 70, regardless of years of retirement service credit.

You must be an active member, retiring directly from your full-time job with the County or a participating employer (Special District).
(If you are retiring from a non-pay status, such as a leave of absence, you may be subject to the criteria for deferred membership.)
Part-time members are eligible for service retirement:

1.  At age 55, with 5 or more years of retirement service credit and
2.  Have held a position with the County or a participating employer for a minimum of 10 years*.

*Part-time retirement service credit must equal 5 full-time years of service credit. For example, if you worked in a permanent, part-time position of 20 hours per week for a year, you would accrue 6 months of retirement service credit, since your schedule was half (50%) of full-time. (You must be in part-time status at time of retirement for this eligibility.)
31672.
 
Terminating members (full-time or part-time) who are not eligible to retire at time of termination have two options:
1. If you have more than 5 years of retirement service credit, you are vested, which means you will be entitled to a retirement benefit from CCCERA, if you leave your contributions in your account until you are eligible to retire.
When you retire, you will receive a pension benefit from CCCERA that is appropriate for the service credit you earned while working for the County or participating employer. In this option, you become a deferred member, since you are still a member of CCCERA, but are deferring your benefit until you are eligible to retire.
OR
2. You can request a refund of your contributions and interest in a lump sum.
This closes your account with CCCERA, and you will no longer be eligible for a benefit.

If you have less than 5 years of retirement service credit, your options are similar:
1. Request a refund of your contributions and interest in a lump sum. This ends your membership with CCCERA and you will no longer be eligible for a benefit.

 
OR
2. Leave your contributions and accrued interest in your account until a later date of your choosing. If you decide to leave your contributions until age 70, you will be eligible for a monthly retirement benefit based on the retirement service credit you accrued.
Regardless of the option you choose, if your funds are left on deposit with CCCERA, you will be paid interest on your account until you withdraw the money in a lump sum, or begin taking a monthly benefit.
Retirement Readiness
Back to Handbook Table of Contents