Judges Pension Plan

The 1955 Legislature created the Judges Retirement Plan

• Membership for district and Supreme Court judges became effective Jan. 3, 1957.
• Workers' Compensation Court judges were added Sept. 20, 1957, county judges and separate juvenile judges were added Jan. 5, 1961, municipal judges were added Oct. 23, 1967, and court of appeals judges were added in September 1991.
• In 1985, the Legislature combined the municipal and county court systems.
• Court fees, as prescribed by law, are remitted by district and county courts to assist in the funding of retirement benefits.

Contribution Rates

• Judges hired on or after July 1, 2015 (Tier 2 & 3) contribute 10% of compensation.
• Judges hired on or after July 1, 2004, or Judges who elected to participate in the provisions created by LB1097 contribute 9% of compensation. Upon reaching 20 years of service credit, this rate decreases to 5%.
• Judges hired before July 1, 2004 who elected not to participate in the provisions created by LB1097 contribute 7% of compensation. Upon reaching 20 years of service credit, this rate decreases to 1%.

Benefits

As a defined benefit plan, lifetime monthly retirement benefits are based on this formula:

Member Handbook (pdf)

This video recording of the Judges' Retirement Plan Webinar was presented on December 15, 2021, in cooperation with the Nebraska Judicial Branch's Education Division. It explains how the Judges' Retirement Plan works, outlines pertinent legislation, describes the tier structure and benefit options, and includes an overview of the Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP). Additional videos cover Social Security and Elder Fraud.

Receiving Funds for an Alternate Payee (pdf)