Judges Pension Plan
Plan Overview
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:
Average highest 12-month periods of compensation
X
CREDITABLE SERVICE YEARS
X
FORMULA FACTOR (CURRENTLY 3.5%)
Recommended Reading for Members
Educational Videos for Members
Judges' Retirement Plan Webinar
This video was is a recording of the Judges' Retirement Plan Webinar that was given December 15th, 2021 in cooperation with the Nebraska Judicial Education Branch. It describes how this plan works, pertinent legislation, the Tier structure, benefit options and the Deferred Compensation Plan (DCP) overview.