Membership Information

Welcome to SJCERA

Congratulations on becoming a member of the San Joaquin County Employees' Retirement Association (SJCERA). You are one step closer to a secure retirement. SJCERA offers retirement, disability, and death benefits to employees of participating employers, who work 1,560 hours in a calendar year. 

Membership is mandatory except for:

  • Elected officials: As an elected official, you are excluded from membership unless you “opt in” to membership, even if you were previously a SJCERA member. Contact SJCERA for more information.
  • Age 60 and Older New Employees: If you have never been an SJCERA member and first begin working in a position eligible for SJCERA membership at age 60 or older, you may waive membership by completing the Membership Waiver form.

Next steps for New Members: New Member Brochure

Membership Tier Levels

SJCERA membership has two tier levels. Your membership tier is based on the date you were hired with one of our participating employers or, if you establish reciprocity between SJCERA and another CA public retirement system. Your membership tier determines the formula used to calculate your benefit, retirement eligibility, highest average compensation, and compensation that can be used in calculating your benefit.

Tier 1
Hired before January 1, 2013, or you establish incoming reciprocity between SJCERA and another California public retirement system.

Tier 2
Hired on or after January 1, 2013. 

Membership Type

Your membership type is determined by your job classification.

Safety
You are a Safety member if your principal job duties consist of active law enforcement or fire suppression. Review the complete list of Safety Member job titles for more information.

General
You are a General member if your primary job duties are not law enforcement or firefighting services. All non-safety members.