ERFC 2001 Tier 2

The ERFC 2001 Tier 2 plan is a pension offered to FCPS employees hired on or after July 1, 2017. Unlike 403(b) or 457(b) plans that end when the money you contributed runs out, ERFC gives you monthly payments from the month you retire until your death.

VRS is the Virginia Retirement System and it's your primary pension. ERFC is an additional pension through Fairfax County Public Schools. It's intended to supplement the retirement benefits you'll receive from VRS and Social Security. In retirement, you'll receive two pension payments: one from VRS and the other from ERFC.

You should start the process about a year before your retirement date. Download and print ERFC's Tier 2 Retirement Checklist to help you stay on track.

Information about FCPS health insurance benefits can be found on FCPS' Retirees page. There you'll find Retiree Benefits Publications and Resources, including Retiree Benefits Handbooks, Premium Charts, and more. If you have additional questions about eligibility and health insurance in retirement, please contact HR Benefits at 571-423-3200 (Choose Option #3) or visit StaffConnect to request information.

To calculate your monthly benefit with ERFC, log in to ERFCDirect and click “Create Your Own Estimate'' on the left menu.

If you need help, watch How to Run Your Own ERFC Retirement Estimate.

Not sure how to understand your ERFC estimate? Watch Explaining the 2001 Plan Estimate.

Effective July 1, 2024, unused sick leave is converted to retirement credit at the time of retirement by the HR payroll
office. This is added to your service total and included in your retirement calculation. The conversion is as follows:

Number of hours ÷ Contract days ÷ Work hours per day = Amount of service

Please Note: Once your annual leave maximum is paid out, the leftover annual leave is moved to sick leave and then converted into additional service credit. If you retire from ERFC and transfer sick leave to another county, your ERFC pension will be negatively impacted. As such, you'll be contacted the month following your retirement to recoup the overpayment amount, and your future pension will be recalculated based on the new reported hours of unused sick leave.

The amount you contribute to your ERFC 2001 Tier 2 plan is determined by the Fairfax County School Board. Your contribution is currently set at 3%. This amount cannot be increased or decreased and is a mandatory contribution. FCPS puts in 6.48%. 

VRS will be your larger pension. You might be a member of the VRS Hybrid plan. As a member of the VRS Hybrid plan, you can contribute up to 4%to the defined contribution component of the plan (in 0.5% increments) and receive up to 2.5% in employer matching contributions. Be sure to visit the VRS Hybrid plan page to learn more. If you are in the VRS Hybrid plan, once you've maxed out your own contributions, you might consider contributing to the FCPS 403(b) and 457(b) plans.

No. ERFC members are not allowed to borrow funds from their member contributions. 

If you leave an ERFC-covered position with FCPS, you have two options when it comes to your ERFC accumulated contributions.  

1.  Leave your accumulated ERFC contributions on deposit.

Vested members (5 or more years of service). You can leave your funds with ERFC and become a deferred vested member. Your funds will continue to accrue interest until you’re eligible to retire. If you return to an ERFC-covered position at FCPS before you retire, you’ll return to active member status and resume contributing and earning service years under your current plan.

Unvested members (less than 5 years of service). You can leave your funds with ERFC, but they’ll stop earning interest after 10 years. At that time, if you aren't returning to FCPS, you'll want to consider refunding or rolling over your funds. If you leave your funds with ERFC and return to an ERFC-covered position at FCPS before you retire, you’ll resume contributing and earning service years under your current plan.

2. Refund or roll over your accumulated ERFC contributions (plus interest).

Please Note: If you take a direct refund of the amount, meaning you’d get a physical check in the mail, ERFC will withhold 20% federal and 4% Virginia state tax (for Virginia residents). If you refund or roll over your funds, your ERFC credited service will be canceled and, if you were vested, you'll no longer be eligible for a monthly ERFC benefit when you retire.

It's your responsibility to initiate a refund or rollover. To do so, log in to your ERFCDirect account the month after your last day of work. Under “Forms,” select Election to Request Refund or Rollover of Contributions (ERFC 21A). After you’ve completed the form, mail it to our office or request a secure email to electronically submit it. Once we approve your completed ERFC 21A and receive confirmation of your termination of employment from FCPS, we’ll process your request within 60-90 days.

Impact of a Refund or Rollover

If you have 5 or more years of service in your ERFC plan and you refund or roll over your ERFC contributions, you forfeit your rights to a monthly benefit beginning at your retirement age. Please also note that if you withdraw your contributions and you're later hired into an ERFC-covered position, you'll be enrolled as a new employee under the ERFC 2001 Tier 2 plan.

You're not required to meet with a retirement specialist in order to retire. It's completely up to you. ERFC offers the following virtual or in-person appointments:

ERFC offers the following virtual or in-person appointments:

• Question Session
  • At any stage in your career prior to initiating the retirement process, you can request a 30-minute meeting with a retirement specialist to discuss any questions you have.
• Retirement Session
  • Once you initiate the retirement process, you can request a meeting to get help filling out your online retirement application.

To schedule an appointment, call ERFC at 703-426-3900, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. 

Yes. If you wish to appeal the denial, please submit your written appeal, including any applicable additional information you wish to provide, to the ERFC Board of Trustees, 300 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 300, Falls Church, VA 22042. If you wish your appeal to be heard at the next Trustees meeting, your appeal must be received 60 days prior, in order to allow time for your appeal to be prepared for presentation to the Board of Trustees.

Section 11.14 of the ERFC 2001 Plan Document provides that a Member whose claim for benefits under the Plan is denied in whole or in part may appeal to the Board of Trustees. Appeals must be submitted in writing within 180 days of the date of the denial of the claim(s), addressed to the Chair, and may be accompanied by any documents relevant to the appeal. Additionally, an individual who has submitted a written appeal has the option of making an oral presentation to the Board of Trustees at the meeting at which the appeal is first presented to the Trustees. Filing of an appeal as described in Section 16.17 is a prerequisite to the filing of any further claims or actions in any court or other forum.

When will my appeal be heard by the Board of Trustees? Your appeal must be received 30 business days prior to the next regularly scheduled Board meeting, to allow time for your appeal to be prepared for presentation to the Board of Trustees. If your appeal is received less than 30 business days from the next Board meeting, it will be presented to the Board at their subsequent regularly scheduled Board Meeting.