Scope
Non-benefits eligible employees
Policy Statement
Even though an employee does not satisfy the University's requirements for being a Benefits Eligible Employee, the employee still could be eligible for an 11 percent University contribution under the Syracuse University TIAA-CREF Noncontributory Retirement Plan ("Retirement Plan") if the employee works a certain number of hours and satisfies the other applicable Retirement Plan requirements. In order to qualify for this 11 percent contribution, an employee generally must (among other things):
- normally work 20 or more hours per week;
- receive covered compensation as an employee through the University's Syracuse, New York payroll system;
- not be an adjunct instructor, an adjunct professor, a visiting instructor, a visiting professor, a student who is exempt from FICA taxes, a graduate assistant, or a graduate associate;
- have previously completed one year of service (as defined by the Retirement Plan) and attained age 21;
- in the case of an eligible staff member, either (1) be scheduled to complete at least 1,000 hours during the applicable calendar year, or (2) work a minimum of 1,000 hours in the case of an hourly staff member or 750 hours in the case of a salaried staff member during the applicable calendar year, and be employed by the University (or be on temporary layoff from the University) on the last day of the applicable calendar year; and
- in the case of an eligible salaried faculty member, work a minimum of 750 hours during the applicable calendar year, and be employed by the University (or be on temporary layoff from the University) on the last day of the applicable calendar year.
The Office of Human Resources conducts an annual analysis of the eligibility of faculty and staff who are not Benefits Eligible Employees to determine who has qualified for Retirement Plan contributions. Those contributions generally are made after a calendar year is complete. Charges to the employing departments' budgets will be made for those contributions.
An employee who does not satisfy the University's requirements for being a Benefit Eligible Employee may also be able to make salary reduction contributions to the Syracuse University TIAA-CREF Voluntary Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan ("Voluntary Plan"), if the employee satisfies the eligibility requirements and other terms of the Voluntary Plan.
Policy Administration
Date: 2001
Amended: February 2007
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