You are an Active SJCERA member if you are a permanent full-time employee of San Joaquin County or one of SJCERA’s other participating employers. Membership is mandatory except for elected officials, who may choose to opt-in to SJCERA membership, and employees who first begin working for an SJCERA-participating employer at age 60 or older, who may waive membership within their first 30 days of employment.
SJCERA provides vested members a lifetime monthly retirement benefit based on total years of service credit, age at retirement, and highest average salary. The benefit you earn depends on your membership type (General or Safety) and tier.
Membership Types
- Safety Members: Sworn members engaged in active law enforcement (e.g., Deputy Sheriffs), probation, or fire suppression, and District Attorney Investigators and Airport Operations Coordinators. A Complete list of Safety Member job titles is provided on the Employers page.
- General Members: All non-Safety members
Both you and your employer make retirement contributions. Your member contribution is deducted from your biweekly check. Your contribution rate is a percentage of your salary, based upon your membership type (General or Safety) and tier. Your member contributions are placed into an account and accrue interest every June 30 and December 31. The current semiannual interest rate is 3.32%.
New Members
New members must submit a completed Membership Certification form and provide proof of age (such as a birth certificate).
Address Change for New Members
If you are an active employee working for a SJCERA covered employer, please contact the Human Resources specialist or payroll representative within your agency/department as soon as possible. Your employer will then contact us electronically to update our files with your new address information. Do not contact SJCERA directly.