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Utah URS Tier 2 Hybrid

This page documents how FinZot models the Utah URS Tier 2 Hybrid defined benefit pension plan.

Who this plan covers: General members of Utah Retirement Systems, on or after July 1, 2011: initially entered regular full-time URS-covered employment, with no Tier 1 service.

Employee contributions are the portion of salary that the employee pays into the pension fund.

FieldValue
Contribution Rate1.3% of salary
Tax TreatmentPre-tax (reduces taxable income)

Vesting determines when an employee has earned the right to receive pension benefits. The following formula must evaluate to TRUE for the employee to be vested:

service_credits >= 3.9

Retirement eligibility determines when an employee can begin receiving pension payouts. The following formula must evaluate to TRUE:

OR(AND(commencement_age >= 65, service_credits >= 3.9), AND(commencement_age >= 62, service_credits >= 9.9), AND(commencement_age >= 60, service_credits >= 19.9), service_credits >= 34.9)

Formula Variables:

  • service_credits: Years of credited service
  • commencement_age: Age when pension payments commence

The annual pension benefit is calculated as:

Annual Benefit = Final Compensation × Benefit Factor × Service Credits

Final compensation is the salary figure used in the benefit calculation, typically an average of the employee’s highest-earning years.

FieldValue
MethodHighest Any Years
Years Averaged5

The benefit factor is a percentage multiplier that typically varies based on retirement age. Higher ages generally yield higher factors.

IF(OR(commencement_age >= 65, service_credits >= 34.9), 0.015, 0.015 * MAX(0, MIN(1, MAX(0.6338 + 0.0586 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 720) / 12, 0.6924 + 0.0651 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 732) / 12, 0.7575 + 0.0722 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 744) / 12, 0.8297 + 0.0805 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 756) / 12, 0.9102 + 0.0898 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 768) / 12))))

Formula Variables:

  • commencement_age: Age when pension payments commence
  • service_credits: Years of credited service

The COLA formula determines how pension benefits grow over time after retirement to keep pace with inflation.

current_pension_benefit + initial_pension_benefit * MIN(0.025, MAX(0, inflation_rate))

Formula Variables:

  • initial_pension_benefit: The annual benefit amount at retirement
  • years_since_retirement: Number of years since retirement began

Pension payouts from this plan are taxable as ordinary income.

Utah URS Tier 2 Hybrid members generally pay into Social Security alongside the pension, so a job with this plan is treated as covered and earns Social Security credits normally.


Note: FinZot’s pension estimates are for planning purposes only and may not reflect all plan provisions. For official benefit estimates, contact your plan administrator.