As a PERA member, you contribute a percentage of your salary (see below) to your PERA DB Plan account. Every dollar you contribute to PERA is yours.

Member contribution rates are established by state law and determined as a percent of member pay. Contribution rates can automatically adjust on a yearly basis, determined by PERA’s progress toward paying off its unfunded liability. The rates can increase or decrease by up to 0.5% per year, and cannot exceed certain limits also set in law.

Current Member Contribution Rates

A historical overview of contribution rates can be found in the Statistical Section of the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

Safety Officers

For the purposes of PERA benefits, “Safety Officers” include the following employees:

• Peace officers with the Colorado State Patrol and Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
• County sheriffs, undersheriffs, deputy sheriffs, noncertified deputy sheriffs, and detention officers in the Local Government Division whose PERA membership began on or after January 1, 2020. 
• Corrections officers classified as I through IV in the State Division whose PERA membership began on or after January 1, 2020.
• Firefighters classified as I through VII employed with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, beginning with service earned on or after July 1, 2020.
• Wildlife officers and parks and recreation officers employed with the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife whose employment in these roles began on or after January 1, 2011, beginning with service earned on or after July 1, 2023.

Note: In state statute, these professionals are defined as “State Troopers.”