Retirement Options for Temporary Employees

Welcome to Clemson University! As a newly hired, temporary employee of Clemson University, you must choose between several options regarding your participation in a retirement plan, as explained below.

• You may participate in the South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS), a Defined Benefit Plan;
• You may participate in the State Optional Retirement Program (ORP), a Defined Contribution Plan which is more portable than the traditional SCRS plan; or
• You may waive participation in a retirement plan if you do not have an existing account with the South Carolina Retirement System. Please be aware that if you elect to not participate in a retirement plan, you will:
  • not earn service credit toward retirement in the South Carolina Retirement System;
  • not receive the five percent (5%) employer match in the State ORP;
  • waive your rights to participate in the State ORP program in the future, unless you experience a break in service (termination of employment and rehire) of more than 1 day.

A comparison brochure describing the features of the South Carolina Retirement System and the State ORP program can be found at www.retirement.sc.gov.

It is a condition of employment that you notify Human Resources, within 30 days of your hire date, which plan you choose to participate in (the South Carolina Retirement System or the State ORP) or if you choose to not participate in a retirement plan. If you do not contact the office within the 30-day period, you will automatically and irrevocably be defaulted into the South Carolina Retirement System.

If you choose to not participate in a retirement plan, please sign this form (indicating your understanding of your retirement options) and submit it and a signed Form 1104, Election of Non-membership, to your department administrator or to Human Resources, Retirement at Box 345337, Clemson, SC 29634-5337.

Upon hire, you will be placed in an "ORP Pending" status, and retirement contributions of 6.50% will be deducted from your pay. If you notify our office within 30 days of your hire that you do not wish to participate (and you do not have an active SCRS account), any contributions deducted will be refunded to you in a future payroll check. It is, therefore, advantageous to notify us as soon as possible if you choose to not participate.

Please contact a Retirement Counselor at (864) 656-7087 to answer any questions you may have.

Information presented in this handout is for information purposes and shall be subject to and superceded by the rules and regulations of Clemson University, the South Carolina Retirement System, and the State Budget and Control Board, and/or the laws of the State of South Carolina.