Public Pension

Three people looking at a computer screen

 

Tarrant County is part of the Texas County and District Retirement System (TCDRS). TCDRS has over 780 employers and over 305,000 members and retirees. While the County is a part of TCDRS, the Tarrant County Commissioners Court defines the benefit plan for county employees and retirees.

 

Transparency Star Public Pensions

 

The basic plan options include:

Employee Deposit Rate 7.0%
Employer Matching   200%    

 

A county employee is eligible for retirement if any of the following criteria are met:

Vested at Age 60 8 years of full-time service
Rule of 75 75 points = age + years of service
At Any Age 30 years of service

 

See the Actuarial Information for the County below:

Plan Assets & Liabilities (In Thousands)

Actuarial accrued liability (AAL)

$1,667,799

Actuarial value of assets (AVA)

$1,394,031

Unfunded actuarial accrued liability (UAAL)

$273,768

Funded Ratio (AVA/AAL)

83.59%

Remaining amortization period

6 years

Assumed rate of return

8%

Valuation payroll

$254,133

UAAL as a percent of covered payroll

107.73%

 

Actuarial Methodology

  • Actuarial cost method - Entry age
  • Amortization method - Level percentage of payroll, closed
  • Remaining amortization period - 6.0 years (based on contribution rate calculated in 12/31/2017 valuation)
  • Asset valuation method 5 year smoothed market
  • Inflation- 2.75%
  • Salary increases Varies by age and service. 4.9% average over career, including inflation
  • Investment rate of return 8%, net of investment expenses, including inflation
  • Retirement age Members who are eligible for service retirement are assumed to commence receiving benefit payments based on age. The average age at service retirement for recent retirees is 61.

 

Chart 1: Achieving Long-term Investment Goals

To help mitigate risk, Tarrant County Commissioners Court works closely with TCDRS to ensure the County’s retirement plan entails a diversified portfolio.  As of April 2019, the County’s asset allocation included the following:

Long-term Investment Goals

 

Actuarially Determined Contribution Rate versus the Actual Total Contribution Rate for Tarrant County

For calendar year 2020, Tarrant County Commissioners Court elected a Total Contribution Rate of 19.50% of payroll, which will go towards funding the County’s retirement plan. This rate is actually higher than the Determined Contribution Rate of 14.11% for the same period.  By contributing above the required rate, the County is investing in current employees’ future benefits and paying down its unfunded liability within 20 years.

Below Chart 2 compares the Actuarially Determined Contribution Rates versus Tarrant County's Actual Total Contribution Rates. Over the last four years, Tarrant County Commissioners Court has continued to pay above the required amount to pay down the unfunded liability.

Actuarially Determined Contribution Rate Versus Actual Total Contribution Rate 2016-2020

Below, Chart 3 shows the five year history of Tarrant County's Actuarial Value of Assets versus Actuarial Accrued Liabilities. This data can be found in the Tarrant County Comprehensive Annual Financial Report.Actuarial Value of Assets Versus Actuarial Accrued Liabilities 2015-2019

Chart 3 does not include the Community Supervision and Corrections Department actuarial valuation results.

 

This page was last modified on March 15, 2022

TARRANT COUNTY, TEXAS

County Telephone Operator 817-884-1111

Tarrant County provides the information contained in this web site as a public service. Every effort is made to ensure that information provided is correct. However, in any case where legal reliance on information contained in these pages is required, the official records of Tarrant County should be consulted. Tarrant County is not responsible for the content of, nor endorses any site which has a link from the Tarrant County web site.

100 E. Weatherford, Fort Worth, Texas 76196