Open Window Plan Transfer
An Open Window Plan Transfer (OWPT) from Plan E to Plan D requires you to purchase all your previous years of Plan E service credit before your transfer becomes effective. This means you must catch up on the back contributions you would have paid had you elected Plan D when you entered LACERA membership, along with the interest those contributions would have accrued.
Open Window Transfers are available only during periods designated by the County Board of Supervisors. The Open Window Plan Transfer will remain opened until March 31, 2025.
The purchase can be made by a lump-sum payment or through semimonthly payroll deductions over a maximum of 10 years, or a combination of both. You remain a Plan E member until you have paid the transfer contract in full.
Eligibility to purchase credit for service prior to LACERA membership varies and is based on your employment status prior to joining Plan E.
Open Window Plan Transfer Basics
- The contribution rate is based on your age at entry to LACERA
- More cost-effective method of purchasing and converting all your Plan E service credit to Plan D than a Prospective Plan Transfer (PPT)
- Upon fulfillment of the transfer contract, you become a Plan D member, and your membership is retroactive to your most recent date of entry into a LACERA retirement plan
Payment Methods
You can purchase and convert Plan E service credit using any of the following methods:
- Before-tax dollars:
- Payroll deductions (using before-tax dollars)
- Qualified plans: 401(k)/401(a)/Keogh* (*Certain restrictions apply. Check with the plan administrator for details pertaining to your individual situation.)
- 457 Plan fund transfers: In-service or after termination*
- IRAs: Non-Roth or non-after-tax
- 403(b)
- After-tax dollars
- Payroll deductions (using after-tax dollars)
- Lump-sum payment by check
If you retire, terminate, or defer your membership before completing your plan transfer, you have 120 days to complete payment using any of the methods referenced above. If payment has not been completed within 120 days, you will remain in Plan E and your retirement allowance will be calculated according to the provisions of Plan E.
How to Transfer Plans
- To initiate a transfer, contact us or log in to My LACERA and click on the Purchases tab or download and print a Request for Cost Notification Form.
- Wait approximately 60 days to receive a transfer cost notification letter and a payment contract from LACERA.
- Sign and return the contract by the expiration date given in the transfer cost notification letter.
- Your payroll deductions will begin within 45 days of the expiration date of the letter.