You can supplement your employer's contributions or establish your own retirement savings plan by making pre-tax contributions, known as a tax-sheltered annuity or TSA. This makes saving for retirement easy through regular payroll deductions, while reducing your Federal income taxes. No Federal income tax is deducted on these deferred amounts, and the earnings on them are tax-free until they are withdrawn. And if you are a minister, payments from your pre-tax retirement contributions are eligible for the housing allowance tax exclusion, which is not true for distributions from IRAs or similar retirement accounts. You can begin making employee pre-tax contributions with as little as $25 a month.

Who Can Participate?

• Any employee, self-employed minister or a chaplain employed by a UCC church or related employer is eligible to participate immediately upon employment.
• An employee of a church or convention or association of churches that is exempt from tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, who previously had been an active member of the Plan or the Prior or Predecessor Plan, may be an active member of the Plan with respect to such employer if such church or convention or association of churches, with the consent of the Pension Boards, makes regular contributions to the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan on behalf of such member. 
• If your employer is not contributing to the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan on your behalf, but you would like to establish an account by way of salary reduction, please complete a Lifetime Retirement Income Plan and Other Benefits Membership Form. 
  
  

Contribution Limits

The IRS allows a maximum contribution on a yearly basis that depends on your salary. The maximum that can be contributed in 2025 is $23,500 ($31,000 if you are 50 or older this year). The total contribution to the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan in 2025 (both employer and employee contributions) cannot exceed the lesser of $70,000 (or $77,500 if over age 50) or 100% of cash salary. These maximum contribution amounts change each year. Please contact the Pension Boards for assistance to determine your maximum annual TSA contribution amount.

Under a change made in SECURE 2.0, a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60, 61, 62 and 63 who participate in these plans. For 2025, this higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 instead of $7,500.

You also have the opportunity to consolidate other IRA, 403(b), 401(k), or other pre-tax accounts into a Rollover Contribution Account for non-annuitized employees or a Retirement Savings Account for annuitized members who have an account with the Pension Boards. For more information on the Rollover Contribution Account (RCA), click here. For more information on the Retirement Savings Account (RSA), click here.

Download the booklet, Your Investment Options.

Download a copy of the Lifetime Retirement Income Plan for the UCC plan document.

Note: If you are employed by an employer other than a UCC church, Conference, Association or on National Staff, please contact us for the appropriate plan document.