Here are some important steps to take when you are hired and as you progress through your career.
Register for My LACERA
Once registered, you can log in anytime to:
- View your retirement plan, contributions, contribution rate, and amount of service credit
- Update your information and complete self-service transactions
- Ask questions or seek help from a Retirement Benefit Specialist using our Secure Message feature
- Create retirement benefit estimates and more
It’s easy and you can start now! Visit My LACERA to sign up or access your account.
Add your beneficiaries
Log in to My LACERA to add, update, or change beneficiary(ies) and contact information. It’s important to do this as soon as possible after being hired in the event that LACERA needs to pay death benefits on your behalf during your active employment years.
You should also revisit your beneficiary(ies) any time you have experienced a life event such as marriage, birth of a child, divorce, or death of a spouse/partner. You can change your beneficiary any time before retirement.
Read more about designating beneficiaries.
Purchase service credit
The more years of service credit you have when you retire, the higher your monthly allowance will be. If you have previous County, State of California, federal government, or military service, log in to My LACERA to inquire about and/or initiate a service credit purchase. The more you progress in your career and increase your earnings, the more it will cost to purchase service credit, so buy it early!
Create benefit estimates
Log in to your My LACERA account and click on the Estimates tab at the top of the page. Then calculate your future monthly allowance by inputting different retirement dates, years of service, and retirement option scenarios.
Participate in employer-sponsored retirement savings plans
It’s a good idea to supplement your pension income by participating in your employer’s 401(k), 457(b), or other savings plans and taking advantage of employer matching funds. Then watch your account grow!
Empower Retirement administers L.A. County employees’ savings plans. Contact Empower at 800-947-0845 or visit www.countyla.com.
Explore available workshops and resources
Check out the Workshops page for upcoming seminars, such as the New Hire Orientation, geared toward recent, permanent hires. You can also access important pre-retirement workshop information through our Retirement University video series or presentation slideshows.