What is Partial Entry?
Partial Entry allows the employer to offer the existing members of a fire or police department the choice between remaining in their locally administered money purchase plan or participating in the FPPA Defined Benefit System. In other words, the employer agrees to continue to offer the local money purchase plan for those who wish to remain in that plan and allow those who want to move to FPPA to do so. (All members hired after the effective date of entry are enrolled in the FPPA Statewide Retirement Plan Component(s) selected by the employer; either the Defined Benefit Component or the Hybrid Defined Benefit and Money Purchase Components)
A lifetime benefit
The possibility of Partial Entry raises a lot of questions. One of the most common is: why should I be interested in converting my retirement to a defined benefit plan?
The biggest reason is longevity. A defined benefit plan, commonly called a pension, provides a monthly payment for the retiree’s lifetime, with the option to pass the benefit on to a beneficiary. It’s a monthly check for the rest of your life, compared to a local money purchase plan (also called a defined contribution plan) in which the contribution is all that is known. You don’t know how much money you’ll have or how long it will last.
For those members who do not wish to transition from a defined contribution plan, FPPA offers the option to join the Hybrid Defined Benefit and Money Purchase Components, which would allow members to receive a monthly pension and have the flexibility of a money purchase account.
How do I know what my benefit will be?
FPPA uses the formula below to calculate our members' estimated monthly pension benefits:
To see what your FPPA pension benefit could look like, use the Partial Entry Benefit Calculator.
Does My Department Qualify?
Many fire and police departments across Colorado are eligible for partial entry into the FPPA System. To qualify, a department must meet certain requirements, including (but not limited to):
- The department does not already participate in the FPPA Defined Benefit System
- The employer must be willing to leave the local money purchase plan open for existing members
- Member accounts for the existing local money purchase plan must be self-directed (invested by the member rather than the pension board or the employer)
- The department does not contribute to Social Security for its police officers and firefighters (separate plans and processes apply to departments that pay into Social Security)
NOTE: There are many factors that determine a department’s eligibility for partial entry. If you have questions about your department, please contact us
What our members are saying
In this video, FPPA members discuss their experience during and after completing the partial entry process.
Partial Entry Departments
Partial Entry has been available since 2006. The following Colorado fire and police departments have completed the Partial Entry process:
| Department | Effective Date |
|---|---|
| Aurora FD | 10/1/11 |
| Broomfield PD | 9/12/18 |
| Dillon PD | 11/20/17 |
| Edgewater PD | 11/4/17 |
| Elizabeth FPD | 7/1/20 |
| Englewood PD | 5/20/13 |
| Fountain FD | 9/1/11 |
| Fountain PD | 7/21/18 |
| Grand Junction FD | 9/9/18 |
| Littleton PD | 10/14/18 |
| Longmont FD | 12/27/21 |
| Longmont PD | 12/27/21 |
| Monte Vista PD | 2/3/19 |
| Montrose PD | 8/13/18 |
| Mountain Village PD | 8/15/21 | Poudre Fire Authority | 6/3/19 |
| Thornton FD | 9/17/17 |
| Thornton PD | 9/17/17 |
| West Metro FPD | 10/1/07 |
| Westminster PD | 10/2/17 |
Full Entry Departments*
Full Entry refers to a department who elects to have all its members enter the FPPA Defined Benefit System. It has been available since 2003. The departments below have completed this process:
| Department | Effective Date |
|---|---|
| Brighton PD | 1/1/05 |
| Buena Vista PD | 12/15/11 |
| Cañon City PD | 4/1/07 |
| Carbondale and Rural FPD | 7/1/06 |
| Dacono PD | 8/1/08 |
| Evans PD | 5/1/05 |
| Federal Heights FD & PD | 1/1/05 |
| Florence PD | 1/1/06 |
| Lafayette PD | 5/1/05 |
| Lake Dillon FPD | 9/1/05 |
| Littleton FD | 4/1/09 |
| Milliken PD | 3/1/07 |
| North Metro Fire Rescue | 9/1/05 |
| Security FPD | 12/15/10 |
| Sheridan PD | 4/1/12 |
| Snake River FPD | 7/1/05 |
| Snowmass FPD | 7/1/08 |
| Trinidad FD | 8/1/04 |
| Westminster FD | 9/1/04 |
| West Metro FPD | 3/1/11 |
Click here to view a list of all Colorado police and fire departments affiliated with FPPA's Statewide Defined Benefit System.
*Note: full department entry is not currently available
