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Plan Eligibility: Staff

Full-Time Regular Staff, Part-Time Staff and Postdocs

All eligible new hire s will be enrolled in the retirement plan upon hire. Participation in the retirement plan is mandatory, and employees will be automatically enrolled at the mandatory level of 3%. Mandatory deferrals begin as soon as practical after an employee's hire date, which generally is the first pay period of the first full month immediately after that date. Vanderbilt employees will have the opportunity to start contributing to their retirement pla n as soon as they join, without the need for a waiting period. (If you are covered by a collective bargaining unit, other plan terms may apply.)

Contribution Levels

  • Mandatory: This level is required as a condition of employment and contributions must be made on a pre-tax basis (not Roth). The contribution is fixed at 3% of your salary and is matched 100% dollar-for-dollar by Vanderbilt.
  • Voluntary: You may choose an additional pre-tax or Roth contribution percentage up to the annual limit set by the Internal Revenue Service. The first 3% of your voluntary contributions are matched 100% dollar-for-dollar by Vanderbilt. You must take action and enroll in the voluntary level to receive these matching dollars. For current IRS limits, please see the Investment Limits section. Due to IRS regulations, before voluntary contributions (and any corresponding match) can be calculated, any mandatory contribution amounts are to be deducted from salary, and then voluntary contributions are calculated on that resulting amount.

Note: Effective in April 2015, deductions for both basic and supplemental contributions will be combined and listed as voluntary contributions on pay statements. 

For More Information

Please contact Human Resources. For complete details of the Retirement plan, refer to the Retirement Plan Summary Plan Description.


*For faculty and executive administration members: If your gross compensation exceeds $155,000 by December 31 of your first year working at Vanderbilt, you will be deemed a highly compensated employee for that plan year (determination year) and your match will stop until you reach the one-year anniversary of your appointment date. At that time, matching contributions will resume. A highly compensated employee is defined by the Internal Revenue Code Section 414(q) as a specified indexed amount ($155,000 for 2024). This is a requirement of the Plan to meet non-discrimination regulations. See the Faculty Manual, for a full explanation.