Pension Flexibility: Montana

Analysis of Montana's policies

Montana only offers a defined benefit pension plan to its teachers as their mandatory pension plan. The state created a new tier (Tier 2) for members on or after July 1, 2013. The Tier 2 plan offers a lower level of benefits than the plan for Tier 1 members. Montana's retirement plan is not fully portable, does not vest until year five and does not provide any employer contribution for teachers who choose to withdraw their account balances when leaving the system. It also limits flexibility by restricting the ability to purchase years of service.

Teachers in Montana also participate in Social Security, so they must contribute to the state's defined benefit plan in addition to Social Security. Although retirement savings in addition to Social Security are good and necessary for most individuals, the state's policy results in mandated contributions to two inflexible plans, rather than permitting teachers options for their state-provided savings plans.

Vesting in a defined benefit plan guarantees a teacher's eligibility to receive lifetime monthly benefit payments at retirement age. Non-vested teachers do not have a right to later retirement benefits; they may only withdraw the portion of their funds allowed by the plan. Montana's vesting at five years of service limits the options of many teachers who leave the system prior to this point. According to a recent report, only 35 percent of employees in Montana's teacher-covered pension plan vest, meaning that 65 percent of teachers do not become eligible for a pension and, therefore, can only collect their refundable contributions.

Teachers in Montana who choose to withdraw their contributions upon leaving only receive their own contributions plus interest (set annually by the TRS Board). This means that those who withdraw their funds accrue no benefits beyond what they might have earned had they simply put their contributions in basic savings accounts. Furthermore, teachers who remain in the field of education but enter another pension plan (such as in another state) will find it difficult to purchase the time equivalent to their prior employment in the new system because they are not entitled to any employer contribution.

Montana limits teachers' flexibility to purchase years of service. The ability to purchase time is important because defined benefit plans' retirement eligibility and benefit payments are often tied to the number of years a teacher has worked. Montana's plan allows teachers with five years of service to purchase time for previous teaching experience, up to five years' total of many types of purchased service. While better than not allowing any purchase at all, this is less than most states' and the provision disadvantages teachers who move to Montana with more teaching experience or who also purchase time for other valid reasons. In addition, the mandatory five years of service before purchasing previous service makes the purchase cost more expensive than if allowed earlier. The state's plan also allows teachers with five years of service to purchase up to two years of service for approved leaves of absence as long as the teacher returns to work for a year following the leave. This is a disadvantage to any teacher who needs to take more than two years of leave over the course of a career, such as for paternity or maternity care, or for other personal reasons.

Citation

Montanta Teachers' Retirement System, Member's Retirement Plan Handbook, July 1, 2013-June 30, 2015. Aldeman, C. and Rotherham, A. (2014). Friends without Benefits: How States Systematically Shortchange Teachers’ Retirement and Threaten Their Retirement Security, Bellwether Education Partners.

Recommendations for Montana

Offer teachers a pension plan that is fully portable, flexible and fair.
Montana should offer teachers for their mandatory pension plan the option of either a defined contribution plan or a fully portable defined benefit plan, such as a cash balance plan. A well-structured defined benefit plan could be a suitable option among multiple plans. As the sole option, however, defined benefit plans severely disadvantage mobile teachers and those who enter the profession later in life. Because teachers in Montana participate in Social Security, they are required to contribute to two defined benefit-style plans.

Increase the portability of its defined benefit plan.
If Montana maintains its defined benefit plan, it should allow teachers that leave the system to withdraw employer contributions. The state should also allow teachers to purchase their full amount of previous teaching experience, allow the purchase of all parental leaves and decrease the vesting requirement to year three. A lack of portability is a disincentive to an increasingly mobile teaching force.

Offer a fully portable supplemental retirement savings plan.
If Montana maintains its defined benefit plan, the state should at least offer teachers the option of a fully portable supplemental defined contribution savings plan, with employers matching a percentage of teachers' contributions.

State response to our analysis

Montana was helpful in providing information that enhanced this analysis.

Updated: December 2017