What is a cash balance pension plan?

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A different kind of pension plan.

© Olena Ruban—Moment/Getty Images

Guaranteed retirement income through a company-sponsored pension plan is far less common than it used to be. Nevertheless, some employers still offer pensions, including one type that has grown in popularity: cash balance plans. These defined benefit plans are akin to traditional pension plans and provide a predetermined amount for retirement, which can be converted to an annuity at retirement time.

Also like traditional pension plans, employers take on the risk of losses incurred by managing the plan’s assets. Smaller employers like cash balance plans because they can contribute more to employees’ retirement than is possible in a 401(k) plan, helping to hire and retain talented employees.

Cash balance plans are defined benefit plans, which means you’re guaranteed a set amount at retirement. In the case of a cash balance plan, the idea is to provide a specific sum by the time you reach your target retirement age (rather than a set monthly payment).

Your cash balance grows because your employer contributes to the plan based on a percentage of your salary each year. On top of that, you’re guaranteed an interest credit on the account balance. The interest you receive can be fixed or variable (and tied to a short-term rate, such as a Treasury bill rate).

For example, if your salary is $65,000 a year and your pay credit is 5%, your employer contributes $3,250 to the plan on your behalf. You also receive your interest based on the account balance and the formula each year. As your income increases, so does the pay credit. But you’re entitled only to the defined benefit amount. If the cash balance plan is designed to provide a benefit of $250,000, for example, your employer’s contributions are based on attempting to hit that target.

The pool of money employers use to make retiree payouts is managed in trust and typically invested in equities (stocks) and bonds. The investment portfolio targets an annual return of about 5% and aims to maintain a funded status of 100% to 110% to ensure the plan can meet its obligations to its beneficiaries.

Although both are defined benefit plans and guarantee a specified payout for retirement, traditional pension plans and cash balance plans have some key differences:

With either plan, employers take on the investment risk, so your benefit amount isn’t affected by the ups and downs of the financial markets.

Employers have no legal obligation to offer a pension plan. Like many employee benefits, retirement plans are offered as a recruitment and retention tool. Traditional pension plans filled that need for many years, but their cost and complexity have prompted many companies to adopt alternatives. Many employers that offer traditional pension plans have transitioned to cash balance plans for several reasons:

Companies that amend their retirement benefits package to adopt cash balance plans must preserve employees’ benefits accrued in a pension plan. The Department of Labor requires that employees receive the sum of their previous benefits as well as the benefits from the new cash balance plan.

If your company is transitioning to a cash balance plan, check with your plan administrator to ensure you receive your promised pension benefits. Once the switch is made, all benefits, including any benefits you accrued before the change, must be fully vested after three years with the employer.

In some cases, an employer may dissolve a plan. In that case, vested benefits should be paid to all participants before the company can withdraw the assets.

The Labor Department governs retirement plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). If your employer alters its pension plan formula and you have questions about changes to your benefit, you can contact the agency to investigate whether any reduction is unlawful.

Cash balance plans are defined benefit plans, which means you know how much you’ll receive upon retirement.

They differ from defined contribution plans such as a 401(k) or 403(b), which are exclusively or largely funded by employees’ own money through payroll deductions. An employer may offer a match, but isn’t required to, and workers are under no obligation to participate in a defined contribution plan (although you may have to opt out). With defined contribution plans, you decide how much you want to put in, and the performance of your investment choices determines your final account balance.

Many workers like the idea of a guaranteed payout in retirement, but a cash balance plan has some downsides.

Pay attention to the cash balance target. Although $250,000 guaranteed at retirement might sound like a nice nest egg, it’s probably insufficient to retire on. If you convert that amount to an immediate annuity, you might receive $1,500 to $1,800 a month, depending on the chosen benefit.

How much do you expect to need in retirement? Other accounts may be necessary to build your savings. Consider your Social Security benefits, investing in an individual retirement account (IRA), and using a health savings account (HSA) to supplement your retirement.

An employer-sponsored cash balance plan can be a cornerstone to saving for retirement. The plans are funded solely by your employer and require no contributions on your part, unlike a 401(k) or other defined contribution plan. But, unlike a traditional pension plan, a cash balance plan likely won’t provide enough savings to last throughout retirement, which is why many employers offer a 401(k) plan along with a cash balance plan to help employees set aside more for retirement.

Cash balance plans offer guaranteed income paid as a lump sum or converted to an annuity at retirement. If a cash balance plan is your only source of retirement savings, you may have to look at funding other types of accounts, such as a traditional or Roth IRA, to ensure you have enough money saved.