The eligibility is based on your annual base salary rate as of November 1 each year. If your annual salary rate as of November 1 meets the compensation threshold, you become eligible to participate in the Plan on the following January 1.

To obtain vesting information regarding this plan, contact TIAA at 800-842-2252.

LOANS

DISTRIBUTIONS

Age based distribution

Your employer will typically allow you to withdraw funds once you've reached 70.50.

Lump-sum distribution

You can withdraw all or part of your account in a single cash payment, depending on your plan rules and the terms of your contracts.

• Your right to a lump-sum distribution from your TIAA Traditional Account may be restricted to taking periodic payments under the terms of the contract. Please refer to your contract or certificate for full details or contact us at 800-842-2252.

Small-sum distribution

When you leave your employer, you may be eligible to withdraw your retirement savings. Your plan may distribute your entire balance if the value does not exceed $2,000. Even if your plan doesn't allow cash distributions, you can withdraw your entire retirement savings if your TIAA Traditional Account value does not exceed $2,000 and your overall account balance is below a limit set by your employer's plan (either $1,000 or $5,000).

Lifetime retirement income

• One-life annuity - provides income for as long as you live.
• Two-life annuity - provides lifetime income for you and an annuity partner (your spouse or someone else you name) for as long as either of you live.
• One- or two-life annuity with guaranteed period - guarantees income for up to 20 years, as long as the period you choose does not exceed your life expectancy. It ensures that income continues to go to your beneficiaries for the remainder of the guaranteed period if you (one-life annuity) or both you and your annuity partner (two-life annuity) die before the end of that period.

Single-sum death benefit

A set amount your beneficiary(ies) will receive from your retirement account if you die before taking income.

Fixed period

You can choose to receive income for a set period of two to 30 years, depending on the terms of our contract and your plan's rules (and not to exceed your life expectancy).

• Payments stop at the end of the period, during which you will have received all your principal and earnings.

Unforeseeable emergency

To withdraw money for an emergency with a 457(b) plan requires you to meet the rules for an Unforeseeable Emergency withdrawal. The IRS defines an unforeseeable emergency as a severe financial hardship to the participant or beneficiary resulting from, but not limited to:

• A sudden and unexpected illness or accident of the participant, a beneficiary, or the participant’s or beneficiary’s spouse or dependent.
• Loss of the participant’s or beneficiary’s property due to casualty.
• Imminent foreclosure or eviction from the participant’s or beneficiary’s primary residence
• Medical expenses, including non-refundable deductibles and the cost of prescription drug medication
• Funeral expenses of a spouse or dependent
• Other similar extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances arising as a result of events beyond the control of the participant or beneficiary.

Please note that an unforeseeable emergency does not typically include the purchase of a home or payment of college tuition.

Generally, withdrawals are permitted if the hardship can’t be solved:

• Through reimbursement or compensation from insurance or otherwise;
• By liquidating or accessing personal assets including those associated with freely distributable amounts held in retirement and tax-sheltered savings plans (to the extent this would not itself cause a severe financial hardship); or
• By stopping deferrals under the plan.

Rollover

Prior to rolling over, consider your options. You may be able to leave money in your current plan or withdraw cash. Compare the differences in investment options, services, fees and expenses, withdrawal options, required minimum distributions, other plan features, and tax treatment.

If you have had an IRS-defined "triggering event," and your plan allows withdrawals, you can roll over your accumulations to another retirement plan that will accept them or to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA).

• Direct rollovers - from one account to another - are nontaxable and not reported as income to the federal government. Your plan's rules specify when you are eligible for a distribution.

Minimum distribution option

You must begin taking minimum distributions from your IRAs and employer retirement plan accounts by your required beginning date (or retirement, if later for employer retirement plan accounts). For IRAs (other than Roth IRAs), your required beginning date is April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach your RMD Applicable Age. For employer-sponsored retirement plans, your required beginning date is April 1 of the year following the calendar year in which you reach your RMD Applicable Age or retire from the plan sponsor, if later. 

Your RMD Applicable Age was 70 ½ if you were born before 7/1/49; 72 if you were born on or after 7/1/49 or in 1950; 73 if you were born between 1951 and 1958; 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. If you were born in 1959, federal guidance is needed to determine if your RMD Applicable Age is 73 or 75.

If you're married, you may be required to get spousal consent to receive any distribution option other than a qualified joint and survivor annuity.

This plan allows you to receive a cash withdrawal. This may be restricted by the terms of your TIAA contracts. Taxes and penalties may apply.

Understanding investment fees

Your financial well-being is TIAA's top priority and we are committed to helping you make informed decisions. Fees should be just one factor in your decision-making process since the lowest cost option may not be the best one for you.

Cost of plan services

Fees and expenses have always been part of a retirement savings plan-some fees are associated with the administration of the plan and may be covered by your employer, while others are paid by you based on the specific investments and services you choose. The following three categories of services are provided to your plan:

1. General record keeping and other plan services

Over the course of a year you pay for services like record keeping.

Many services are necessary for the day-to-day operation of your employer's retirement plan. General administrative services include recordkeeping, legal, accounting, consulting, investment advisory and other plan administration services. Some of these expenses are fixed and other expenses may vary from year to year. These costs are allocated to each participant in a uniform way.

An annual TIAA Plan Servicing Fee of $23 is assessed if you maintain a Retirement Choice and/or Retirement Choice Plus account. This fee will be deducted proportionally from each investment in your account Quarterly and identified as "TIAA Plan Servicing Fee" on your statements.

In some cases, an investment provider may pay a portion of an investment's expense ratio to TIAA, the recordkeeper, to help offset the cost of plan administration. This practice is called "revenue sharing". If you have investments that revenue share, you'll receive a credit based on your average daily balance. This will be identified as "TIAA Plan Servicing Credit" on your statements.

If you do not maintain a Retirement Choice and/or Retirement Choice Plus account and therefore no TIAA Plan Servicing Fee was assessed, your investment revenue share credit will be reduced by the amount of the fee inorder to cover plan administrative services expenses. For more information on fees and investments, refer to "Mutual Funds and In-Plan Annuities" via TIAA.org/performanceOpens in a new window.

2. Specific investment services
You pay only for what you use.
Each investment offered within the plan charges a fee for managing the investment and for associated services. But you pay only for the investments you actually use and in proportion to the amount of your investment. These fees are not deducted directly from your account; they are paid indirectly through the investment's "expense ratio". The specific expense ratio for each plan designated investment option is listed in your Quarterly Investment UpdateOpens in a new window.

3. Personalized services

You can opt for extra features, like loan services.

Personalized services provide access to a number of plan features and investments that you pay for, only if you use them. The personalized services used most often are:

Qualified Domestic Relations Orders (QDRO)
No additional charge
Sales charges, purchase, withdrawal and redemption fees for certain investments
Certain charges may apply. For additional information, see Quarterly Investment UpdateOpens in a new window.

More information about retirement plan fees and expenses is available at TIAA.org/fees.

457(b) Plan FAQsOpens pdf in new window