Some YMCAs require you to contribute towards your retirement savings. Other YMCAs make all of the contributions for you. Your local plan administrator can tell you how your YMCA's contributions are made.

If your YMCA requires you to contribute, an after-tax contribution is taken out of your paycheck. In addition, the YMCA makes a contribution to your account.
 

Certainly. The most powerful and effective strategy for saving for retirement is to pay yourself first by opening and making contributions to a Voluntary Account.

Voluntary Accounts

Even if you aren't yet eligible to enroll in the Fund, you may still begin building your retirement savings by opening a 403(b) Smart Account, or rolling over money from other eligible employer plans or IRAs.

Contributions to a 403(b) Smart Account are taken from your pre-tax pay, through regular payroll deductions. This allows you to put off both current and future taxes until retirement.

Contributions to an After-Tax Account are made with after-tax money in either payroll deductions or lump-sum contributions.

Check with your local plan administrator for assistance completing the Voluntary Contributions form.
 

Once you are eligible for the Retirement Plan, you can also contribute to an After-Tax Account. Any contributions you make to this type of account can be deducted from your paycheck, or they can be made through a personal check sent directly to the Fund. The only other kind of contribution allowed would be rolling over money from an eligible pension account you already have.
 

No. You can begin contributions to a 403(b) Smart Account immediately. All YMCA employees, regardless of age or service, can contribute to a 403(b) Smart Account.
See the section on Voluntary Accounts for further details.
 

The federal government sets limits on the amounts you can contribute annually to your Voluntary Accounts.
 

You can check your account balances by using the Your Accounts section of the website. It is updated twice weekly with your account balances and your last payments. You can also project what your retirement benefits would be at various ages using our Annuity Estimate Calculator. If you do not have a User ID and password to access these secure pages, call our Customer Service Department at 800-RET-YMCA or email info@ymcaret.org with your request. Please include your name, address, date of birth and last four digits of your Social Security number when emailing.

The Fund will send you Annual and Quarterly Statements with detailed information about your account balances.