457(b) Plan (Voluntary Contributions)
Overview| Enroll | Contributions | Roth (After-Tax Contributions) | Investments | Withdrawals | PERS | Rollovers | Purchase of Prior Service Credit | Fees
- You make contributions from each paycheck that are invested with the goal of generating even more savings for your retirement. You choose how your savings are invested.
- You may make contributions on a pre-tax basis (you don't have to pay taxes on these savings until you withdraw them when you retire), or on a Roth (after-tax) basis (you pay taxes on these savings now so you don't have to later).
- Save more for your retirement!
- You choose whether to pay taxes on your contributions now or when you retire.
- You choose how your savings are invested.
- Your 457(b) savings are an important supplement to your retirement income.
All BART Employees, officers, and members of the Board of Directors.
If you're re-employed by BART under USERRA, your military service will be counted as service with BART and you may enroll and make contributions to your 457(b) plan. Please contact the BART Benefits Office for additional information.
- Review and “Accept” (located at bottom of page) Internet Agreement & Account Access Activation Form.
- Follow prompts to complete your enrollment process.
How to start contributions:
- Log in to Employee Connect to update contribution amount.
- Log into EmployeeConnect.
- Go to My Benefits, then click on Savings and Commuter Summary.
- Click on either Deferred Compensation or Roth 457(b).
- Click the yellow Edit button.
- Enter a new dollar amount or percentage and click Save. All changes are effective on the following Pay Period.
- If option is not displayed to establish/change Roth contributions, please contact Benefits at (510) 464-6238.
Yes! BART's Auto-Escalator feature works for you by automatically increasing your contribution amount by 1% of your current base salary each year. Once you sign up, the first auto-increase will come out of your first paycheck in August; your amount will go up by 1% each year after that.
Example: If your pay rate is $25 per hour or $2,000 per pay period, the increase to your contribution amount would be $20 as of the following August 1st.
Limits are subject to increases in accordance with IRS rules.
BART offers two catch-up contribution types that allow participants to contribute more than the normal maximum contribution amount for each year:
Age 50+ Catch-Up - For participants age 50 or older by the end of the year. Participants aged 60, 61, 62 and 63 can contribute an additional amount on top of the normal (not age-50) limit*.
Pre-Retirement Catch-Up - Allows you to make additional contributions to your BART 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan in order to make up for years in which you did not contribute the maximum permissible amount. You can review the BART 457(b) Deferred Compensation Catch-up Provision Packet for details regarding this special provision. The packet will also have instructions on how to get started and who to contact for assistance.
*Please review the BART 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan Catch-up Provision Packet.
- When a period of five years has passed since January 1 of the year of your first Roth contribution; and
- You are at least 59½ years old, or disabled; if you have passed away, your beneficiaries may make tax-free withdrawals of your Roth 457(b) assets upon your death.
If option is not displayed to establish/change Roth contributions, please contact Benefits at (510) 464-6238.
There are two types of changes you can make:
- Changes to how your current account assets are invested (fund-to-fund transfers).
- Changes to how your future contributions are invested (future allocation changes).
You can make changes to your investments by logging into your account or by calling MissionSquare Retirement at 1-833-538-BART (2278) for assistance with your transaction.
Yes! Brokerage services are available and allow you to invest in mutual funds, fixed-income securities, and stocks through your BART account.
To open a brokerage account, you must have a total account balance (across both BART plans combined, if you participate in both) of at least $6,000.
Your brokerage services are provided by TD Ameritrade, a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC/NFA. For more information, read the Brokerage Program Highlights.
A purchase of prior service credit allows you to "buy" or increase the years of service used in calculating your final benefits in a defined benefit plan such as the CalPERS plan. This amount of service is credited to your CalPERS account and used as part of the formula to determine your retirement benefits.
For more information about purchasing prior service credits, review the BART Purchase of Service Credit Packet or the Purchase of Service Credit Flyer.
[b3-regular]*As per a change via SECURE 2.0, a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60, 61, 62 and 63. For 2025, this higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250. This option is effective as of January 1, 2025 for plans that elect to adopt it. Limitations may apply as defined by the plan. Please contact your plan administrator should you require additional information.[/b3-regular]