Retirement and 403(b) Plans
Saint Louis University offers two retirement plans to help you build long-term financial security. While both plans are administered through TIAA and share the same investment options, they serve different purposes and are governed by different IRS rules:
- The 403(b) Plan is the plan where you contribute your own money toward retirement.
- The 401(a) Plan is the plan where SLU deposits its matching contributions.
Using both plans together allows you to maximize your retirement savings while ensuring SLU’s programs meet IRS requirements.
About SLU's 403(b) Retirement Plan
Eligibility to contribute to SLU’s voluntary 403(b) retirement plan.
- All faculty and staff
- Part-time Adjuncts, Temporary Staff and PRNs
- Part-time classes that are excluded from match are: Student Workers, Graduate Assistants and Federal Work Study.
New employees may enroll approximately one week after completing their benefits enrollment, and TIAA will notify you when your account is ready.
Employee Contributions
All eligible employees may contribute a percentage of pay to the 403(b) on a pretax and/or Roth basis, up to IRS annual limits.
What counts as “pay”?
- Base salary
- Summer school and summer research pay for academic employees
- Overtime
- Bonuses
- Supplemental pay
- Contributions may be made on a pretax basis, after-tax (Roth) basis, or a combination of both.
- The plan offers a wide range of TIAA investment options.
- Log in to TIAA.org/slu to enroll, change your contributions, or designate a beneficiary.
IRS Contribution Limits
These are the IRS annual limits for employee contributions to 403(b) and 401(k) plans:
| Calendar Year | Standard Employee Contribution Limit |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $23,500 |
| 2026 | $24,500 ( projected based on indexing) |
Catch-Up Contributions (Age 50+)
The IRS allows employees who are age 50 or older (or will turn 50 in the calendar year) to make additional catch-up contributions beyond the standard limit. These extra dollars can help you save more during your peak earning years.
Beginning January 1, 2026, new IRS rules under the SECURE 2.0 Act require certain employees to make catch-up contributions on a Roth (after-tax) basis:
New Roth Catch-Up Requirement (Starting 2026)
Employees age 50+ who earned more than $150,000 in FICA wages in the prior year must make all catch-up contributions on a Roth (after-tax) basis.
- The $150,000 threshold will be indexed for inflation in future years.
- Affected employees cannot make pretax catch-up contributions.
- There is no opt-out of Roth treatment — affected employees must limit contributions to the standard (non-catch-up) limit if they want all contributions to remain pretax.
- SLU and TIAA will automatically direct contributions to Roth catch-up once the standard limit is reached.
- This provision applies only to the 403(b) Plan.
More information is available on the IRS website under SECURE 2.0 Provision 603.
Catch-Up Amounts
For employees age 50 and above:
- 2025: Up to $31,000 total ($23,500 standard + $7,500 catch-up)
- 2026: Up to $32,500 total ($24,500 standard + $8,000 catch-up)
Additional Catch-Up for Ages 60–63
Effective Jan. 1, 2025, employees age 60–63 may make a higher catch-up contribution.
If you are age 60–63 in 2026, you may contribute up to $35,750.
No action is necessary — your eligibility will be applied automatically, but if you
wish to increase your contributions to include this expanded limit, you will need
to do so on the TIAA website.
Important Note
Annual limits apply to all 403(b) and 401(k) plans combined across all employers during the calendar year. New hires are responsible for ensuring they do not exceed annual IRS limits.
Once your limit is met on SLU contributions, the payroll system automatically stops your contributions.
Automatic Enrollment
If you are a new or rehired eligible employee, you will be automatically enrolled in the 403(b) Plan at a 2% pretax contribution per pay period.
- You have 30 days from the day you receive your eligibility notice from TIAA to change your contribution or opt out.
- Refunds cannot be issued for employee contributions.
- Changes or opting out must be done on the TIAA website at TIAA.org/slu.
Making Changes to Your Contributions
You may change your contribution rate at any time by logging into TIAA.org/SLU.
Changes take effect according to the payroll calendar. If you have issues logging in, you can contact TIAA directly at (800) 842-2252.
University Matching Contributions (401 (a) Plan)
Eligibility for the University match (in the 401(a) Plan):
- Faculty and staff scheduled to work full-time (0.8 FTE / 32 hours per week or more), or
- A part-time employee who has worked 1,000 hours in a calendar year.
- Part-time classes that are excluded from match are: adjuncts, student workers, graduate assistants and federal work study.
The University matching contribution is a percentage of your pay (up to the IRS annual compensation limit) and is based on your hire date.
| Employee Contribution | SLU Match |
|---|---|
| 0% | 0% |
| 0.5% | 1% |
| 1% | 2% |
| 2.5% | 5% |
| 3% | 6% |
| 3.5% | 7% |
| 4% | 8% |
| 4.5% | 9% |
| 5% | 10% |
If hired on or after Jan. 1, 2024:
| Employee Contribution | SLU Match (Years 0-7) |
|---|---|
| 1% | 1% |
| 5% | 5% |
Matching contributions begin once you start contributing to the 403(b) Plan and have completed the required service.
Contributions are not retroactive.
Vesting
- Your contributions: Always 100% vested.
- University contributions:
- Hired before Jan. 1, 2024: Vested after one year of service
- Hired on or after Jan. 1, 2024: Vested after three years of service
- Rehires on or after Jan. 1, 2024: Prior service does not count toward vesting
How to Enroll
The TIAA contribution calculator is available to estimate your tax savings and evaluate pretax vs. Roth contributions.
Employees eligible for the 457(b) Plan will receive a separate enrollment notice. For more information on the 457(b) plan, visit the retirement and 457(b) plan page.