Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP)

On this page:

About the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP)
ARP Vesting and Contributions
ARP Contribution Amounts and Limits
Retirement Eligibility
Changing ARP Vendors
ARP Vendors

About the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP)

All full-time faculty and staff members who are appointed to work at least 75% full-time equivalency (FTE) are eligible to enroll in the Alternative Retirement Plan (ARP). The ARP is a defined contribution retirement plan and the retirement benefit is determined by the number of contributions and investment earnings that accumulate in the ARP account over time. If elected, ARP enrollment is a replacement for your participation in either the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS) or the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS).

Enrollment in the ARP must be indicated within the first 120 days of eligible employment. To enroll, you will need to select and establish an ARP account with one of four active ARP vendors listed below. Once your account is established, you will need to complete the Retirement Plan Election Form (PDF) and return it to Human Resources within 120 days of your hire date.

ARP Vesting and Contributions

All employee and employer contributions to the plan are immediately 100% vested.

A percentage of the total employer contribution is applied to the mitigating rate which is required by Ohio law (Ohio Revised Code Section 3305.06). This requires a portion of the employer contribution be sent to the applicable state retirement system where it is permanently retained.

ARP Contribution Amounts and Limits

Source and Limit	Faculty	Staff
Employee contribution	14%	10%
Employer contribution	14% Contribution Breakdown: 11.09% to ARP; 2.91% to mitigating rate	14% Contribution Breakdown: 11.76% to ARP; 2.24% to mitigating rate
2026 Contribution Limit	$72,000 (employee and employer)	$72,000 (employee and employer)

Retirement Eligibility

Participants become eligible to retire at age 59½ or older, regardless of years of service.

Changing ARP Vendors

Once selected, ARP participants are eligible to change ARP vendors to another Wright State University-approved ARP vendor at any time. To initiate a vendor change, your first step is to set up an account with your chosen vendor. Once complete, you will need to submit an ARP Vendor Change Form (PDF) to Human Resources instructing Wright State University to send your new ARP contributions to your new vendor. NOTE: Your existing balance will remain with your existing vendor. If you desire to transfer your balance, your new vendor can assist you with the necessary paperwork which will need to be submitted to Human Resources for processing. Please allow sufficient time for these changes to occur in accordance with the Payroll processing timelines.