Alachua County offers a tax deferred retirement savings plan through ICMA-RC. These plans are also called 457 plans and allow an employee to save salary generated income through payroll deduction. The County also offers a Roth IRA through payroll deduction through ICMA.
Deferred Compensation Plans (457)
Employees may enroll in these plans any time during the year. The 457 plan allows an employee to defer up to a dollar limit in effect for that year.
The money invested, as well as the earnings are able to grow on a tax-deferred basis. The employee pays the taxes when he or she withdraws the money at the time of retirement or when separating from service. There is no penalty for withdrawal at any age.
A strictly defined Internal Revenue Code provision in the deferred compensation plan allows withdrawals in the event of an unforeseen emergency. Deferred compensation is for retirement purposes. Its tax-deferred privileges are granted because funds are not readily available to the participant. An unforeseeable emergency is defined as a severe financial hardship created by; a sudden and unexpected illness or accident to the participant or his or her dependent, loss of property due to casualty, or other similar, equally severe and unforeseeable circumstances beyond the participant's control. All withdrawals must be approved by the County Manager prior to disbursement.
Payroll Deduction Roth IRA
A Roth IRA is another retirement saving vehicle offered by Alachua County. The Roth IRA is funded using after-tax dollars. Investments grow tax free, provided contributions are not withdrawn until they have been in the account for 5 years and the employee is 59 and 1/2 or older. Since contributions are made with after-tax dollars they are accessible at any time.