DC Retire
Beneficiary Designation
  • You must designate your spouse as the primary beneficiary on the 401(a) Retirement Plan.
    • Note: For 401(a) distributions, you must have a signed Spousal Consent form with your request.
  • You may select different beneficiary(ies) for your 401(a) Retirement Plan and the 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan.

Here are two critical steps you should take to make sure your beneficiary(ies) are up-to-date:

 

1. Notify the District of Columbia of Your Marital Status.

  • Your marital status must be current with your Benefits Department before you can designate your beneficiaries with ICMA-RC. To provide or update your information, contact your Benefits Department.

2. Designate or update your beneficiaries with ICMA-RC. 

  • Visit www.DCRetire.com and log into your account.
  • Click Access My Accounts > View Beneficiaries > Update Beneficiaries. 
  •  Enter the appropriate information and click Submit.
    • If you prefer, you may also complete a paper form to mail or fax to ICMA-RC at 202.682.6439, but remember, first you need to notify the District of your marital status.
Rest assured that your account is in good order for your loved ones.
Give Your Future Retirement a Raise
You can give your retirement savings a raise by setting aside a little more for your future. Saving more now can really add up over time. Here is how you can give your future a boost:
  • Increase your contribution by a small amount each year.
  • Got a pay increase? Now is a great time to contribute more to your future!
  • Take a look at your budget to find ways to save so you can contribute more to your retirement account.
  • Explore the interactive Savings Boost calculator to see the impact of increasing your contribution amount over time. Go to www.DCRetire.com; under the heading Education, click Calculators.
Take action: Increase your contributions today.
  • Log in to PeopleSoft.
  • Under the heading Menu, click Self Service, then Benefits.
  • Under Benefits Summary, click Section 457.
  • Select Edit to change your contribution amount.
  • Click Save.
Social Security Strategies
Social Security can be a valuable source of income in retirement, and estimating how much you will get is a critical step in calculating how much you need to save to fill in the gaps.

The timing of claiming your Social Security benefits can make a big difference. You can start taking benefit payments anytime beginning at age 62 to 70. The older you are when you start, the higher your monthly benefit payouts will be. Social Security first calculates how much you are entitled to at "full retirement age," which is age 66 for people born in 1943 through 1954. If you take benefits at age 62 instead, your payouts will be reduced by 25 percent from what you would have received at full retirement age (and they may also be affected if you are still working and receiving benefits before full retirement age). Delaying benefits past your full retirement age will boost your annual payouts by 8 percent for every year you wait until age 70.

You can create a "my Social Security" account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount to see a personalized estimate of your benefits.

A special rule, called the "windfall elimination provision," affects the Social Security benefits of some public sector workers whose jobs are not covered by Social Security. See www.ssa.gov/wep. This may be applicable to employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System.
Local Offices  

ICMA-RC
777 North Capitol St., NE
8th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
( Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday)
8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
( Wednesday)
202.759.7190
 
Judiciary Square
441 4th St., NW
Room 340N
Washington DC, 20001
9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
(Monday-Friday)
202.442.9749
202.442.9640
 
 Call Center
800.669.7400