Contact Information
Eligibility
All benefits-eligible employees are required to participate in one of two state retirement plans. All benefits-eligible employees are eligible to participate in the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS). Some positions are eligible to elect participation in the Optional Retirement Plan (ORP) instead. However, if an employee previously elected ORP while employed with another Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) institution and holds an ORP-eligible position at Mississippi State University, the employee is not eligible to participate in PERS.
Dual Employment: Employees who are active PERS members through another PERS-covered employer may also be required to participate in PERS through their employment with Mississippi State University, even if their MSU position is not benefits eligible. PERS participation and reporting requirements for employees working for more than one PERS-covered employer are governed by PERS rules regarding dual employment.
PERS Tier 5 was created with the passage of House Bill 1 by the Mississippi Legislature during its 2025 session. Tier 5 is a hybrid retirement plan that includes both a defined benefit (DB) pension and a defined contribution (DC) component. Tier 5 applies to employees hired into PERS-covered positions on or after March 1, 2026, who are new to PERS or who previously participated in PERS and received a refund of their contributions.
Tier 5 members contribute a mandatory 9% of salary—4% to the defined benefit component and 5% to the defined contribution component. Members vest after eight years of service.
For additional information about Tier 5, visit the PERS Tier 5 webpage.
Plan Information
Visit https://www.pers.ms.gov/ for more information.
Contributions
The employee's pre-tax contribution is 9% of gross wages and the university's contribution is 18.9% (effective July 1, 2026) of the employee's gross wages.
Eligible and thinking about retirement
Once you are eligible for retirement, filing Form 16, Advanced Application will allow you to pre-select any benefit option for which you are eligible and designate beneficiaries. If you should pass away before you retire, benefits will be paid in accordance with your wishes.