News and Announcements
FCERA Board approves 4.5% COLA for 2024
At the February 7, 2024 board meeting, the FCERA Board of Retirement approved a cost-of-living-adjustment of 4.5%. Retirees in Tiers I, II, and III will receive the maximum COLA of 3% with the remaining 1.5% going into the COLA bank.
The COLA will go into effect on April 1st. FCERA retirees and beneficiaries can expect to see that change on their April 30th pension payment.
If you have any questions regarding the COLA you can give our office a call at (559) 457-0681 or email us at FCERA@FresnoCountyCa.gov
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)
FCERA retirees in Tiers I, II and III are entitled to a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) of up to 3% annually. Each year, the Board of Retirement will grant the COLA based on the previous year’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the West Region.
The COLA is generally granted at a mid-February meeting. COLA Announcements are posted to the front page of this website and sent out in the Spring Newsletter.
The maximum COLA that can be granted in any given year is 3.0%, and any excess will be tracked on a retirement year basis, creating a “COLA bank.” The COLA bank is then available to increase the COLA granted to the maximum of 3% in subsequent years, if the change in cost-of-living is less than the maximum adjustment.
Members in Tiers IV and V are not eligible for any COLA.
How to register for the Member Portal
Our Member Portal is your online access to your FCERA retirement information. If you have previously registered, you can login here.
If you haven’t registered yet, you will need your Unique Identifier.
Active Members: Send an email to FCERA@FresnoCountyCA.gov from your work address, and we’ll respond with your Unique Identifier.
Deferred and Retired Members: Call us at 559-457-0681 and ask for your Unique Identifier. You will be asked to verify your identity and then we can provide it to you by phone.
Are you ready to retire?
Are you thinking about retiring within the next 3 months? If you are, the following may help you. If you haven’t already scheduled an appointment to speak with a Retirement Specialist to discuss your retirement benefit, this would be a good time to do so. You can use the Member Portal Retirement Benefit Calculator, which is a great tool to use in planning your retirement. If you haven’t yet registered for the Member Portal, please call us at 559-457-0681 to receive your Unique Identifier.
What if I leave my job before I can retire?
If you leave your job before you are eligible for retirement you have several options available to you.