FAQs

Generally, all employees working for an organization affiliated with the Stone-Campbell/Restoration Movement are eligible to participate in our products. These organizations include (but aren't limited to) congregations, wider ministries, seminaries, universities, and colleges associated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Christian Churches/Churches of Christ and Churches of Christ in the United States. A self-employed minister can also participate if ministerial services are being compensated.

For employer-sponsored products:

In a participation agreement between your employer and Pension Fund, your employer will define eligibility requirements for organizational and employee participation in the Pension Plan. You or a representative for your employer may contact your Client Relations team member to create a participation agreement (view a map of Client Relations Team).

For individual retirement & savings:

Pension Fund will need a completed enrollment form with the amount you wish to contribute. If you are a current member with access to the Member Portal, you can enroll securely online by logging into your portal and submitting your enrollment application online. You may also download our enrollment form and mail, email, or fax a copy to Pension Fund.

In most cases, Pension Fund can accept funds from retirement accounts such as 401(k), 403(b), and 457(b) plans or traditional IRAs to roll into Pension Fund's Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, 457(b), Tax-Deferred Retirement Account-403(b) or Roth 403(b). We can’t roll over funds into the Pension Plan.

Steps:

• Review Pension Fund's Rollover-Transfer Tip Sheet to see if your rollover funds qualify.
• Contact Pension Fund for the necessary paperwork to roll over funds into a Pension Fund account, or find the rollover forms on our website. Please also include a copy of the most recent statement from the institution currently holding the funds when submitting paperwork.
• If rolling over from a Pension Fund account, ask the receiving institution if it will accept funds from that specific account. The Pension Plan is a defined benefit retirement plan and is not eligible for rollovers.
• All requests for rollovers must be in writing.

Note: It can take several weeks before an institution processes your request and distributes the funds. If you have not received correspondence or Pension Fund has not received the funds after 14 business days, follow up to confirm that the current institution received the request. Please understand that Pension Fund is not an authorized signer with the institution currently holding your funds and cannot inquire with that institution on your behalf.

Questions regarding the rollover process? Give us a call at 866.495.7322.

For all employer-sponsored accounts, deposits must go through your employer.

For individual savings and retirement products, a secure and easy way to deposit funds is to do it electronically via your Member Portal. In the Member Portal you can set up one-time or recurring contributions.

If you don't have access to the Member Portal, complete a contribution remittance form specific to the account type in which you’ll be depositing. To access the proper forms, you can:

1. Print them directly from our website;
2. Call to request them from a Member Relations team member at 866.495.7322; or,
3. Email your request to pfcc1@pensionfund.org.

If depositing by physical check, please ensure you have clearly noted your account number and account type on the memo line of your check. For expedited processing of all physical checks, deposits should be mailed to our lockbox:

Pension Fund of the Christian Church
P.O. Box 639905
Cincinnati, OH 45263- 9905

If you are authorizing a one-time or recurring ACH transaction, please submit the proper contribution form via fax (317.634.4071), scanned email attachment to pfcc1@pensionfund.org or via mail (P.O. Box 6251, Indianapolis, IN, 46206-6251).

A secure and easy way to request a withdrawal is to do it electronically via your Member Portal. In the Member Portal you can set up one-time or recurring distributions.

If you don't have access to the Member Portal, all requests for funds must be submitted on the appropriate form for the type of account from which you would like to make a withdrawal. All distribution request forms may be submitted via fax, a scanned email attachment or postal mail.

To access the proper forms, you can:

1. Print them directly from our website;
2. Call to request them from a Member Relations team member at 866.495.7322; or
3. Email your request to pfcc1@pensionfund.org.

Requests received prior to 1:00 p.m. EST are processed the same day, and requests received after 1:00 p.m. EST will be processed the following business day.

All U.S. pensions, annuities and reoccurring monthly withdrawals are paid on the first business day of each month. This is extremely important to keep in mind when the first of the month falls on a weekend or holiday. If you receive a paper check, the funds will be mailed to you on the first business day of the month. Members with non-U.S. bank accounts are paid on a quarterly basis, at the beginning of each quarter.

The IRS provides the dollar limitations on benefits and contributions on qualified retirement plans. To view the most recent IRS guidelines, you can visit the IRS website.

Pension Fund now offers online access to our Member Portal so members can monitor their balances, withdrawals, and deposits. You may also call us toll-free at 866.495.7322 or email us at pfcc1@pensionfund.org to find out if a deposit has posted. If you haven’t registered for our online portal and would like assistance in setting up your account, please call to speak with a Member Relations team member. We’ll be happy to walk you through the process!

Ministers:

• Notify Pension Fund of your termination date and the last date dues will be submitted on your behalf, as well as the beginning date of your new position.
• Pension Fund will send you an Options form and/or Change of Employer form.
• Pension Fund will send a Church/Organization Change of Ministry/Employment Information form to the former church employer as well as to the new church employer.

Lay employees vested in the Pension Plan:

• Pension Fund must receive notification of termination from the employer.
• A member may be unable to continue participation in plans until they have moved to an eligible employer.

Lay employees not vested in the Pension Plan:

• Pension Fund must receive notification of termination from the employer.
• Once the Pension Fund receives notice of termination, a Statement of Withdrawal and Release is sent to the non-vested member to complete and return.

To protect our members from the threat of identity theft, all address and information changes must be received in writing with your written signature. Members may use the Changes in Personal Status form or simply submit the updated information via handwritten correspondence. All changes, whether submitted on the form or by letter, may be submitted to our office via fax to 317.634.4071, a scanned email attachment to pfcc1@pensionfund.org, or postal mail to:

Pension Fund of the Christian Church
P.O. Box 6251, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6251

Please request or complete a Beneficiary Designation Form and return it to Pension Fund. We’ll update your account with the information provided.

While it's difficult to remember this type of detail during a family member's death, we ask that you contact us as soon as you’re able. We need to know the member's name, date of passing, survivors and contact information for the spouse (as applicable). If the spouse is no longer living, we’ll need the name and contact information for another family member or executor of the member's will. If the spouse is living but unable to handle his/her affairs, we must have contact information for his/her power of attorney.

Some tax relief provisions are scheduled to expire at the end of year. With these possible tax rate changes, Pension Fund wants to ensure each member has reviewed and updated tax elections.

You may elect no tax withholding. However, you must complete the W-4P form, selecting the box next to the statement "Do NOT withhold federal income tax from any distributions."

You can find a list of federal substitute and state-specific withholding forms on our website.

RMD means Required Minimum Distribution (some refer to it as MRD, Minimum Required Distribution). This is the amount that persons must begin receiving each year from their IRA, 403(b) and 401(k) retirement accounts upon reaching age 73. If you are still actively employed and/or contributing to your account, please contact our office for more information regarding deferment of your RMD.

While the Pension Fund does not offer life insurance, members currently contributing to their Pension Plan also have an active service death benefit and disability benefit available.

You can find this year's standard mileage rates on the IRS website here.