Employees' Retirement Fund

What Employees' Retirement Fund does

The Employees' Retirement Fund (ERF) of the City of Dallas is a government-administered defined benefit pension plan established under Dallas City Code Chapter 40A and founded in 1943. It serves non-uniformed, permanent civilian employees of the City of Dallas through two benefit tiers: Tier A for employees hired before January 1, 2017, and Tier B for those hired on or after that date, with differing contribution rates (14.00% and 13.32% effective October 2025 respectively) and benefit multipliers. ERF manages $3.9 billion in invested assets and provides lifetime monthly pension payments, disability benefits, survivor benefits, and cost-of-living adjustments tied to the CPI. The fund is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees comprising three member-elected trustees, three City Council appointees, and the City Auditor serving ex officio.

ERF operates a two-portal digital service model. The myERF member portal (upgraded in November 2020) provides 24/7 self-service access to account information, pension documents, 1099-R tax forms, and a real-time pension estimator. The Retire Now portal, launched in 2022, enables members to complete, submit, and electronically notarize all retirement documentation online through an integration with Notarize, available 24/7 worldwide. Supporting these core platforms, ERF delivers pension education through pre-retirement seminars, an ERF Pension Talk podcast on Spotify, and GoToStage webinars covering Social Security, tax planning, health benefits, and retirement topics with expert presenters from partners including Fidelity Investments.

ERF's revenue model is not commercial but rather fund-based: the plan receives contributions from employees (37% of the total rate) and the City of Dallas as plan sponsor (63% of the total rate, with the City contribution set at 38.22% for 2026 under FSRP corridor requirements), supplemented by investment returns on the $3.9 billion asset base. Contribution rates are dictated by the Texas Pension Review Board's Funding Soundness Restoration Plan, with no fees charged to members. The organization operates from a single headquarters at 1920 McKinney Avenue in Dallas with 11-50 employees, led by Executive Director David K. Etheridge following his April 2025 appointment.

Name

Employees' Retirement Fund

Legal name

The Employees' Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas

Website

https://dallaserf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Employees' Retirement Fund is a government-defined benefit pension plan administering $3.9 billion in retirement, disability, and survivor benefits for non-uniformed civilian employees of the City of Dallas, governed by Dallas City Code Chapter 40A.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Pension Fund Administration

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Pension Funds (52511), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

akta.pro primary industry

Corporate & Public Pension Funds (DB/DC Sponsors) (FSAAAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Taft-Hartley / Labor Union & Public Sector Retirement Systems (FSAAAGAK), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Public pension fund
• Defined benefit plan
• Retirement benefits administration
• Municipal pension services
• Pension member services

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Employee Contributions: City of Dallas employees contribute a percentage of their salary to the pension fund. Tier A members contribute 14.00% (effective October 2025) and Tier B members contribute 13.32%. Total contribution rate split is 37% employee and 63% City of Dallas.
2. City of Dallas Employer Contributions: The City of Dallas as plan sponsor contributes to fund pension obligations. City contribution rate is 38.22% (FSRP Corridor for 2026).
3. Investment Returns: The fund invests assets to generate returns that help fund benefit obligations. The fund manages $3.9 billion in invested assets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Employees' Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas is a defined benefit pension plan providing lifetime monthly retirement benefits, disability coverage, and survivor benefits to non-uniformed permanent City of Dallas civilian employees. The fund is administered through member self-service portals (myERF for account access and Retire Now for digital retirement application processing), supported by benefits counseling, pre-retirement seminars, and a podcast-based pension education program.

Product overview

Employees' Retirement Fund of the City of Dallas is a defined benefit pension plan providing retirement, disability, and survivor benefits to City of Dallas non-uniformed permanent employees. The organization operates a two-portal digital service model: myERF serves as the primary member portal for account access, document retrieval, and pension estimation, while Retire Now functions as the dedicated retirement application portal enabling members to complete, notarize, and submit all retirement documentation digitally. Supporting these core platforms, ERF offers complementary educational services including pre-retirement seminars, the Pension Talk podcast, and webinars to help members prepare for retirement. The Retire Now portal integrates Adobe for digital document signing and Notarize for 24/7 digital notary services, representing the primary third-party product integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• myERF Member Portal Online member portal providing active employees, retirees, deferred members, and beneficiaries 24/7 access to view retirement information, access pension documents, download 1099-R forms, view monthly paystubs, and use a real-time retirement calculator.
• Retire Now Portal Digital retirement portal for members to complete, notarize, and submit all retirement forms and documents online before meeting with a benefits counselor. Features digital notary service available 24/7 worldwide and video assistance for completing retirement forms.
• Pension Education Program Educational program offering podcasts, e-publications, and webinars including ERF Pension Talk on Spotify, pre-retirement webinars, and Tech Talks to help members prepare for retirement.
• Pre-Retirement Seminars All-day educational classes held at ERF covering five sessions: Social Security, Pension Benefit, Taxes after Retirement, Health Benefits, and Fidelity Investments. Also available via webinar.
• ERF Pension Talk Podcast Podcast channel on Spotify featuring discussions on pension benefits and retirement advice from guest speakers and ERF experts. Available 24 hours, seven days a week.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dallas College (DCCCD)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing senior adult learning programs for ERF members age 50 and over. Dallas College offers courses including computer instruction, art, music, wellness, and educational trips. Members age 65+ living in Dallas County may qualify for tuition waivers.
• City of DallascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Dallas is the plan sponsor of the Employees' Retirement Fund. The City contributes 38.22% of payroll to fund pension obligations and provides oversight through City Council appointments to the Board of Trustees.
• Fidelity InvestmentsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFidelity Investments participates in ERF's Pre-Retirement Seminars as an expert presenter on retirement planning topics alongside Social Security, pension benefits, taxes, and health benefits sessions.
• Social Security AdministrationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSSA collaborates with ERF on education about Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) that may affect City employees who also qualify for Social Security benefits.
• Dallas City Retired Employees Association (DCREA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDCREA is an association for retired City of Dallas employees. ERF provides information about DCREA membership as a resource for retirees seeking community connection and member services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• New York State Common Retirement Fund: One of the largest U.S. public pension funds managing retirement benefits for New York state and local government employees. Comparable large-scale public defined benefit administrator with similar member self-service portals and educational programs.
• California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS): CalPERS is the largest U.S. public pension fund ($500B+ AUM) serving California state and local government employees. Comparable as a state-level defined benefit pension administrator with tiered benefit structures, COLA mechanics, and similar governance model.
• Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS): OPERS administers pension, health, and disability benefits for Ohio public employees across state and local government. Comparable multi-employer-style public pension system with defined benefit plans, COLA provisions, and digital member portals.

Others

• Voya Financial (pension administration): Voya provides recordkeeping and administration services for corporate and public defined benefit plans. Relevant as a potential technology/administration partner or outsourcing alternative for ERF's pension administration platform (myERF and Retire Now).
• Empower Retirement: Empower (formerly Empower Retirement) is a major recordkeeper and administrator of public and corporate defined benefit and defined contribution plans. Comparable as an industry peer providing pension administration technology and member portal services to public funds.

Direct peers

• Employees Retirement System of Texas (ERS): ERS administers retirement and health benefits for Texas state agency employees. Comparable as a Texas public-sector defined benefit pension administrator serving civilian government workers, with similar regulatory oversight from the Texas Pension Review Board.
• Texas County and District Retirement System (TCDRS): TCDRS provides defined benefit retirement plans to participating Texas counties and districts. Directly comparable as a Texas public-employer pension system serving local government civilian workers under the same Pension Review Board oversight.
• Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS): TRS administers pension and health benefits for Texas public education employees with ~$200B AUM. Comparable Texas public pension system operating under similar regulatory framework with defined benefit structures, COLAs, and tiered benefit designs.
• Texas Municipal Retirement System (TMRS): TMRS administers defined benefit pension plans for municipal employees across 900+ Texas cities. Directly comparable as a multi-employer Texas public pension fund serving local government civilian employees with similar benefit structures.
• City of Dallas Police and Fire Pension System: The sibling uniformed-services pension system for City of Dallas police and fire personnel (excluded from ERF). Operates under same municipal governance context with similar defined benefit obligations and Texas regulatory oversight.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat1 record

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubegotostage.com/channel/4fbe5bc9d0c340d9b12a960f5d10e852
• Facebookfacebook.com/dallaserf
• Instagraminstagram.com/dallaserf

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Employees' Retirement Fund