Employees' Retirement System of Georgia

What Employees' Retirement System of Georgia does

The Employees' Retirement System of Georgia (ERSGA) is a government state pension administration entity established by the Georgia General Assembly in 1950 and headquartered in Atlanta. It administers multiple defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans for State of Georgia employees, public school employees, judicial branch personnel, legislators, and National Guard members under a Board of Trustees. Its core products include three ERS defined benefit pension tiers — Old Plan (Tier 1, pre-1982 hires), New Plan (Tier 2, 1982-2008 hires), and the hybrid GSEPS (Tier 3, 2009+ hires) — alongside Peach State Reserves (PSR), a 401(k)/457 deferred-compensation program with employer matching, the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS), the Georgia Judicial Retirement System (JRS), the Legislative Retirement System, the Georgia Military Pension Fund, and the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan (GDCP).

Underlying technology is built around member-facing web portals (portal.ers.ga.gov) and the GaBreeze benefits platform, which is operated by Alight Solutions under a core partnership; Alight handles 401(k)/457 recordkeeping, the Self-Directed Brokerage Account, and call-center operations, while Financial Engines powers the online investment advice tool. Supplementary products include Group Term Life Insurance (GTLI) and the Supplemental Guaranteed Lifetime Income (SGLI) annuity-conversion program. The organization is staffed by 11-50 employees and distributes services through employer payroll integrations, in-person and virtual presentations, an annual outreach tour, and YouTube/LinkedIn content channels.

ERSGA's economic model is that of a public pension trust rather than a commercial firm. Funding flows from mandatory employee contributions (1.25%-6.5% of earnable compensation depending on tier), employer (State of Georgia) actuarially determined contributions, GSEPS employer matching contributions up to 9% (15% for eligible Law Enforcement Officers), and investment returns on fund assets. There are no commercial pricing tiers; participant costs are contribution rates plus a flat $2 quarterly account fee on PSR balances collected by Alight. Customer segments are entirely captive to State of Georgia employment, with no commercial customer acquisition motion.

Name

Employees' Retirement System of Georgia

Legal name

Employees' Retirement System of Georgia

Website

https://ers.ga.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ERSGA is the State of Georgia's legislatively authorized public pension system, administering defined benefit plans, the hybrid GSEPS plan, and Peach State Reserves 401(k)/457 savings for State of Georgia employees, public school staff, judges, legislators, and National Guard members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Pension Administration

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Pension Funds (52511), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Finance Services (6199), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC), Benefits Administration & Enrollment Support (BPAAAIAB)

Keywords

• Public pension administration
• Defined benefit plans
• Government retirement system
• State employee benefits
• Retirement savings plans

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

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: ERS members contribute a percentage of their earnable compensation to fund retirement benefits. Contribution rates vary by plan: Old Plan (6.5%), New Plan (1.5%), GSEPS (1.25%).
2. Employer Contributions: State of Georgia employers make actuarially determined contributions to fund the defined benefit pension plans.
3. 401(k) and 457 Employee Contributions: GSEPS members and other eligible employees contribute to Peach State Reserves 401(k) and 457 plans, with employer matching contributions for GSEPS members up to 5-9% (or up to 15% for eligible law enforcement officers).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ERSGA administers multiple defined benefit pension plans and defined contribution retirement savings programs (401(k) and 457) for State of Georgia employees, public school employees, judicial employees, legislators, and military personnel. The system manages three ERS plan tiers (Old Plan, New Plan, and the hybrid GSEPS plan with employer matching), the Peach State Reserves savings program, the Public School Employees Retirement System, the Judicial and Legislative Retirement Systems, the Georgia Military Pension Fund, and the Georgia Defined Contribution Plan, supported by a secure member portal and the GaBreeze benefits platform.

Product overview

Employees' Retirement System of Georgia (ERSGA) is a government retirement benefits administration system offering multiple pension and savings plans. The core offerings include three ERS defined benefit pension tiers: Old Plan (Tier 1) for employees pre-dating July 1, 1982, New Plan (Tier 2) for employees hired 1982-2008, and GSEPS (Tier 3) for employees hired 2009+. GSEPS combines the pension with Peach State Reserves (PSR), a 401(k) and 457 deferred compensation program with employer matching. ERSGA also administers separate systems for public school employees, judicial employees, legislators, and military personnel. Supplementary products include Group Term Life Insurance and Supplemental Guaranteed Lifetime Income (SGLI) for converting savings to guaranteed monthly income.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Peach State Reserves (PSR): A retirement savings option for eligible state of Georgia employees, offering 401(k) and 457 plans with pre-tax and Roth contribution options.
• GSEPS (Georgia State Employees' Pension and Savings Plan)
• Supplemental Guaranteed Lifetime Income (SGLI)

Products and services

• ERS GSEPS (Tier 3) Georgia State Employees' Pension and Savings Plan (GSEPS) is a hybrid retirement plan combining a defined benefit pension with a Peach State Reserves 401(k) savings plan featuring escalating employer matching contributions. Available to State of Georgia employees hired on or after January 1, 2009.
• ERS New Plan (Tier 2) Defined benefit pension plan for State of Georgia employees first or again becoming ERS members on or after July 1, 1982 and before January 1, 2009. Provides service retirement, death, and disability benefits with a 1.5% contribution rate.
• ERS Old Plan (Tier 1)
• Peach State Reserves (PSR)
• Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS)
• Georgia Judicial Retirement System (JRS)
• Legislative Retirement System
• Georgia Military Pension Fund
• Georgia Defined Contribution Plan (GDCP)
• Group Term Life Insurance (GTLI)
• Supplemental Guaranteed Lifetime Income (SGLI) Program allowing ERS retirees to convert Peach State Reserves funds into guaranteed monthly lifetime annuity payments. Minimum $25,000 purchase required, maximum two annuities per retiree.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30 years of service provides approximately 59% of salary from combined pension and 401(k) benefits (annuitized)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alight SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationAlight Solutions is the 401(k) Plan provider for Peach State Reserves, providing the platform for PSR 401(k) and 457 plan administration, recordkeeping, and participant services. They operate the GaBreeze Benefits Center (1.877.3GBreez) and provide online account access, fund transfers, and contribution management through their platform.
• Alight Financial SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationProvides Self-Directed Brokerage Account (SDBA) services for PSR participants, giving access to publicly traded stocks, fixed income products, options, and over 12,000 mutual funds. Securities offered through this channel are subject to FINRA and SIPC oversight.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS): Largest U.S. public pension fund, administering defined benefit and supplemental retirement plans for California state and public agency employees. Directly comparable in mandate (public employee pension administration) but operates at vastly greater scale and broader employee scope than ERSGA.

Direct peers

• Texas Employees Retirement System: Provides retirement and related benefits to Texas state employees. Direct peer to ERSGA with similar mandate: administering defined benefit pension and optional deferred compensation plans exclusively for state government employees.
• Florida Retirement System: Administers pension and investment plans for Florida state employees, local government employees, and educators. Directly comparable in product structure (DB pension plus optional 401(a) Investment Plan), with similar sole-provider positioning for state employees.

Peers

• Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio (OPERS):

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ERSGACommunications
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ersga

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 System of Georgia