The AFTRA Retirement Fund

What The AFTRA Retirement Fund does

The AFTRA Retirement Fund is a non-profit, multiemployer defined benefit pension plan established in 1954 through collective bargaining between the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) and the broadcast networks, and it began paying monthly pension benefits in 1958. It administers retirement benefits for actors, broadcasters, voice professionals, and other performers who work under SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreements, serving participants and their families nationally from its headquarters at 1411 Broadway, Suite 1850, in New York. The Fund is governed as a jointly trusteed multiemployer plan under ERISA, with a Board of Trustees equally representing SAG-AFTRA (union trustees) and contributing employers (producer trustees), and is a separate legal entity from SAG-AFTRA itself.

Funding comes entirely from employer contributions paid per SAG-AFTRA-negotiated collective bargaining agreements as a percentage of covered earnings — participants cannot make personal contributions and there are no participant fees. Benefits vest after five pension credits (subject to minimum covered earnings thresholds) and may commence as early as age 55, with standard, optional, and survivor annuity options, pension projections, and an annual earnings statement published each June. The Fund's participant-facing technology is a self-service web portal (Participant Portal 2.0, launched in phases from 2023, with new self-service tools in November 2024) that uses a Participant Retirement Identification Number (PRID) and one-time passcode authentication; the operational backbone is conventional pension administration. The Fund moved employer remittance collection to the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan as a central repository effective December 1, 2017, and transitioned registered portal users to paperless communications effective February 24, 2026. A major benefit-formula change effective December 1, 2025 shifted accrual from an employer-contributions-based formula to a covered-earnings-based formula, and the Fund remains in the Pension Protection Act Green Zone with no funding improvement or rehabilitation plan implemented or pending.

Name

The AFTRA Retirement Fund

Legal name

AFTRA Retirement Fund

Website

https://aftraretirement.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The AFTRA Retirement Fund is a non-profit, multiemployer defined benefit pension plan that pays monthly retirement benefits to SAG-AFTRA performers (actors, broadcasters, voice professionals), funded entirely by employer contributions under collective bargaining agreements and governed jointly by union and employer trustees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Multiemployer Pension Administration

NAICS

Pension Funds (525110), Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds (5251), Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292)

akta.pro primary industry

Pension Master Trusts, Superannuation & Provident Funds (FSAAAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate & Public Pension Funds (DB/DC Sponsors) (FSAAAGAA), Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Pensions & Retirement Benefits Administration (BPAIAKAA)

Keywords

• Multiemployer pension plan
• Defined benefit retirement
• Pension administration services
• SAG-AFTRA performer benefits
• Retirement annuities

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Employer Contributions: Employer contributions paid to the AFTRA Retirement Fund on behalf of performers for work done under SAG-AFTRA-negotiated collective bargaining agreements. Contributions are based on a percentage of covered earnings as outlined in collective bargaining agreements. Effective Dec. 1, 2025, the revised formula for calculating benefits earned by Plan participants will be based on Covered Earnings rather than Covered Employer Contributions.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The AFTRA Retirement Fund administers a multiemployer defined benefit pension plan that pays monthly retirement benefits to eligible performers (actors, broadcasters, voice professionals) who earn covered earnings under SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreements. The Fund offers standard and optional annuity options, survivor benefits, annual earnings statements, pension projections, and a Participant Portal 2.0 for self-service, with benefits funded entirely by employer contributions.

Product overview

The AFTRA Retirement Fund offers a single unified defined benefit pension plan for SAG-AFTRA performers (actors, broadcasters, voice professionals). The core product is the Retirement Plan providing monthly pension benefits calculated from covered earnings and pension credits. Participants access services through the Participant Portal 2.0 for self-service functions including viewing earnings, submitting discrepancy inquiries, updating contact information, and managing beneficiary designations. The plan offers two Standard Annuities and six Optional Annuities for payment flexibility, supplemented by survivor benefits and pension projection services. Annual Earnings Statements document covered earnings, while the Earnings Tracking Spreadsheet (available in Excel and PDF) supports participant verification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defined Benefit Pension Plan A defined benefit pension plan providing retirement benefits to performers (actors, broadcasters, voice professionals) working under SAG-AFTRA collective bargaining agreements. Benefits are calculated based on covered earnings and pension credits earned through covered employment, funded entirely by employer contributions.
• Participant Portal (Portal 2.0) Online self-service platform allowing registered participants to view covered earnings, submit earnings discrepancy inquiries, manage pension-related forms, update contact information, access pension projections, and manage beneficiary designations. Accessed via PRID and OTP authentication.
• Standard Annuities Two standard annuity options (Qualified Joint & Survivor Annuity and Single Life Annuity) providing different monthly payment structures and survivor benefit options for pensioners at retirement.
• Optional Annuities Six optional annuity payment options providing additional flexibility for how pensioners receive their retirement benefits, including options with survivor benefits and guaranteed payment periods.
• Survivor Benefits Pre-retirement and post-retirement survivor benefit options providing continued pension payments to designated beneficiaries (typically spouses) after the pensioner's death.
• Pension Projections Benefit estimates comparing monthly payment amounts under different annuity options, available upon request for vested participants to help plan retirement.
• Annual Earnings Statements Annual statements mailed to performers by early June listing all covered earnings for the previous calendar year reported by contributing employers and employer contributions credited to the participant's account.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pension benefits can begin as early as age 55 for vested participants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SAG-AFTRA Health PlancoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2017SAG-AFTRA Health Plan maintains a central repository for all employer contributions and remittances to the AFTRA Retirement Fund. Effective December 1, 2017, contributing employers submit all contributions and earnings reports to SAG-AFTRA Health Plan at P.O. Box 54867, Los Angeles, CA 90054-0867.
• SAG-AFTRAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAG-AFTRA is the union that negotiates collective bargaining agreements with contributing industry employers. The AFTRA Retirement Fund is a separate legal entity from SAG-AFTRA and is jointly trusteed with representation from both SAG-AFTRA and contributing employers on its Board of Trustees.
• American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP)minorOthersListed as a resource organization for performers to assist with recovery of unpaid royalties. ASCAP protects the rights of its members by licensing and distributing royalties for the non-dramatic public performances of their copyrighted works.
• Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI)minorOthersListed as a resource organization for performers. BMI collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers and music publishers and distributes those fees as royalties to members whose works have been publicly performed.
• Society of European Stage Authors and Composers (SESAC)minorOthersListed as a resource organization for performers. SESAC is a performing rights organization that represents songwriters and publishers and their right to be compensated for having their music performed in public.
• SoundExchangeminorOthersListed as a resource organization for performers. SoundExchange is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects statutory royalties from satellite radio, Internet radio, cable television music channels and similar platforms for streaming sound recordings.
• Actors' Equity AssociationminorOthersListed as an industry link. Actors' Equity Association represents professional stage managers and actors in the theatre industry.
• American Federation of MusiciansminorOthersListed as an industry link. The American Federation of Musicians is a labor union representing professional musicians.
• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)minorOthersListed as a retirement resource. PBGC is a federal corporation created by ERISA that protects the pensions of American workers and retirees. The AFTRA Retirement Fund is a multiemployer plan not directly insured by PBGC but participants may benefit from understanding PBGC protections.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC): Federal corporation that insures and oversees private-sector defined benefit pensions, including multiemployer plans. Relevant as the systemic regulator and ultimate guarantor influencing AFTRA Retirement Fund's regulatory environment.

Emerging players

• SAG-AFTRA Foundation: Non-profit affiliate of SAG-AFTRA supporting performers through education, financial assistance, and emergency relief. Adjacent in serving the same participant population with complementary (non-pension) services.

Direct peers

• Directors Guild of America-Producer Pension Plan: Multiemployer DB pension plan covering DGA members under theatrical and television collective bargaining agreements. Comparable in structure, governance model, and entertainment-industry participant profile.
• Motion Picture Industry Pension Plan: Multiemployer DB plan covering below-the-line motion picture production workers. Operates under similar collective bargaining structures and serves the same broader entertainment industry ecosystem.
• IATSE National Pension Fund: Multiemployer DB pension plan covering IATSE stagehands and technicians across entertainment productions. Shares the multiemployer DB design and union-negotiated contribution flow.
• American Federation of Musicians & Employers Pension Fund: Multiemployer DB pension plan for musicians covered by AFM collective bargaining agreements. Operates under the same ERISA jointly-trusteed multiemployer framework serving entertainment-industry performers.
• SAG-AFTRA Health Plan: The sister health and welfare plan for SAG-AFTRA performers, governed jointly under the same union-employer framework and sharing the central contribution repository established in 2017. It is the closest structural peer given shared governance, same participants, and complementary benefit focus.
• Actors' Equity Association Pension Fund: Pension benefits for stage managers and actors working under Actors' Equity contracts. A direct performing-arts peer with similar participant demographic and benefit structure.
• Writers Guild-Industry Pension Plan: Defined benefit multiemployer pension plan for writers working under WGA collective bargaining agreements. Closely analogous plan design and entertainment-industry participant base.
• Screen Actors Guild-Producers Pension Plan: A multiemployer defined benefit pension plan for SAG-AFTRA motion picture and television performers under separate collective bargaining. It addresses the same participant base and operates under nearly identical governance and contribution mechanics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aftra-retirement-fund

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 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 The AFTRA Retirement Fund