Newark Fire & Rescue Pension Fund
public plan · City of Newark · Newark, NJ
Funding History
What This Means for You
Newark Fire & Rescue Pension Fund is significantly underfunded at 63%, with $494.8M in unfunded liabilities affecting 7,574 participants. Plans at this funding level face difficult choices: raising contributions substantially, reducing future benefit accruals, or in extreme cases, applying for benefit suspensions. Public plans cannot declare bankruptcy, but severe underfunding may lead to reduced cost-of-living adjustments or increased employee contributions. If you are a participant, it is important to understand your options and consider diversifying your retirement income sources.
Year-by-Year Funding
| Year | Assets | Liabilities | Funding Ratio | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $838.1M | $1.3B | 62.9% | $32.0M |
| 2024 | $824.6M | $1.4B | 58.6% | $34.9M |
| 2023 | $765.9M | $1.2B | 61.9% | $30.1M |
| 2022 | $755.7M | $1.4B | 55.9% | $35.1M |
| 2021 | $694.4M | $999.1M | 69.5% | $27.5M |
Frequently Asked Questions
Newark Fire & Rescue Pension Fund is 63% funded, meaning it has 63 cents in assets for every dollar in future benefit obligations. This is below the 80% threshold actuaries consider healthy, and may require increased contributions.
Newark Fire & Rescue Pension Fund has 7,574 total participants, including 2,750 active employees and 4,824 retirees currently receiving benefits.
Newark Fire & Rescue Pension Fund is not covered by the PBGC. Benefits depend entirely on the plan's assets and the sponsor's ability to fund it.
The Pension Health Score (0-100, A-F) measures a pension plan's financial strength based on funding ratio (50%), funding trend over 3 years (30%), and PBGC risk level (20%). Higher scores indicate more secure retirement benefits.
Pension Health Score is calculated from funding ratio, 3-year funding trend, and PBGC risk classification.