Since 2011, NCPERS has conducted our annual Public Retirement Systems Study to gather the latest data on funds’ fiscal, operational, and business practices...
NCPERS Annual Public Retirement Systems Study FAQ
Since 2011, NCPERS has conducted our annual Public Retirement Systems Study to gather the latest data on funds’ fiscal, operational, and business practices...
NCPERS Annual Public Retirement Systems Study FAQSince 2011, NCPERS has conducted our annual Public Retirement Systems Study to gather the latest data on funds’ fiscal, operational, and business practices. This serves as a key industry resource that helps public pensions benchmark their performance and provides valuable insights into public sector retirement trends.
NCPERS 16th annual Public Retirement Systems Study is now underway! In mid-September, we invited more than 500 public pensions to provide data on plan design, investment allocation and returns, actuarial assumptions, and plan governance practices. The deadline to participate is October 23, 2026.
Below you'll find frequently asked questions (last updated September 2026) about how to participate. If you have a question that is not covered below or need assistance, please email NCPERS’ Director of Research, Matt Eckel, at research@ncpers.org.
The deadline to participate in the 16th annual Public Retirement Systems Study is Friday, October 23, 2026. If you did not receive an invitation, or if you need to update your organization's point of contact, please reach out to research@ncpers.org.
Yes! All individual plan responses will be kept confidential.
Yes. Your responses are saved to our secure server each time you click Next, Previous, or Save Now, or move to another page using the page navigation buttons. The survey does not save as you type, so please click Save Now before closing your browser or stepping away.
To continue later, return to your unique survey link. Your saved responses will reload automatically, and you can resume from any computer or browser.
Important notes:
- Click Save Now before closing your browser, even if you are partway through a page
- Keep your unique survey link, since you'll need it to return to your survey
- Anyone with your link can view and edit your plan's responses, so share it only with colleagues who are helping you complete the survey
Yes. Anyone who opens your survey link will see the responses saved so far and can continue where a colleague left off. Please take turns rather than working in the survey at the same time, and click Save Now before handing off, so that no one's changes are overwritten.
When you click Submit Survey on the final page, you will see a summary of all your responses. You can go back and edit any section before confirming your submission. After you confirm, an on-screen message will verify that your survey was received. No confirmation email is sent. If you need to make changes after submitting, please contact research@ncpers.org.
We recommend using the online version of the survey. It guides you through the questions, skips those that don't apply to your plan, and saves your progress. However, if you prefer, the survey may be answered in an Excel format. You can download the Excel file from the link on the survey landing page and send a completed copy to research@ncpers.org.
You will receive separate email invitations with unique survey links for each plan. Each link contains a unique Survey ID that keeps your responses separate.
IMPORTANT: When completing surveys for multiple plans:
- Open each survey link in a separate browser tab or window, rather than switching between survey links in the same tab
- Check the Survey ID displayed at the top of each survey to confirm which plan you're responding for
- On Page 1, enter the specific plan name for that survey
- The plan name will be displayed on all subsequent pages as a reminder of which plan you're answering for
If you administer more than one plan and did not receive a separate email invitation for each one, please email Matt Eckel (research@ncpers.org).
If you are a multiple employer plan, you may use aggregate numbers from your ACFR and answer each question in the way that applies to most of the plans you administer.
From your actuarial valuation: total actuarial assets divided by total actuarial liabilities.
Example: $290,000,000 / $310,000,000 = 93.5%
If your actuarial valuation is not available, you may use the GASB 67 method: plan fiduciary net position divided by total pension liability.
Report the average COLA percentage across all reporting units or divisions, OR report the COLA percentage paid to the largest unit or division of your membership.