System Office Benefits Plans

• Active Employees
• Temporary Employees
• Retirees

NCFlex is a collection of pre-tax benefits offered by the State of North Carolina. The plans include dental, vision, health care and dependent day care flexible spending accounts, and more. For information on the various plans and their costs, visit the NCFlex website or download the UNC System NCFlex guide.

For information on other health and welfare programs, including North Carolina Health Choice, visit the Health and Welfare Benefits page

• TSERS is a defined benefit plan. The benefit you receive at retirement is based on a predetermined formula. This formula considers your years and months of creditable service (any period during which you contribute to TSERS, provided you do not withdraw your contributions), your age and your average final compensation (the average of your salary during your four highest consecutive paid years). The amount of the guaranteed benefit you will receive at retirement is not directly determined by the investment experience of the plan assets or the amount of contributions. Under TSERS, the State controls the investments and assumes all of the investment risks. The plan funds are invested by professional money managers selected by TSERS.
• The ORP is a defined contribution plan. The value of your benefit is not based on a predetermined formula. Contributions to your account are made by you and the UNC System. The contributions are invested and the returns are credited to your account. The value of your account is based on the amount of contributions made to your account and the performance of the investment funds you select. Your accumulated balance provides monthly income during your retirement. Again, you control your investment choices and distribution methods.

• UNC System 403(b) Plan: All employees, except UNC Health Care employees, who pay FICA are eligible to participate in the UNC System 403(b) Plan. This plan is offered through the UNC System. You own the account and have the opportunity to make contributions pre-tax and/or after-tax through a Roth account. Your earnings grow tax-deferred until retirement.
• UNC System 457(b) Plan: All UNC System employees, including UNC Health Care employees, who pay FICA are eligible to participate in the UNC System 457(b) Plan. This plan is offered through the UNC System. Your contributions are made pre-tax and/or after-tax through a Roth account. Your earnings grow tax‑deferred until retirement. Your account is held in a trust by the UNC System exclusively for participants and their beneficiaries.
• State’s 457 Deferred Compensation Plan: All North Carolina public employees are eligible to participate in the State’s 457 Deferred Compensation Plan. Your contributions are made pre-tax and/or after-tax through a Roth account. And, your earnings grow tax-deferred until retirement. Your account is held in a trust by the State of North Carolina exclusively for participants and their beneficiaries.
• State’s 401(k) Plan: All permanent employees who participate in TSERS or ORP are eligible to enroll in the State’s 401(k)Plan. This State-sponsored plan also allows you to make contributions pre-tax and/or after-tax through a Roth account. And your earnings grow tax-deferred until retirement. Your account is held in a trust by the State of North Carolina exclusively for participants and their beneficiaries.

The UNC Securian group after-tax term life insurance is available to you, your spouse, your domestic partner, and your children. For coverage and benefits information, see the links below. To help you understand how much supplemental life insurance to consider, try Securian’s life insurance calculator (link coming soon).

Enroll here.

System Office employees also have access to the pre-tax group life insurance plan available through NCFlex. Coverage is available for you, your spouse or domestic partner, and your children, and each plan offers different coverage amounts and benefits to meet the needs of your family. Benefits and enrollment information about the NCFlex group term life insurance is available at NCFlex Group Term Life or the UNC System NCFlex guide.

Enroll here.

• The Disability Income Plan of North Carolina (DIPNC) provides monthly replacement income to individuals in the form of short-term, extended short-term, and long-term disability benefits if you become disabled while you are a permanent employee and are enrolled in either the UNC Optional Retirement Program (ORP) or the Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS).
• Separate voluntary supplemental disability plans are also available for TSERS members (underwritten by Lincoln Financial) and ORP participants (underwritten by The Standard).