The National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems is now conducting its annual survey of pension systems to gather comparative information on salaries and bonuses for the most common positions in public pensions. TEXPERS members should strongly consider participating in the 2026 NCPERS–CBIZ Public Pension Compensation Survey to save money and gain greater insights into the hiring dynamics for public employee pension systems. The Survey closes May 12.

The benefits of participating in the survey are both strategic and financial.

Strategically, pension Boards will want to make sure they are keeping pace with competitive job markets for the highly specialized talents required to run its system. From investment officers navigating complex portfolios to benefits specialists interpreting statute and guiding members through life‑changing decisions, pension jobs require deep expertise, regulatory fluency, and a commitment to public service that is hard to replicate in any other sector.

The report produced after the NCPERS survey offers an alternative to general municipal compensation studies, which are typically preferred by a City Council or other sponsor. Those surveys simply don’t capture the complexity of job requirements for pension roles. A benefits counselor is not a city Human Resources generalist. An investment analyst at a pension fund is not interchangeable with a private‑sector financial planner. Executive leadership roles carry fiduciary, statutory, and governance responsibilities unique to public retirement systems.

The NCPERS study is built specifically for pension-specific roles. It benchmarks more than 100 pension‑specific positions, ensuring that systems can set pay ranges that reflect the true scope of pension work and retain experienced staff who understand statutory and actuarial frameworks.

The NCPERS survey results will also help a pension fund recruit competitively against other funds, endowments, and public agencies that are competing for these specialized workers.

Financially, contributing your data will help strengthen the accuracy of the NCPERS-generated dataset at the end of the process – specifically for Texas funds. There is a wide range of pension systems in Texas, from the statewide giants to the City plans, the smaller firefighter systems governed by the Texas Local Fire Fighters Act, and the 801 Special district plans. Participating in the survey will help you compare apples to apples in Texas when the hiring time comes to your system.

Furthermore, many smaller systems are not members of NCPERS, so participating in the survey is your ticket to receiving the final report at no cost. Once NCPERS produces the final report, only NCPERS members will be able to retrieve it free of charge. But, by participating in the survey by the May 12 deadline, non-NCPERS pension systems can avoid paying the $2,500 fee to gain their guidance.

So, it makes sense to participate, not only to help other systems benchmark compensation in Texas but also to gain a free look at the final report. A few hours of data entry can save your system thousands of dollars while giving you access to one of the most comprehensive compensation tools in the public pension field.

Moreover, participating in this survey and benchmarking your system against others will help you make the case to its sponsors for its organizational efficiencies or for additional resources for proper administration. It will answer a question from a City Council member about why the pension system needs a pension compensation schedule different from the City’s.

TEXPERS Encourages All Member Systems to Participate

Texas plans benefit when Texas plans are represented. Whether you are a small local fund or a statewide system, your data strengthens the benchmarking foundation we all rely on.

If your organization did not receive the invitation email, NCPERS asks that you reach out so they can add you to the distribution list. Your participation ensures that the compensation landscape reflects the realities of public pension administration — in Texas and nationwide.

• Deadline: May 12
• Request the survey: [email protected]
• Submit to: [email protected]
• FAQs about the survey: Public Pension Compensation Survey FAQ - National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems

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About the Author: Joe Gimenez is a public relations specialist in pension fund communications. He assists TEXPERS and several Texas retirement systems in public affairs.