Leaving and Returning
to Y Employment
Goodbye Isn't Always Forever
Leaving your job at the YMCA or getting ready for retirement is a big life moment. And yet we know sometimes things change and you may find yourself coming back to Y employment again in the future. On this page we’ll help you understand your options and feel confident about what comes next.
Leaving or Returning? Log in to your online account to set yourself up for success.
Create Your Online Account
You have access to your online account for as long as you have savings with Y Retirement or are receiving an annuity. You can create one quickly and securely.
Update Your Contact Info
Make sure your contact details—especially your email address—is up to date and correct. It’s the main way we will stay in contact with you!
Review Your Beneficiaries
Your beneficiary designations reflect your wishes for your savings. You can easily update them online in your account.
Leaving YMCA Employment
When you leave Y employment, neither you nor the Y will make additional contributions to your Plan(s). However, there may be options available depending on your age and vested balance(s) in either the 401(a) Retirement Plan and/or 403(b) Savings Plan.
Keep Your Savings with Y Retirement
Your savings can stay with Y Retirement as long as your vested balance in the 401(a) Retirement Plan is more than $5,000. If you only have savings in the 403(b) Savings Plan, then that vested balance must also be more than $5,000 to stay. Your eligible savings will remain protected from market ups and downs, grow with daily compounding interest, and when you’re ready to retire, you can convert it into monthly lifetime income.
Start Receiving Your Lifetime Income
If you're at least age 55 when you leave the Y, you may be able to begin receiving your monthly lifetime income benefit from a Plan as long as your vested balance in that Plan is more than $5,000. Visit our Lifetime Income page to get started.
Take Your Savings with You
You may be able to take your savings with you when you leave employment. Whether or not you can depends on several factors. Visit our Accessing Your Savings page to learn more about the options available to you.
Returning to YMCA Employment
You’re back! We’re excited you’re here and we bet the Y is happy to have you back too. You may now be wondering, “How do I start saving again?” We’re here to help!
For the 403(b) Savings Plan, it’s simple.
From your very first day of re-employment, you can fill out a new enrollment form and select the contributions that work best for you. That’s it! Click the button below to download the 403(b) Savings Plan Enrollment Form and get started!
For the 401(a) Retirement Plan, here’s what you need to know.
Generally speaking, if you were enrolled in the Plan prior to leaving Y employment and all of your account balances were vested at that time, you will be immediately re-enrolled upon rehire. It doesn’t matter how long you were away from employment.
If you were enrolled in the Plan but left Y employment with unvested accounts, what happens next depends on how long you were away from the Y. We recommend speaking with the hiring Y’s Human Resources department to understand exactly what your situation will look like upon rehire.
Return within 12 months
Participation resumes immediately, and your vesting service picks up as if you never left.
Return after 12 months and within 6 years
Participation resumes immediately, and your vesting service picks up where you left off.
Return after 6 years
You will be treated as a new hire because your unvested accounts would’ve forfeited after 6 years of non-employment with the Y. You’d need to restart eligibility and vesting service.
Are You a Retiree Returning to Work at the Y?
There may be select instances where you may return to work at a participating Y even after you begin receiving your Y Retirement annuity or after withdrawing your balance(s), as long as:
- There was no pre-arranged agreement to retire and keep working, and
- The work you perform complies with Y Retirement rules on post-retirement employment.
Please check with your Human Resources department to learn more.