There is no waiting period. You can enroll in the Plan at any time.

Enroll online at any time, or by calling the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 1-877-963-0242.

Your enrollment becomes effective once you elect a deferral percentage, which initiates deduction of your contributions from your pay. These salary deductions will generally begin with your next pay period after we receive your enrollment information, or as soon as administratively possible.

Through automatic payroll deduction, you may contribute between 1% and 90% of your eligible pay on a pretax or Roth after-tax basis. Sign up online by accessing the “Contribution Amount” section under “Quick Links” on NetBenefits^®, or by calling the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 1-877-963-0242.

Voluntary contributions are on top of a 5% mandatory employee contribution.

A Roth contribution to your retirement savings plan allows you to make after-tax contributions and take any associated earnings completely tax free at retirement - as long as the distribution is a qualified one. A qualified distribution, in this case, is one that is taken at least five tax years after your first Roth 403(b) contribution and after you have attained age 59½, or become disabled or die. Through automatic payroll deduction, you may contribute between 1% and 90% of your eligible compensation as designated Roth contributions, up to the annual IRS dollar limits.

Find more information online within the "Plan & Learn" drop down and "Learn" section of NetBenefits^®.

If you have reached age 50 or will reach 50 during the calendar year January 1 – December 31 and are making the maximum plan or IRS contribution, you may make an additional catch-up contribution each pay period. The maximum annual catch-up contribution is $7,500. Going forward, catch-up contribution limits will be subject to cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) in $500 increments.

Starting in 2025, the SECURE 2.0 Act increases the limit for you if you have attained age 60, 61, 62, or 63 in a given calendar year. The limit for 2025 is $11,250.

The IRS contribution limit for 2025 is $23,500.

The Plan helps your retirement savings grow by matching your contributions. The University of Notre Dame contributes 10% of regular salary for eligible participants (those making the 5% mandatory employee contribution).

You are immediately 100% vested in your own contributions to the University of Notre Dame 403(b) Plan, as well as in any of the Employer’s matching contributions and any earnings on them.

To help you meet your investment goals, the Plan offers you a range of options. You can select a mix of investment options that best suits your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. The various investment options available through the Plan include conservative, moderately conservative, and aggressive funds. A complete description of the Plan’s investment options and their performance, as well as planning tools to help you choose an appropriate mix, are available online.

We encourage you to take an active role in the University of Notre Dame 403(b) Plan and choose investment options that best suit your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance. If you do not select specific investment options in the Plan, your contributions will be invested in the Vanguard Target Retirement Fund with the target retirement date closest to the year you might retire, based on your current age and assuming a retirement age of 65, at the direction of The University of Notre Dame.

If no date of birth or an invalid date of birth is on file at Fidelity, your contributions may be invested in the Vanguard Target Retirement Income Fund. More information about the Vanguard Target Retirement Fund options can be found online.

Target Date Funds are an asset mix of stocks, bonds and other investments that automatically becomes more conservative as the fund approaches its target retirement date and beyond. Principal invested is not guaranteed.

If the idea of getting professional help to manage your investments appeals to you, your plan offers Target Date Funds. With Target Date Funds, the investment mix of stocks and bonds automatically becomes more conservative as the target retirement date approaches. Principal invested is not guaranteed at any time, including at or after the fund’s target date. Choose the fund that represents your anticipated year of retirement.

For those desiring the most investment flexibility and choice, the Plan offers Fidelity BrokerageLink^®, a self-directed brokerage account, which provides you with the opportunity to select from thousands of mutual funds beyond those offered in the standard plan lineup. More information about BrokerageLink^®, including an overview, the commission schedule, and a fact sheet that outlines the Plan-level restrictions and other settings, is available online at NetBenefits. Click on "Quick Links," then select "BrokerageLink."

Although your plan account is intended for the future, you may borrow from your account for any reason.

Learn more about and/or request a loan by calling the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 1-877-963-0242.

Withdrawals from the Plan are generally permitted when you terminate your employment, retire, become permanently disabled, or have a severe financial hardship, as defined by your plan.

Learn more about and/or request a withdrawal online, or by calling the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 1-877-963-0242.

You are permitted to roll over eligible pretax contributions from another 401(k) plan, 401(a) plan, 403(b) plan or a governmental 457(b) retirement plan account or eligible pretax contributions from another conduit individual retirement accounts (IRAs). A conduit IRA is one that contains only money rolled over from an employer-sponsored retirement plan that has not been mixed with regular IRA contributions. The Plan also permits rollovers from Roth 401(k) and Roth 403(b) plans.

Additional information can be obtained online, or by calling the Fidelity Retirement Benefits Line at 1-877-963-0242.

Be sure to consider all your available options and the applicable fees and features of each before moving your retirement assets.

If you have not already selected your beneficiaries, or if you have experienced a life-changing event such as a marriage, divorce, birth of a child, or a death in the family, it’s time to consider your beneficiary designations. Fidelity’s Online Beneficiaries Service, offers a straightforward, convenient process that takes just minutes. To make your elections, click on the “Profile & Settings” icon in the upper right-hand corner, then select “Beneficiaries” and follow the online instructions.