JUDICIAL RETIREMENT FUNDS

Payment to Judiciary Trust FundsSUMMARY STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT REQUIREMENTS

Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Appropriation Fiscal Year 2025 Requested Appropriation 

Requested Increase from Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Appropriation 

Title VI General Provisions

 Sec. [618]___. (a) There are appropriated for the following activities the amounts required under current law:

(1) Compensation of the President (3 U.S.C. 102).(2) Payments to--

(A) the Judicial Officers' Retirement Fund (28 U.S.C. 377(o));(B) the Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund (28 U.S.C. 376(c)); and(C) the United States Court of Federal Claims Judges' Retirement Fund (28 U.S.C. 178(l)).

(3) Payment of Government contributions--

(A) with respect to the health benefits of retired employees, as authorized by chapter 89 of title 5,United States Code, and the Retired Federal Employees Health Benefits Act (74 Stat. 849); and(B) with respect to the life insurance benefits for employees retiring after December 31, 1989 (5 U.S.C. ch. 87).

(4) Payment to finance the unfunded liability of new and increased annuity benefits under the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fun(5) Payment of annuities authorized to be paid from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund by statutory provisions other than suchapter 83 or chapter 84 of title 5, United States Code.

(b) Nothing in this section may be construed to exempt any amount appropriated by this section from any otherwise applicable limitation on thcontained in this Act.

Explanation

The highlighted section provides appropriations for payments to the Judicial Officers' Retirement Fund, the Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund, and the United StFederal Claims Judges' Retirement Fund. The judiciary proposes to retain this language in Title VI of the Financial Services and General Government appropriat
Fiscal Year 2025 Resource Requirements:

FTEs 

Fiscal Year 2024 Assumed Appropriation .............................................................................. 

Page

No. Adjustments to Base

13.6 1. Increase in payment to the Judicial Officers' Retirement Fund..................................................... 

13.6 2. Increase in payment to the Judicial Survivors' Annuities Fund................................................. 

13.6 3. Increase in payment to the Court of Federal Claims Judges' Retirement Fund............................................. 

 

 Subtotal, Adjustments to Base..................................................................................... 

 

Total Appropriation Required, Fiscal Year 2025.................................................................................

 Total Appropriation Increase, Fiscal Year 2024 to Fiscal Year 2025................................................

FISCAL YEAR 2025

(Dollar amounts in thousands)

SUMMARY OF REQUEST

JUDICIAL RETIREMENT FUNDS

PAYMENT TO JUDICIARY TRUST FUNDS
FY 2023

Actual

FY 2024 

Assumed

FY 

R

Trust Fund, Total Obligations 251,800 251,900 Available Appropriation 251,800 251,900 

FY 2023

Actual

FY 2024 

Assumed

FY 

R

25 Other services 251,800 251,900 

Total Obligations 251,800 251,900 

PAYMENT TO JUDICIARY TRUST FUND

Description

Activity

Obligations by activity ($000)

Object Classification ($000)
FY 2023 FY 2024 FY 2025

Actual Assumed Request

Obligations incurred 251,800 251,900 292,900Obligated balance, start of year - - - Obligated balance, end of year - - - 

Outlays 251,800 251,900 292,900

PAYMENT TO JUDICIARY TRUST FUND

Relation of Direct Obligations to Outlays ($000)
GENERAL STATEMENT AND INFORMATION

This appropriation is divided among three trust funds that finance payments to (1) retired bankruptcy and magistrate judges, 

(2) spouses and dependent children of deceased judges, and (3) retired Court of Federal Claims judges. This account is categorized as

a mandatory appropriation by Congress.

Statutes governing the three funds authorize the appropriation of amounts necessary to support the liability that accrues each year and 

to pay an installment on any unfunded liability. Although the funds (except for the Court of Federal Claims fund) receive participant 

contributions and earn interest on investment holdings, the purpose of the appropriation provision is to ensure that sufficient funds are 

deposited annually to support anticipated benefit payments in the distant future as well as in the short-term. The appropriation request 

is calculated annually by an enrolled actuary pursuant to 31 U.S.C. § 9503. 

The Three Trust Funds

1) The Judicial Officers’ Retirement Fund was established in 1988 to provide a pension to bankruptcy and full-time magistrate

judges (28 U.S.C. § 377(o)).

2) The Judicial Survivors’ Annuities Fund was established in 1956 to provide annuities to widows, widowers, and dependent

children of judges and other officials who have elected to participate in the program: Justices and judges of the United States,

to include Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands; full-time bankruptcy judges; full-time United States

magistrate judges; judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims; Directors of the Federal Judicial Center and the

Administrative Office of the United States Courts; and the Counselor to the Chief Justice of the United States (28 U.S.C.

§ 376(c)).

3) The Court of Federal Claims Judges’ Retirement Fund was established in 1990 to provide a pension plan to retired United

States Court of Federal Claims judges (28 U.S.C. § 178(l)). Appointment under Chapter 7 of Title 28 or service under section

167 of the Federal Courts Improvements Act of 1982 automatically qualifies a judge to participate.

FISCAL YEAR 2024 APPROPRIATIONS 

In the absence of an enacted appropriation, the judiciary built the FY 2025 mandatory budget request for the Judicial Retirement 

Funds on the FY 2024 assumed level of $251,900,000. This amount would fully fund FY 2024 requirements for the three retirement 

trust funds. For bill language, the judiciary used the relevant language from H.R. 4664, which is the House version of the Financial 

Services and General Government appropriations bill, 2024, as the closest approximation of the eventual enacted FY 2024 

appropriations language. 

13.5
JUSTIFICATION OF CHANGES

The appropriation request for FY 2025 is $292,900,000, an 

increase of $41,000,000 above the assumed appropriation level 

in FY 2024. This increase includes an increase of $21,600,000 

for the Judicial Officers’ Retirement Fund, an increase of 

$16,900,000 for the Judicial Survivors’ Annuities Fund, and an 

increase of $2,500,000 for the Court of Federal Claims Judges’ 

Retirement Fund.

ADJUSTMENTS TO BASE

1. Increase in payment to the Judicial Officers’ Retirement

Fund

Mandatory Increase: $21,600,000

The assumed appropriation for FY 2024 is $220,900,000.

Based on actuarial calculations, $242,500,000, an increase

of $21,600,000, is sufficient to draw down the unfunded

liability in FY 2025.

2. Increase in payment to the Judicial Survivors’ Annuities

Fund

Mandatory Increase: $16,900,000

The assumed appropriation for FY 2024 is $27,700,000.

Based on actuarial calculations, $44,600,000, an increase of

$16,900,000, is sufficient to draw down the unfunded

liability in FY 2025.

3. Increase in payment to the Court of Federal Claims Judges’

Retirement Fund

Mandatory Increase: $2,500,000

The assumed appropriation for FY 2024 is $3,300,000. Based

on actuarial calculations, $5,800,000, an increase of $2,500,000,

is sufficient to draw down the unfunded liability in FY 2025.

13.6