Payroll and Pension Administration

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Office of Payroll & Pension Administration

Rachelle Christion, Payroll & Pension Administrator

Office of Payroll & Pension Administration
Finance Department
City Hall – 1st Floor, Room 194
710 North 20th Street
Birmingham AL 35203

Mission Statement

The Office of Payroll & Pension Administration is a dedicated team of professionals committed to serving the needs of City of Birmingham employees and pensioners. Our mission is two-fold: (1) We are dedicated to providing professional, courteous, customer-centric payroll services for active employees and pensioners, and to ensuring that employees and pensioners are paid accurately and timely. (2) We are committed to promoting pension plan benefit awareness by conducting both general and personalized (one-on-one) pension education sessions with employees at various stages of their employment with the City.

PAYROLL ADMINISTRATION

 The Office of Payroll Administration is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., excluding recognized City holidays or other official closings. The office is located in Room 189, on the 1st Floor of City Hall, near the Budget Office.

If you are an ACTIVE employee with questions or problems related to your time card, work schedule, punching in or out on the time clock, etc., please see your immediate supervisor. For other payroll-related issues, problems, or concerns, please first contact the Payroll Coordinator for your department. They are our partners in caring for your payroll needs. If you are not sure who your Payroll Coordinator is, please see the listing of “Payroll Coordinators by Department” that is available in the “Forms” section below. If you have additional payroll-related questions, issues or concerns that need to be addressed, please contact the Office of Payroll Administration at (205) 254-2195 or (205) 254-2753.

 

Your contacts in the Office of Payroll Administration are as follows:

Payroll Manager                      Anjanette Hicks                         (205) 254-2833

Accounting                                Erica Jones                               (205) 254-2635

Accounting                                Ricky Walker                             (205) 297-8104

Garnishments                     Cassandra Dunn-McClinton        (205) 254-2648

Voluntary Deductions            Bridgett Lipkin                           (205) 254-2197

Pension Loan Questions        Bridgett Lipkin                           (205) 254-2197

Payroll Processing                 Pamela Florence                        (205) 254-2195

Payroll & Pension Administrator  Rachelle Christion          (205) 254-2257

PENSION ADMINISTRATION

The Office of Pension Administration is open Monday – Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., excluding recognized City holidays or other official closings. The office is located in Room 194, on the 1st Floor of City Hall, across from the Purchasing Office.

Applying for New Pension Benefits

To apply for pension benefits, please contact the Payroll Coordinator for your department. They are our partners in caring for your pension benefit needs. If you are not sure who your Payroll Coordinator is, please see the listing of “Payroll Coordinators by Department” that is available in the “Forms” section below. For questions regarding pension benefits, retirement eligibility, pension benefit education sessions, or other pension benefit issues, please contact the Office of Pension Administration at (205) 254-2146.

Things You Should Know If You Are Already Receiving Pension Benefits

If you are currently receiving a retirement benefit from the City of Birmingham Retirement & Relief Pension System or the City of Birmingham Firemen’s and Policemen’s Pension System, please take time to review the following reminders. You should also share this information with family members who may be assisting you.  If you have questions about your pension benefits, please contact the Office of Pension Administration at (205) 254-2146. Any correspondence regarding pension matters must include the name of the pensioner, the 5-digit Employee Identification number, and/or the Last 4 digits of the pensioner’s social security number.

  • Pension benefit payments are dated for the first (1st) of each month. If the first of the month falls on a weekend, or a city or bank holiday, you can expect to receive your deposit on the next business day following the first of the month.
  • It is important that you let us know if you change your address. You are responsible for keeping the Office of Payroll & Pension Administration informed about changes to your mailing address so you’ll receive important information about your pension benefits.

Failing to notify us of a change of address can result in delays in receiving payments or in missing payments all together. Your pension benefit payments will be suspended if we have multiple mailed items returned to us by the US Postal Service.  When this happens, we can only resume paying you after we receive a properly completed Change of Address Authorization form and a copy of a valid state-issued ID verifying your identity. Other documentation may also be requested as appropriate. If warranted, you may be required to physically report to our office with proper identification.

Important tax notices, such as your 1099R and other important information are generally mailed to you via US Postal Services, so please keep your address and contact information up-to-date. Please be as accurate as possible when you correspond with us, especially with post office box numbers, state route numbers and zip codes. The post office has become automated, and your mail may be delayed or returned to us due to incomplete addresses and street names.

  • It is important that you let us know if you change bank accounts or banking information. Your banking information is perhaps the most important thing to keep updated. We rely on you to tell us where to send your payments. Your banking information is perhaps the most important thing to keep updated. We rely on you to tell us where to send your payments. The sooner you update your direct deposit, the less likely your payment will go to the wrong place.Please make sure that your payments are going to your new account before you close out your old account. It can take up to 30 days to process a direct deposit change request. Closing out your old account before we’ve updated your bank information can result in missing and returned payments.

Please make sure that your payments are going to your new account before you close out your old account. It can take up to 30 days to process a direct deposit change request. Closing out your old account before we’ve updated your bank information can result in missing and returned payments.

Failing to notify us of a change in your banking information can result in delays in receiving payments or in missing payments all together.

  • The Office of Payroll & Pension Administration must always be notified in the event of your death or the death of your spouse or dependents so we can properly manage your pension benefits, including any payment due your surviving spouse or dependents. It is your obligation to inform your beneficiary and/or family that upon your death, the Office of Payroll & Pension Administration must be notified of your death. To accept payment of a pension benefit after your death constitutes fraud and any such instances will be prosecuted. Please note that applications for Survivor benefits must be filed within 180 days of the pensioner’s date of death, if applicable.
  • If you are thinking about becoming re-employed, your monthly pension payments may be affected. The Pension Law prohibits receiving compensation from the City and receiving pension benefit payments at the same time. If you are contemplating returning to work, please contact the Office of Payroll and Pension Administration to obtain information or an opinion regarding how returning to work may impact your monthly pension benefit payments.
  • Changes in Tax Withholding. You may change your tax withholding elections at any time. You will need to complete a new IRS Form W4-P to initiate any changes. Any changes that you elect will go into effect on the 1st of the month following receipt of your new W4-P. To obtain a W4-P, please contact the Office of Payroll & Pension Administration at (205) 254-2146, or download a form directly from the IRS at  https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw4p.pdf.
  • Monthly Pension Board Meetings. The Firemen’s & Policemen’s Supplemental Pension Board of Managers meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Usually, the meetings take place in Conference Room A on the Third (3rd) Floor of City Hall, however, the location can at times change.  The Retirement & Relief Pension Board of Managers meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 3:00 p.m.  Usually, the meetings take place in Conference Room A on the Third (3rd) Floor of City Hall, however, the location can at times change. The matters to be addressed at each pension board’s meeting are published in an agenda that is available on the Friday preceding the Board’s meeting date. Only the matters that are specified on the agenda can be discussed.
  • Other Important Events That Should Be Promptly Reported to the Office of Payroll & Pension Administration include, but are not limited to:
    • Marriage
    • Divorce
    • Birth or adoption of a child
    • Name change
    • Appointment or Designation of a Power of Attorney (POA) or Conservator, or Guardian
    • Dependent child reaches his/her 18th birthday
    • Return to Work following Ordinary Disability retirement
    • Return to active employment with the City

 

Your contacts in the Office of Pension Administration are as follows:

Pension Education & Administration

Pension Coordinator                      Sandy Roberts                     (205) 254-2431

Administrative Clerk                           Patti Wilson                   (205) 254-2146

Widow’s & Survivor’s Benefits         Patti Wilson                   (205) 254-2146

Pension Contribution Refunds          Sandy Roberts              (205) 254-2431

Pension Benefits Educator                  Sandy Roberts              (205) 254-2431

Prior Service Purchases                       Sandy Roberts              (205) 254-2431

Payroll & Pension Administrator    Rachelle Christion         (205) 254-2257

Pension Payroll & Accounting

Pension Audit Principal                    Cedric M. Brown            (205) 254-7719

Pension Benefit Auditor                          Erica Jones               (205) 254-2635

Pension Accountant                               Reketa Carter              (205) 254-2486

Pension Estimates                                 Reketa Carter               (205) 254-2486

Pension Payroll Specialist                    Makeella Broom         (205) 254-2196

Pension Payroll Specialist                      Gary Whitt                (205) 254-2753

 PAYROLL & PENSION ADMINISTRATION – DOWNLOADABLE FORMS & INFO

FORMS – ACTIVE EMPLOYEES

FORMS – PENSIONERS