Selecting 2026 benefits for congregations

We are committed to caring for the Church by offering benefits that reflect Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) values. As congregations and PC(USA) employers select benefits for 2026, we are here to support them as they make faithful benefits decisions alongside pastoral and church leadership. Information and resources are available to help guide decision-making.

Completing your Employer Agreement

Your Employer Agreement is available Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025, through Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. During this time, log in to Benefits Connect at benefitsconnect.pensions.org to review 2026 benefits options and pricing, make selections, and submit your Employer Agreement.

Learn more about your Employer Agreement.

What's new for 2026 | Helpful resources| Annual Enrollment for employees

2026 dues packages

The 2026 Benefits Plan continues the dues packages introduced for 2025: the Congregational Pastors Package, Transitional Pastor’s Participation, and the Covenant Package. These dues packages provide flexibility and choice for congregations and their pastoral leadership and include benefits that support wholeness. 

Learn more about eligibility and costs for 2026.

What’s new for 2026

As you consider your benefits options for 2026, please note these updates and enhancements, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

New Call to Health platform and experience

The Call to Health well-being program will be refreshed for 2026, featuring new ways for Medical Plan members to work toward wholeness. Beginning with the 2026 program year, which starts in January, the Call to Health website and app will move to the WebMD ONE platform, providing a more personalized experience and enabling participants to set and achieve their own unique health and wellness goals.

More details about the refreshed Call to Health program will be announced in the coming months.

Retirement Savings Plan expense ratios and participant fees

As a result of the Board’s annual evaluation to ensure the Retirement Savings Plan is operating efficiently, the following updates have been made for 2026:

Expense ratios for the PC(USA) Socially Responsible Balanced Fund and the PC(USA) Socially Responsible US Equity Fund will decrease by 10 basis points. These two PC(USA) funds align with Mission Responsibility Through Investment policies on socially responsible investing, honoring the values of the Church.
The administration fee will increase from $15/year to $20/year. This fee is automatically deducted quarterly from Retirement Savings Plan participants’ accounts. This is the first administration fee increase for the plan since 2010.

Fee updates for tax-advantaged accounts

Tax-advantaged accounts enable employees to set aside pretax dollars through payroll deductions to pay for eligible expenses. The cost is 100% employer-paid.

The monthly account fees paid by employers that offered healthcare and/or dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and/or health savings accounts (HSAs) through HealthEquity in 2025 will remain the same for 2026.
For employers that newly offered FSAs through HealthEquity starting on or after Jan. 1, 2025, an annual renewal fee will apply. HealthEquity will invoice employers directly. (There is no annual renewal fee for HSAs.)

Vision Plan rates increase

Monthly coverage costs for the Vision Plan for 2026 have increased:

Member-only: $4.47
Member + Spouse: $8.84
Member + Child(ren): $9.40
Member + Family: $15.09

This is the first increase in Vision Plan rates since the plan was introduced in 2019. When you choose to offer the Vision Plan to your employees, you may, but are not required to, contribute toward the cost of the coverage.

Benefits that support wholeness

The benefits offered through the Benefits Plan of the PC(USA) work together to support and sustain ministries and empower members’ wholeness in four key areas: spiritual, health, financial and vocational.

Defined Benefit Pension Plan — offers financial security in retirement as guaranteed monthly income
Retirement Savings Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — helps participants achieve long-term retirement savings goals through a qualified 403(b)(9) defined contribution church plan

Death and Disability Plan — offers peace of mind and income protection through death and disability benefits
Term Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment Plan — a low-cost option that includes a death benefit, plus coverage in cases where death or injury occur as a result of an accident
Temporary Disability Plan — provides partial income to employees unable to work for up to 90 days due to illness or injury
Long-Term Disability Plan — provides partial income to employees for a long-term disability that extends beyond 90 days

Medical Plan — features three coverage options (PPO, EPO, and HDHP), with personalized support for navigating healthcare, generous preventive care and prescription drug benefits, telemedicine, an online program that fosters wholeness, and mental well-being support
Vision Plan — includes an annual routine eye exam and can help save hundreds of dollars every year on the cost of eyeglasses, contacts, and more
Dental Plan — covers a wide range of preventative and restorative services and orthodontic treatment for children under age 22
Employee Assistance Plan — provides private and confidential mental well-being support

Dependent care flexible spending account — allows members to set aside pretax dollars to pay for eligible care expenses
Healthcare flexible spending account — allows members to pay for eligible healthcare expenses, such as deductibles, copays, and prescription drugs, with pretax dollars
Health savings account — uses pretax dollars for qualified healthcare expenses when offered with the high deductible health plan (HDHP)

Benefits Plan members have access to important assistance and education programs* that help foster wholeness. Some programs are designed specifically for ministers.

Programs include:

need-based grants through the Assistance Program, including financial assistance for emergencies; debt relief; transition-to-college and adoption-related expenses; and respite, vocational, and sabbatical opportunities
CREDO, an in-person, weeklong conference focused on pastors’ well-being
Lifelong Learning programs, providing opportunities to learn about wholeness at specific stages of life, career, or ministry

*Member must meet program eligibility requirements.

Helpful resources

We are committed to providing you with resources and information to help guide decision-making:

The Decision Guide for Minister Benefits, updated with 2026 dues, can help determine eligibility and costs for the Covenant Package, the Congregational Pastors Package, and Transitional Pastor's Participation.
The Value of the Benefits Plan webinars, featuring Board staff, will provide the opportunity to learn how the benefits offered through the Benefits Plan work together to support ministries.
Save the date for these upcoming webinars in September. Registration will open soon.
- Employer representatives can learn how to complete their organization’s Employer Agreement in Benefits Connect.
- Ministers, employer representatives, mid council leaders, and anyone in the Church can learn about the Medical Plan and how the Board manages it financially.
Effective salary, reported by congregations and employers to the Board of Pensions, includes various types of compensation and reimbursements. As in previous years, the Board has set the 2026 median effective salary — now $71,100 — based on this data. When a member’s annual effective salary falls below the median, Death and Disability Plan benefits and pension credits are calculated using the median figure.

Annual Enrollment for employees

The benefits you select when completing your 2026 Employer Agreement determine the options and costs employees will see in Benefits Connect during Annual Enrollment from Oct. 20, 2025, through Nov. 7, 2025. Ensure that your benefits selections for 2026 are finalized by Oct. 3, 2025, so your employees have a seamless experience.

How may we serve you?

We are here to help you understand options available through the Benefits Plan of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.):

Mid councils and congregations are encouraged to reach out to their Church Consultant to help them determine which dues package is right for their situation, understand all the benefits that can be offered to staff and how to structure these benefits given their particular situation and context, and guide faithful decision-making about 2026 benefits.
Employer Services representatives can answer questions about 2026 benefits and offer support on submitting an Employer Agreement through Benefits Connect. They are available to serve you at 800-PRESPLAN (800-773-7752) (TTY: 711).