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You have the opportunity to participate in either an Equitable 403(b) or 401(a) retirement plan to help you build assets for the future in a way that is convenient and flexible. Have question? Call (866) 401-3030 opt 3 to speak with a local New Jersey Equitable Advisors financial professional or click here to set up a meeting today.
The Alternate Benefits Program (ABP) is in lieu of participating in New Jersey's defined benefit plan. If you decide to participate, you and your employer will make contributions totaling 13% of your annual base salary to your account.
The Additional Contributions Tax-Sheltered (ACTS) Program allows eligible employees to obtain supplemental tax-deferred annuities through a salary reduction agreement. Participants can direct voluntary contributions and is separate from, and in addition to your basic pension benefit.
Documents related to the EQUI-VEST® product available in your employer’s plan can be found here, including product prospectuses, supplements, shareholder reports and funding option prospectuses.
Under the New Jersey offering, you can choose how to invest your account from:
An option that provides safety of principal and guaranteed interest, regardless of what happens in the market.
The investment options are managed by leading investment management companies you know and trust. Click here to see the most recent performance.
The value of the variable investment options within annuities will fluctuate and is subject to market risk, including the possible loss of principal.
A Structured Investment Option (SIO) is available, which offers the growth potential of an equity market, up to a cap, while providing some downside protection. This option may help you feel more confident about building your assets, because it can help smooth out your investment returns.
You have an opportunity to invest in a specific segment with maturity period of 1 year. When the segment reaches its maturity date, you receive an investment return, up to a cap. If the Segment declines, you’re protected from the first -10% of loss. Once the Segment has matured, you have the flexibility to stay in the same Segment or select a new one, depending on your goals.
With Equitable's ABP 401(a) and ACTS 403(b) products, you don’t pay tax on your contributions or the accumulated earnings in your account until they are withdrawn or distributed. That can help your assets grow more quickly than if they were in a taxable account.
You can allocate your assets in the way that best meets your needs, and transfer them to different investment options at any time, tax-free.
Information about requesting and processing loans can be found here.
EQUI-VEST® Strategies is sold by Prospectus only.
Please consider all of the charges, risks, expenses, investment objectives, and complete details of coverage carefully before purchasing a variable annuity. For this and other information please contact your local New Jersey Equitable Advisors financial professional and read the prospectus and any applicable supplements carefully before you invest or send money.
Once you enroll, you can make transfers, check your balances, and take distributions, using whichever method you prefer:
With Equitable’s ABP 401(a) and ACTS 403(b) products, you are free to transfer among the available investment options, without any charge or fee, whenever your needs or goals change.1 There are no taxes taken so your assets continue to grow tax-deferred until you withdraw them.
If your allocations get out of balance, you can bring them back to their original percentages automatically with asset rebalancing. Just choose quarterly, semiannual, or annual rebalancing, and you can start or stop at any time, at no cost to you. Rebalancing doesn't assure you a profit or automatically protect you from loss.
When you’re ready to take retirement income, you have a number of payout options, including systematic withdrawals, lump-sum payments and lifetime income options.
These distributions are taxable as ordinary income and, if you take them prior to age 59½, you’ll pay an extra 10% federal income tax penalty. Other taxes may also apply. Consult your tax advisor if you have questions.
Because the ACTS and ABP programs are retirement plans, distributions before retirement (including withdrawals) are limited by federal income tax rules.
Please refer to the prospectus, supplements, and statement of additional information for complete information on distributions.
1. Restrictions apply to prevent disruptive transfer activity.
Here you’ll find many of the common forms supporting the NJ programs, enabling you to start a process or self service things like loans, changing beneficiaries, asset rebalancing and other service requests.
If you do not see a particular form or have questions about how to proceed, you can obtain assistance from a local NJ financial professional by calling (732) 452-7200 (Monday-Friday 9-5 ET).
EQUI-VEST Vantage ABP and ACTS Asset Rebalancing Acceptance Form
EQUI-VEST Vantage ABP and ACTS Request for Service Form
EQUI-VEST Vantage ABP and ACTS Dollar Cost Averaging Form Investment Simplifier Program
EQUI-VEST Vantage ABP and ACTS Hardship Withdrawal Request for TSA Plans
EQUI-VEST Loan Request Form for the State of NJ ABP and Additional Contributions TSA Programs
EQUI-VEST - Request For Change Of Beneficiary
NJ - Alternate Benefits Program (ABP) — Enrollment application
NJ - Alternate Benefits Program (ABP) — Carrier election and allocation
NJ - Alternate Benefits Program (ABP) — Fact sheet
Atlantic Cape Community College SRA
Bergen County College SRA
Brookdale CC SRA
Camden County College SRA
County College of Morris SRA
Essex County College SRA
Hudson County Community College SRA
Kean University SRA
Middlesex County College SRA
NJ City University SRA
NJ Institute of Technology SRA
Ocean County College 403(b) SRA
Ocean County College ABP SRA
Passaic County Community College SRA
Ramapo College SRA
Raritan Valley CC SRA
Rowan College at Burlington County SRA
Rowan College of South Jersey ABP
Rowan University SRA
Rutgers University SRA
Stockton University
Sussex County Community College SRA
The College of NJ ABP SRA
Union County College SRA
William Patterson Carrier Election Form
William Patterson SRA
William Patterson Roth SRA
A: Contact your Equitable Advisors campus representative or enroll online: 403(b) online enrollment | 401(a) online enrollment
A: No, hardship withdrawals are only available with the 403(b)/ACTS plan if you qualify.
A: You can take a subsequent loan only if you pay off the existing loan plus interest. Contact 800 628-6673 for the loan payoff amount.
A: You are eligible to take a loan once you are vested in the ABP pension which occurs in your 13 month of employment or your 3rd semester.
(Example scenario: I am a public school teacher and I have been a Teachers Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAFA) member for the past 15 years. I just earned a doctorate in Education Leadership and I am moving to a new school district in the fall and I will be an assistant principal. Over the past couple of years I have also been moonlighting at the local community college. Unfortunately they are not offering the class I teach any longer.)
A: Yes, if you take any monies out of your ABP account, you will forgo future participation in the ABP and you will be barred from continuing your membership in the TPAF.
A: The ABP pension is a group pension with the state of NJ and the 403(b) ACTS is an agreement with your NJHE employer, so you would have to set up separate Equitable accounts specific to your NJHE employer. Contact your local Equitable campus representative to help you complete your enrollment in the ABP and/or 403(b) ACTS plan.
A: If you are an active employee at multiple NJHE employers, you would have to have separate ABP and/or 403b ACTS accounts at each employer. Contact your original Equitable representative to help you complete your enrollment at the new NJHE Institution.
A: Since you are taking pension payments, you can no longer participate in any NJ state pension. You can, though, contribute to a 403(b) ACTS plan that is available through your NJHE employer. Contact your local Equitable campus representative to help you complete your enrollment in the 403(b) ACTS plan.
A: Here you’ll find an overview of the loan application and repayment process, and you can access the EQUI-VEST loan application form here, as well.
A: No, the Equitable Financial 403b ACTS plan accepts both pre-tax and Roth 403b contributions within the same account and will display them separately within the same account.
A: According to the plan guidelines set by the NJ Division of Pension and Benefits, ABP members under age 55 can only access their contributions to the plan. The employer-matched monies can be withdrawn or rolled over at age 55.
Equitable has been helping people make their financial goals a reality since 1859. Get to know a little bit more about us.
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Our experienced financial professionals can work closely with you to help you design a retirement strategy that meets your specific needs, goals and risk tolerance. They can also set up periodic financial check-ups to review your strategy and make any necessary changes. Whether you attend an educational seminar, sit down face-to-face with a financial professional or communicate over the phone, getting advice from a professional may help you retire with confidence.
New Jersey financial professionals are available for your assistance at (866) 401-3030 opt 3 or complete the form below to set up an appointment today.
Please keep in mind that there is risk of substantial loss of principal because the investor agrees to absorb all losses that exceed the protection provided by the SIO at maturity.
The actual Performance Cap Rate will not be known by the investor prior to the Segment start date.
Variable annuities are long-term financial products designed for retirement purposes. In essence, an annuity is a contractual agreement in which payments are made to an insurance company, which agrees to pay out an income or a lump sum amount at a later date. There are fees and charges associated with variable annuities, which include, but are not limited to, mortality and expense risk charges, sales and surrender charges, administrative fees, and charges for optional benefits. The variable investment options offered in this contract will fluctuate in value and are subject to market risk, including loss of principal.
Variable annuities are sold by prospectus, which describes charges, risks, expenses and investment objectives. Please refer to your prospectus or contact your Equitable Advisors financial professional for a current copy at no cost or obligation. You should read the prospectus and consider this information carefully before you invest further or send money.
All guarantees described herein are subject to the claims-paying ability of Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company. Guarantees do not apply to variable investment options.
Because this EQUI-VEST Strategiessm annuity contract would be used to fund a retirement plan, participants should be aware that such annuities do not provide tax deferral benefits beyond those already provided by the Internal Revenue Code. Before purchasing, individuals should consider whether its features and benefits beyond tax deferral meet their needs and goals. Participants may also want to consider the relative features, benefits and costs of this annuity with any other investment that they may use in connection with their employer’s retirement plan or arrangement.
Certain types of contracts, features and benefits may not be available in all jurisdictions or in all 403(b) or 457 plans.
Please be advised that this information is not intended as legal or tax advice. Accordingly, any tax information provided on this page is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed on the taxpayer. The tax information was written to support the promotion or marketing of the transaction(s) or matter(s) addressed and participants should seek advice based on their particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. Equitable, Equitable Advisors, and Equitable Distributors do not provide tax or legal advice.
EQUI-VEST® is a registered service mark of Equitable Holdings, Inc. and EQI-VEST® Strategiessm is a service mark of Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company, (NY, NY). EQUI VEST® Strategiessm is issued by Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company. Co-distributed by Equitable Advisors, LLC and Equitable Distributors, LLC (member FINRA, SIPC)(Equitable Financial Advisors in MI & TN).
Contract form #s: 2003-GAC 401(a) and 2003-GAC 403(b).
The obligations of Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company are backed solely by its claims-paying ability.
GE-7606619.1 (02/2025) (Exp. 02/2029)