Statewide Volunteer Firefighter Dashboard

SVF Overview

The Statewide Volunteer Firefighter plan was first introduced by the Minnesota State Legislature in 2009. This created the SVF Defined Benefit Plan (SVF-DBP) in 2010, and in 2025 the SVF Defined Contribution Plan (SVF-DCP) was added. These plans provide retirement benefits for volunteer firefighters who serve a municipal fire department or an independent nonprofit firefighting corporation. The SVF Plan is governed by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 353G.

Participation is voluntary and open to fire departments as a replacement of their existing volunteer firefighter pension plan or departments that do not currently have a pension plan for their volunteer firefighters.  

SVF-DBP and SVF-DCP retirement benefits are a one-time, lump-sum payment. 

  • SVF-DBP: The fire department’s governing body selects a benefit level when it joins the SVF Plan and can elect to increase the department’s benefit levels and vesting status. 
  • SVF-DCP: The fire department’s governing body selects an eligible vesting schedule when it joins the SVF Plan.

The pension assets and liabilities of each fire department are maintained and accounted for separately from the other fire departments participating in the SVF Plan. The State Board of Investment invests the SVF Plan pension assets for each fire department.

The governing body of a participating fire department may elect to terminate from the SVF Plan and resume Relief Association coverage or dissolve entirely.

SVF Calendar

PERA may provide certain reports or communications earlier than the deadlines referenced in the following calendar information when possible.

January

  • Service Credit: PERA distributes the Annual Service Credit Certification form to the fire chief and governing body representative. The fire chief is responsible for completing this form. (Form due March 31).
  • Apply for Fire State Aid: through the Minnesota Department of Revenue.
    • Deadline is Mid-March.
  • Apply for Supplemental benefit reimbursement (new departments only):
    • Deadline is mid-February.
    • New departments that joined the PERA SVF Plan on January 1 of the current year must submit a reimbursement request for the year prior to joining PERA SVF.
    • In the year after joining PERA SVF and going forward, PERA will submit the reimbursement request on behalf of participating departments.

March

  • Due March 31 (or sooner, if possible): Fire chiefs submit the completed Annual Service Credit Certification form.
  • PERA receives supplemental benefit reimbursement funds from the Minnesota Department of Revenue and deposits funds into applicable fire department’s SBI account with SVF.

April

  • PERA distributes Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) 68 report to governing bodies that follow Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). This report relies upon the fire chief’s timely submission of the completed Annual Service Credit Certification.
  • Defined Contribution (DC) Plans will receive their department’s DC Table Reconciliation (pending the submission of the Annual Service Credit Certification data for prior year end).
    • Important: DC benefit payments for applications received between January and April cannot be processed until the DC table has been completed. 

August

  • By August 1, PERA provides the fire chief and governing body with an Annual Funding Report.
    • The report identifies any required contributions.
    • If a required contribution is due, the governing body must remit payment by December 31 of the following year.
    • This report relies upon the fire chief’s timely submission of the completed Annual Service Credit Certification (which was due March 31).
  • Data Compilation is posted to the website.

October

  • Beginning October 1, PERA receives annual fire state aid from the Minnesota Department of Revenue on and deposits the funds directly into each fire department’s account.

December

  • December 31: Deadline to submit a resolution for an increase the benefit level. Benefit level increase becomes effective January 1 of the following year.
  • December 31: The governing body must remit by December 31 any required contributions that were invoiced the previous year.