Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: The City of Jacksonville General Employees’ Pension Plan (GEPP) pays a fixed 3% COLA that compounds annually, in the first full pay period of April, to retirees and survivors who have been retired at least 4.5 years as of April 1. The City’s summary describes the rate as currently fixed at 3% annually. The April 2027 increase follows the same plan terms.
The rule
The Summary Plan Description, approved April 25, 2024, says: “The COLA consists of a 3% increase of the retiree’s or survivor’s pension benefits, which compounds annually.” “The COLA happens in the first full pay period of April for eligible retirees and survivors.”
Who is eligible
The Summary Plan Description states: “Each retiree and survivor are eligible for a cost-of-living adjustment (“COLA”) if they have been retired for at least 4.5 years as of April 1 of each year (The cutoff date is on or before September 30).” It also says: “The COLA wait period will restart for members that receive an updated benefit.”
What the City says
The City’s member summary page describes the same adjustment as currently fixed at 3% annually, effective after 4 1/2 years from the group retirement date.
What the documents do not say
The text of Chapter 120 of the City Ordinance Code was not archived, so no ordinance section is cited. The City’s FAQ page says five years from the group retirement date, while the Summary Plan Description and the member summary say 4.5 years; this page follows the Summary Plan Description, dated April 25, 2024, and the difference is not reconciled in the sources. No document names the April 2026 increase as a separate event, and no later amendment to the COLA was found.
Where 2027 stands
The April 2027 increase is the same fixed 3% under the plan terms read, and no separate 2027 announcement was found.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the COLA in the first year of retirement. The plan requires at least 4.5 years of retirement as of April 1.
- Treating the 3% as simple. The plan says it compounds annually.
- Applying this to the Police and Fire Pension Fund. It has a January increase and its own rule.
Related: Jacksonville General Employees Pension retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether Florida taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- City of Jacksonville Retirement System, General Employees’ Retirement Plan Summary Plan Description: www.jacksonville.gov
- City of Jacksonville Retirement System, A Summary for Members: www.jacksonville.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 410, Pensions and annuities: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 411, Pensions: the General Rule and the Simplified Method: www.irs.gov
Read from the primary documents linked above on October 30, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.