Benefits: Working for Pierce County

Employee benefits are not just about the kind of services you get, they are also about how much you may have to pay out of pocket. Pierce County offers a highly competitive benefits package that offers flexibility and peace of mind.

We understand that your life revolves around more than just your career and that your priority is making sure that you and your family will maintain health and financial security. That's why choice is a key component of our benefits package. We have a selection of health and retirement plans, paid leave, staff training and other compensation benefits that you can mix and match to meet your current and future needs.

Our benefits:


NOTE: This is a general description of the benefits offered through employment with Pierce County and is meant to be a summary. If any information on this page conflicts with a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the CBA prevails. Also, in the event any information listed on this page is incorrect the applicable laws, policies, CBAs, or official benefit plan documents will prevail.

Vacation (Annual Leave)


Since we value your experience, the amount of vacation you can accrue increases the longer you work with us. Vacation accrues for full-time employees as follows:
YEARS
 VACATION ACCRUAL
During years 1-3 12 days
During years 4-7 16 days
During years 8-13
 20 days
During years 14-18 23 days
During year 19 24 days
During year 20 25 days
During year 21 26 days
During year 22 27 days
During year 23 28 days
During year 24 29 days
During year 25 & thereafter
 30 days

Military Leave


Pierce County has a proud history of supporting the armed forces and provides members of the armed forces with 21 days paid military leave per year.

Holidays


Full-time employees are entitled to eleven paid holidays (subject to collective bargaining agreement):
  • New Year's Day - January 1
  • Martin Luther King, Jr's birthday - Third Monday in January
  • Presidents' Day - Third Monday in February
  • Memorial Day - Last Monday in May
  • Juneteenth - June 19
  • Independence Day - July 4
  • Labor Day - First Monday in September
  • Veterans' Day - November 11
  • Thanksgiving Day - Fourth Thursday in November & Friday after
  • Christmas Day - December 25

Personal Holidays


Regular full-time and regular part-time employees also receive two additional paid personal holidays. Each paid personal holiday accrues on January 1 of each year and must be taken during the calendar year in which it was accrued.

Sick Leave


Sick leave accrues at the rate of one day per month.

Sick Leave Incentive Program
Regular Full Time and Part Time employees may be eligible for up to 2 additional vacation days if no more than two days of sick time off or unpaid time off are taken in the prior calendar year.

Commute Options
Pierce County offers a free transit pass, monthly vanpool subsidy, Emergency Ride Home, and HOV parking and secure bicycle parking at many of our locations.

Insurance Benefits


Employees and families are covered by medical (including vision), dental and basic life insurance. There are multiple medical plans with very affordable monthly premiums that offer coverage throughout Pierce County. Employees are eligible to enroll each year in a flexible spending plan, which enables them to use tax-deferred dollars toward their health care and dependent care expenses. Employees also have the opportunity to participate in basic life and supplemental life and long term disability insurance plans. To view premium rates, summary of benefit coverage, and other information, please visit the Pierce County Health Benefits website.

Retirement and Deferred Compensation


Pierce County employees are members of the State of Washington’s Department of Retirement System (DRS) and depending on the position or previous DRS enrollment will be able to enroll in one of many programs DRS offers. For additional information, check out the Department of Retirement Systems' web site.

Employees also have the ability to participate in the Nationwide Deferred Compensation Plan. This is a supplemental retirement savings program that allows you control over the amount of pre-tax salary dollars you defer as well as the flexibility to choose between multiple investment options.