Moon Township, Allegheny County – Auditor General Timothy L. DeFoor today joined State Sen. Devlin Robinson and State Rep. Valerie Gaydos to announce more than 1,400 municipalities across Pennsylvania have received $427 million in state aid to support municipal pension plans for police, firefighters and non-uniformed employees.
“State pension aid helps to make sure municipalities can keep their promises to retired employees who spent decades serving their communities, often performing very dangerous work,” DeFoor said. “This funding also helps to reduce burdens on local taxpayers.”
A total of 1,441 municipalities and regional departments received $427,788,682.09 in aid to support pension plans covering police officers, paid firefighters and non-uniformed employees.
This year’s municipal pension allocation includes the first cost of living adjustment, or COLA, for municipal police and firefighters since 2002.
“Our police officers and firefighters dedicate their careers to protecting our communities, neighbors, and loved ones,” Sen. Robinson said. “Every day, they respond to emergencies and put their lives at risk to keep the rest of us safe. They deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing the retirement benefits they earned through years of service will be there when they need them, and I’m proud that Moon Township has demonstrated the good stewardship of their pension system required to keep these financial promises to our public servants.”
“Our police officers and firefighters answer the call when we need them most,” Rep. Gaydos said. “I’ve supported the cost-of-living adjustment included in the state’s budget because many of these retirees have gone two decades without a pension increase and it is about time that we address this and make sure they are taken care of in our community.”
The funding is generated by a 2 percent tax on fire and casualty insurance policies sold in Pennsylvania by out-of-state companies. The amount of revenue available for distribution varies from year to year.
Municipal pension plans that receive state aid are audited to ensure funds are spent as required by state law. Pension plan audits are available online in the Audit Report Center.
By region, pension aid funding totals for 2026 are as follows:
- Central: $15,873,740.89
- Susquehanna Valley: $65,286,735.03
- Greater Pittsburgh: $90,178,161.01
- Northwest: $17,732,549.88
- Northeast: $29,352,035.80
- Lehigh Valley: $27,508,640.38
- Southeast/Greater Philadelphia: $181,856,819.10
Review pension aid allocations by county and learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.PaAuditor.gov.
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Media contact: April Hutcheson, 717-787-1381 or news@paauditor.gov
Review other recent audits, sign up to be notified when new audits are released and learn more about the Department of the Auditor General online at www.PaAuditor.gov.