The Office of Employee Benefits manages the City's health and welfare benefits plans for employees, retirees, and eligible dependents. The City offers medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, optional life, AD&D, and FSA plans. This office also supplies wellness programs, support groups, and workshops.

Contact Us
(410) 396-5830 or (410) 396-5831
Email Office of Employee Benefits
Email Wellness

Employee and Retiree Benefits Enrollment
2025    January 1 - December 31 Benefits Enrollment
2024    January 1 - December 31 Benefits Enrollment

Offered Benefits

BENEFITS INFORMATION
Coverage may vary depending on Employee position, agency, and/or union affiliation. It is not designed to be a complete description of all benefits in their entirety. In accordance with policy, all leave is subject to supervisory approval.


Medical, Prescription, Dental and Vision Insurance
Medical, prescription, dental, and vision coverage benefit elections are effective the 1st day of the month following the date of hire.  Eligible employees should elect health benefits within 45 days from the date of hire.

Waiver Credit
Benefit-eligible employees may receive a waiver credit waiving certain insurance benefits. Eligible employees should elect the waiver credit within 45 days from date of hire.

Direct Deposit
Employees may elect to have their pay deposited into a personal checking or savings account at any time.  Once enrolled, employees will receive a deposit advice for each pay period.

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) provide tax savings on eligible health and dependent care expenses by participating in a Healthcare and/or Dependent Care FSA.  Employees should enroll in FSA within 45 days of the date of hire.

Life Insurance
Basic and Additional Term Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) coverage is available to regular benefit-eligible employees and is paid by the employee. Coverage is effective the first day of the month following the date of hire.

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers counseling and referral services to employees and their family members at no cost.

Municipal Employee Credit Union (MECU)
Baltimore City employees may join the Municipal Employee Credit Union (MECU) to utilize various financial services and benefits.  For additional information, contact MECU directly.

Deferred Compensation
Employees may elect to contribute to a supplemental retirement savings plan through Nationwide. The plan allows employees to defer a portion of their salary and contribute funds pre-tax and Roth. Employees may elect to participate in contributions immediately upon employment.

Employee Retirement Systems (ERS)
After one year of employment with the City of Baltimore, employees are eligible for enrolment in the Employee Retirement Systems (ERS). Employees may transfer accumulated or earned service credit into ERS from the State or other retirement system in Maryland so long as there is no more than a 30-day break in service.

Full-time employees hired on/after July 1, 2014, are required to participate in the City’s Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) with a mandatory 5% employee election. The RSP has two different plan options—a Non-Hybrid and a Hybrid option.  The Non-Hybrid option consists of a defined contribution plan while the Hybrid option consists of a defined benefit plan and a defined contribution retirement plan. The Hybrid Membership plan will be automatically selected if employees do not make an election between Hybrid or Non-Hybrid membership within 150 days of the date of hire.

Wellness Programs
The City of Baltimore’s Wellness Office provides an interactive and engaging approach to educating employees on healthy living and tailors opportunities to meet the specific needs of its employees. Fostering a safe and supportive environment and providing employees with the skills they need to adopt healthy practices is our goal. Activities include fitness events, educational programs, nutrition programs, and other wellness-sponsored programs and events.

Hybrid Work Environment
The City of Baltimore is committed to increasing employee productivity and improving talent recruitment by providing employees with work alternatives that enable employees to meet their personal and professional needs.  As a result, positions may be suitable for hybrid work schedules that combine aspects of remote working and in-office working allowing more flexibility to employees.


LEAVE
Vacation
Eligible full-time and part-time employees can accrue vacation leave according to the appropriate step on the Accrual Schedule. Vacation leave carries over. The maximum amount of vacation leave an employee may accrue is 45 days.

Employees earn leave on a monthly basis, with the exception of CUB Represented and Unrepresented employees, whose leave is frontloaded on July 1^st. Employees serving in the first probationary period in City service earn vacation leave at the normal rate; however, leave may not be used until the probationary period is satisfactorily completed. Employees who are dismissed prior to successfully completing the probationary period will not receive pay for vacation leave.

Personal
Eligible full-time and part-time employees have a maximum annual accrual of four (4) days per fiscal year, except in the limited circumstances where the City has entered into a separate agreement with a recognized employee bargaining unit. Personal Leave does not carry over.  Employees will receive credit for the maximum annual personal leave allowance on July 1st of each year.  Full-time employees hired after July 1st of each fiscal year will receive credit for a prorated maximum personal leave allowance on the first day of employment.

Sick
Accumulated sick leave days may be used by employees who are required to be absent from duty because of personal sickness whether physical or mental, injury, or prenatal or postnatal disability.  Different accrual rates exist for eligible City employees:

• Full-Time Regular Employees: 1 day of sick leave accrued for each completed full month of active service.
• Part-Time Regular Employees: 1 day of sick leave accrued upon completion of 160 hours of active service.

The City of Baltimore also offers Family and Medical Leave and Maryland Sick and Safe Leave.

HOLIDAYS
The Office of the Labor Commissioner establishes and distributes a calendar of observed holidays.  Our holidays include:

• New Year's Day
• Martin Luther King Day
• Presidents’ Day
• Good Friday
• Memorial Day
• Juneteenth*
• Independence Day
• Labor Day
• Indigenous People’s Day
• General Election
• Veterans Day
• Thanksgiving Day
• Christmas Day

In accordance with City policy, a holiday falling on Saturday will be observed the preceding Friday; a holiday falling on Sunday will be observed the following Monday.

In addition to the holidays listed above, employees of the Baltimore City Police Department also observe the following holidays.

• Lincoln’s Birthday (Observed)
• Maryland Day (Civilian Employees Only)
• Defender’s Day

*This holiday is by executive order.

Health Insurance Committee Meeting Minutes
Health Insurance Committee Meeting Minutes January 17, 2024
Health Insurance Committee Meeting Minutes August 2, 2023
Health Insurance Committee Meeting Minutes June 13, 2023