IEEE Life Membership and the IEEE Life Members Fund

IEEE "Life" status is an automatic process based on an individual's membership record.

To qualify for Life member status, a member must be at least 65 years of age and have been a member of IEEE or one of its predecessor societies for such a period that the sum of his/her age and his/her years of membership equals or exceeds 100 years. (IEEE Bylaw I-102.2)   

View the various benefits to Life member status

Members who qualify each year will be notified by mail in the fourth quarter of the qualifying year.  

"Life" status will be effective on 1 January of the following year. 

Contact the IEEE Contact Center with questions regarding your IEEE Life member status.

The IEEE Life Members Fund, in coordination with the IEEE Foundation, supports the activities of interest to Life members, potential engineers, and engineering students. It is supported by the generosity of IEEE members. To the maximum extent possible, Life members should financially support the Life Members Fund.  

You can make a donation to the Life Members Fund online.

Life members who donate to the IEEE Life Members Fund will receive a special thank you:

• US$50-99 = IEEE Life members lapel pin;
• US$100 or more = IEEE Life members pewter coaster which commemorates an IEEE Historical Milestone;
• US$150 or more = lapel pin and coaster.

Donors who receive low-cost articles with a fair value exceeding the US IRS threshold will be notified that the tax-deductible amount of their charitable gift(s) has been reduced by the fair value of the items.

Life members represent an invaluable repository of personal experiences involving the history of areas of interest to IEEE. The IEEE Life Members Committee believes that keeping Life members active and engaged is a key component of the success of IEEE in local IEEE activities. In 2010, IEEE Life Members Affinity Groups conducted over 215 events, which included more than 6,300 participants. The Life Members Committee is pleased to announce the Outstanding IEEE Life Members Affinity Groups.

The IEEE History Center's Milestones celebrate technological breakthroughs or turning points. The IEEE Life Member Committee organizes technology-themed tours around a number of these advancements. The 2013 Tech Tour to Canada is currently scheduled for 25 August–3 September 2013, with opportunities to experience the environment and culture of Canada.

Previous tours were to Japan in May 2012, the United Kingdom in May 2011, and the Panama Canal in March 2010.

According to IEEE Bylaws, Life Members (LM) Groups are officially referred to as “Affinity Groups.” The IEEE Life Members Committee refers to these Units as Life Members Groups.