As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 24, 2012

Securities Act of 1933 Registration No. 33-73404

Investment Company Act of 1940 Registration No. 811-08236

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933	x
Pre-Effective Amendment No.	¨
Post-Effective Amendment No. 92	x

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940	x
Amendment No. 94	x

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

NORTHERN FUNDS

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

50 South LaSalle Street

Chicago, Illinois 60603

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

800-595-9111

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code)

Name and Address of Agent for Service:	with a copy to:
Diana E. McCarthy, Esq.	Craig R. Carberry, Esq., Secretary
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP	The Northern Trust Company
One Logan Square, Suite 2000	50 South LaSalle Street, MB-09
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103-6996	Chicago, Illinois 60603

It Is Proposed That This Filing Become Effective (Check Appropriate Box):

x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ on (date) pursuant to paragraph (b)

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

¨ On (date) pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485

If appropriate, check the following box:

¨ This post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post- effective amendment.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all the requirements for effectiveness of this Post-Effective Amendment No. 92 pursuant to Rule 485(b) under the Securities Act and has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 92 to its Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Chicago and State of Illinois on the 24^th day of October, 2012.

NORTHERN FUNDS
By:	/s/ Lloyd A. Wennlund
	Lloyd A. Wennlund
	President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act, this Post-Effective Amendment No. 92 to Registrant’s Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

Name	Title	Date
/s/ Lloyd A. Wennlund	President (Principal Executive Officer)	October 24, 2012
Lloyd A. Wennlund
/s/ Randal Rein	Treasurer	October 24, 2012
Randal Rein	(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)
* William L. Bax	Trustee	October 24, 2012
William L. Bax
* Edward J. Condon, Jr.	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Edward J. Condon, Jr.
* Sharon Gist Gilliam	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Sharon Gist Gilliam
* Sandra Polk Guthman	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Sandra Polk Guthman
* Michael H. Moskow	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Michael H. Moskow
* Stephen N. Potter	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Stephen N. Potter
* Mary Jacobs Skinner	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Mary Jacobs Skinner
* Richard P. Strubel	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Richard P. Strubel
* Casey J. Sylla	Trustee	October 24, 2012
Casey J. Sylla

By:	/s/ Lloyd A. Wennlund
	Lloyd A. Wennlund
	Attorney-in-fact

* Pursuant to a power of attorney incorporated by reference (Accession No. 0001193125-12-310485)

Exhibit Index

Exhibit No.	Description
EX-101. INS	XBRL Instance Document
EX-101.SCH	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
EX-101.CAL	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase
EX-101.DEF	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase
EX-101.LAB	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase
EX-101.PRE	XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase