Monthly Archives: November 2020

Your Contributions to NYSLRS

Most NYSLRS members contribute a percentage of their earnings to the Retirement System. Over time, those contributions, with interest, can add up to a tidy sum. But what happens to that money? Will you get your contributions back when you retire? The answer to that question is “no.” Let’s look at what happens to your NYSLRS contributions.

How NYSLRS Retirement Plans Work

NYSLRS plans are defined benefit pension plans. Once you’re vested, you’re entitled to a lifetime benefit that will be based on your years of service and final average earnings. The amount of your contributions does not determine the amount of your pension. (Use Retirement Online to estimate your pension.)

Your NYSLRS plan differs from defined contribution plans, such as a 401-k plan, which are essentially retirement savings plans. In those plans, a worker, their employer, or both contribute to an individual retirement account. The money is invested and hopefully accumulates investment returns over time. This type of plan does not provide a guaranteed lifetime benefit and there is the risk that the money will run out during the worker’s retirement years. Experts recommend that workers who have defined contribution plans contribute anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of their income to their plan. NYSLRS members, in contrast, contribute between 3 and 6 percent of their income, depending on their tier and retirement plan.

Where Your Contributions Go

When you retire, your contributions go into the New York State Common Retirement Fund. The Fund is the pool of money that is invested and used to pay retirement benefits for you and other NYSLRS members.

contributions

Your Contribution Balance

You can find your current contribution balance in Retirement Online. But if your contributions don’t determine your pension, what difference does it make what the balance is? For one thing, your contribution balance helps determine the amount you can borrow if you decide to take a loan from NYSLRS. Also, you may be able to withdraw your contributions, with interest, if you leave the public workforce before retirement age.

Withdrawing Your Contributions

You cannot withdraw your contributions while you are still working for a public employer in New York State. If you leave public employment with less than ten years of service, you can withdraw your contributions, plus interest. If you withdraw, you will not be eligible for a NYSLRS retirement benefit.

If you have more than ten years of service, you cannot withdraw, but you will be entitled to a pension when you reach retirement age. But remember, you will not receive this pension automatically; you must file a retirement application before you can receive any benefit.

Retirees: Be Sure We Have Your Current Email and Mailing Address

Retirees should make sure their mailing address is current before the end of 2022 in order to receive important information from NYSLRS in the coming year. We’ll be mailing 1099-R tax documents in late January and Retiree Annual Statements in February.

Remember, if you file an address change order with the Post Office, they will only forward your mail for a limited time.

If you don’t already have an email address on file, please provide one so we can contact you quickly if we need to notify you about important information such as a change to your benefits. Make sure the email address you use is a personal email address that you have access to when you are retired (rather than a work email address) and remember to keep it up to date.

You can also choose to have account updates sent to you electronically instead of by mail. From your Account Homepage, click the “Update” link next to ‘Contact by’ and select Email as your correspondence preference. When there’s an update to your account, NYSLRS will send you an email to let you know you can sign in to Retirement Online to view it.

Check and Update Your Contact Information With Retirement Online

Retirement Online is the fast and convenient way to check your mailing address, phone number and email address, and update them if needed. ­­If you don’t already have an account, go to the Sign In page and click “Sign Up” under the ‘Customer Sign In’ button. (Need help with Retirement Online? See this post for handy tips.)

update your mailing address and contact info in Retirement Online

Other Ways to Update Your Mailing Address

There are other ways to update the mailing address we have on file for you.

By Email
If your new address is not a PO box or international address, you can email your address change information using the secure contact form on our website. Be sure to complete all form fields and provide your old and new addresses.

By Phone
For street addresses within the United States, you can call us toll-free 866-805-0990 (518-474-7736 in the Albany, New York area). Business hours are Monday through Friday, from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm. You will need to answer some questions to confirm your identity before we update your contact information in our records.

By Mail
You can complete and submit a change of address form by mail. (You’ll need this form if your new address is a PO box or an international address.) Mail your completed form to:

NYSLRS
110 State Street
Albany, NY 12244-0001