Find Your Retirement Plan Publication

Your retirement plan publication is an essential resource that explains your NYSLRS benefits in detail — how long you’ll need to work to receive a pension, how your benefit is determined, what death and disability benefits may be available and more. You should consult it throughout your career, but it’s especially important to read as you prepare for retirement.

finding your retirement plan publication

Finding Your Retirement Plan Publication

NYSLRS administers two retirement systems, six membership tiers and many retirement plans that are described in dozens of retirement plan publications. We want to make sure you find the specific retirement plan information that pertains to you, which is why we have a new tool to help you Find Your NYSLRS Retirement Plan Publication. To use it, you just need to know your retirement plan code. You can find your code in the ‘My Account Summary’ section of your Retirement Online account homepage, or check the second page of your latest Member Annual Statement. You also can also use the new tool to search for your plan publication by retirement system, tier and occupation type (uniformed or non-uniformed).

Looking Up Your Plan Milestones

Once you have found your publication, check to see what minimum age or service milestones you’ll need to reach to receive your pension. Most retirement plans allow for full pension benefits at 62 (63 for Tier 6 members) or a reduced benefit starting at age 55. Members in some plans can apply for their pension once they reach 20 or 25 years of service credit, regardless of age.

The years of service credit you earn may also change the calculation of your pension. For example, the percentage of earnings used to determine your retirement benefit may increase once you reach certain milestones — such as when you have 20 years of credited service — but that depends on what retirement plan you are in.

Knowing your plan-specific age and service requirements can help you decide when to retire and anticipate the income your benefit would provide in retirement. If you want to work until a certain age or need to earn a specific amount of service, now you can set that goal and prepare accordingly.  

For more detailed information on what you can find in your plan publication, check out our blog post, How to Read Your Retirement Plan Booklet.

Help for New Members

New NYSLRS members may also be interested in our New Member webpage. This page collects several resources that can help you understand your NYSLRS membership and pension.

7 thoughts on “Find Your Retirement Plan Publication

    1. NYSLRS Post author

      The post-retirement benefit is a percentage of the benefit available during your working years. You can find general information about death benefits on our website and information by tier and plan in your retirement plan publication.

      If you’re eligible for a post-retirement death benefit, your death benefit amounts should have been provided to you in a letter when you retired. If you no longer have this letter, you can request a reprint by calling our customer service representatives at 1-866-805-0990, pressing 2 and following the prompts. You can also email them using our secure email form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.

      Reply
      1. Donna lyman

        Let’s say your death benefit is more than your small pension would be as a vested member . As soon as you retire that death benefit splices in half. I say just hold particularly if you’re not feeling too good . Lol.

        Reply
    1. NYSLRS

      You don’t need your NYSLRS ID number to find your retirement plan publication.

      If you are an active member (not retired), you can find your NYSLRS ID in your Member Annual Statement. You can also get your NYSLRS ID number by calling our customer service representatives at 1-866-805-0990 or emailing them using our secure email form. Filling out the secure form allows them to safely contact you about your personal account information.

      Reply
  1. Rose finizio

    Do I have to speak with someone at nys retirement services to find out what exactly pi’s covered with my health insurance?

    Reply
    1. NYSLRS

      NYSLRS doesn’t administer health insurance programs for its retirees. The New York State Department of Civil Service administers the New York State Health Insurance Program (NYSHIP) for New York State retirees. You can contact the Department of Civil Service or visit the Civil Service website to learn more. 

      If you retired from a public employer other than New York State (a county, city, town, village or school district), your former employer’s benefits administrator should be able to answer your questions.

      Reply

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