Tag Archives: retirement application

Apply for Retirement in Retirement Online

Ready to retire? Retirement Online makes it fast and convenient to apply for retirement. There are no forms to mail in and nothing to have notarized. If you don’t already have an account, sign up today.

As a reminder, you must submit your application 15 – 90 days before your retirement date. Before you apply for retirement, make sure you have proof of your date of birth on hand. If you choose a pension payment option that leaves a lifetime benefit to a beneficiary when you die, we will need proof of their birth date too.

Retirement Online Makes It Fast and Convenient to Apply for Retirement

From there, you’ll go through a series of screens where you’ll be able to:

  • Choose a retirement date;
  • Get an estimate of your pension and the payment options available to you;
  • Select a payment option;
  • Enter federal tax withholding information;
  • Sign up for direct deposit (have your bank account information ready);
  • Upload required documents, such as proof of date of birth;
  • Pay off your NYSLRS loan or service credit purchase; and
  • Review your employment history.

After you click the “Submit” button, make sure you receive a confirmation message that your retirement application has been successfully submitted before closing your browser.

One Exception — Disability Retirement

NYSLRS provides disability benefits for members who are permanently disabled and cannot perform their duties because of a physical or mental condition. Applications for disability retirement can’t be submitted in Retirement Online. Members who wish to apply for a disability retirement need to submit a paper application. Visit our Disability Benefits page for more information.

For Benefit Information, Read Your Retirement Plan Publication

Your service and disability retirement benefits and death benefits are based on your tier, plan, service credit, and other factors. For comprehensive information about your available benefits, find your NYSLRS retirement plan publication.

Countdown to Retirement – 1-3 Months to Go

Congratulations! After years of hard work and planning, the big day is almost here. It’s time to file for retirement.

You must submit your service retirement application 15 to 90 days before your retirement date.

Countdown to Retirement – 1-3 Months to Go

Filing Online

Online filing offers a secure and convenient way to apply for a service retirement benefit. You can upload needed documents instead of having applications notarized and taking them to the post office. You can also check on the status of your application once you submit it through Retirement Online. To get started, sign in to your Retirement Online account, scroll to the ‘My Account Summary’ section and click the “Apply for Retirement” button.

From there, you’ll go through a series of screens where you’ll be able to:

  • Choose your retirement date;
  • Get an estimate of the pension payment options available to you;
  • Select a pension payment option and beneficiary;
  • Have federal taxes withheld;
  • Sign up for direct deposit; and
  • Upload required documents, such as proof of date of birth.

After you click the “Submit” button, do not close your browser until you receive a confirmation message saying your application has been successfully submitted.

Once you submit your application, you will see a summary page that will include all the information that you have submitted through Retirement Online. Review this information to be sure that your online application is complete and your chosen option benefit and beneficiary information are accurate. This is very important since there are specific deadlines for selecting or changing a pension option and beneficiary.

If you don’t have a Retirement Online account, you can sign up today.

Filing by Mail

If you prefer, you can submit a paper retirement application. Complete an Application for Service Retirement (RS6037) and mail it to NYSLRS. (Do not give your retirement application to your employer.) Your application must be signed, notarized, and received by NYSLRS. We recommend that you mail your application “certified mail, return receipt requested.”

If you have received a recent pension estimate and you know which pension payment option you want, you should include your pension payment option form when you mail your retirement application. If you have not received an estimate, we will send you one, along with an option form, after we receive your application, but you must select an option within the deadlines required by law.

If you file by mail, you must also send us the following documents:

 We cannot start paying benefits until we receive proof of your date of birth.

If you have questions about filing for your retirement benefits, you can schedule a pre-retirement telephone consultation. To make an appointment, call 1-866-805-0990 (or 518-474-7736 in the Albany, NY area), press 2, then follow the prompts.

Read the Rest of Our Countdown to Retirement Series

This is the final installment of our Countdown to Retirement series. Missed our earlier posts? Catch up with them here:

What Happens After You File for Retirement

The day has finally come — you filed for retirement. You submitted your retirement application through Retirement Online (or mailed a paper retirement application) and now you’re looking forward to your first pension payment. Here’s what to expect next.

Submit Any Additional Paperwork

After you file for retirement, we will send you and your employer an acknowledgement letter, which will list your retirement date. We may reach out to you for additional information to complete the retirement process — what option you selected, what federal tax to withhold, and your banking information for electronic payments.

file for retirement

Fortunately, if you used Retirement Online, you were able to select your payment option, provide tax withholding information, and enroll in our Direct Deposit Program when you completed the online application.

If you mailed a paper application and did not include this information, we’ll send you the necessary forms to fill out and send back to us. The forms are also available on our website if you want to print your own:

  • W-4P form: If you don’t submit a W-4P, we’ll withhold federal taxes based on the status “married with three dependents.” You can change your withholding at any time.
  • Direct Deposit Enrollment form: We encourage you to sign up for direct deposit, so you’ll have safe and reliable access to your pension payments on the last business day of each month. Paper checks are mailed on the second to last business day of each month and may take longer to receive.
  • Option Election form: If you haven’t received a pension estimate from our office in the past 18 months, you don’t need to include your pension payment option election when you file a paper application — you can wait until after you review an estimate to choose an option. We’ll send you an estimate, along with an option election form, after we receive your retirement application.

Receive Your First Payment

Once NYSLRS receives your retirement application, we will determine your initial pension benefit amount based on the earnings and service information we have on file at the time of your retirement.

Most NYSLRS retirees get their first pension payment at the end of the month following the month they retire. Please note: we cannot send your first payment until we have proof of your date of birth. A copy of your New York driver’s license, birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers are acceptable proofs. If you didn’t have proof of date of birth available when you submitted your retirement application, you can email us a copy by attaching it to our secure contact form or upload it using Retirement Online.

Possible Adjustments to Your Pension

If we receive additional payroll information from your employer, such as eligible lump sum payments, a retroactive pay increase or lagged regular earnings, we may need to adjust your pension payment.

Because of the many variables that are often involved in verifying service and salary details with your former employer, finalizing your retirement benefit amount can take some time. The time this takes depends on the complexity of your circumstances. For example, if you worked for multiple public employers, it may take longer to pull together all your earnings information. Also, if you are transferring service from another retirement system, filing a Domestic Relations Order or are seeking to purchase past service credit, you should expect a delay in receiving a finalized pension amount.

Once we have all the information we need, we’ll recalculate your pension amount. In most cases, your initial payments will be very close to the final benefit amount, but if your payment increases, you will receive a retroactive payment for the amount you are owed back to your date of retirement (the difference between your initial payments and your final retirement benefit amount).