Tag Archives: contact information

Retirement Online for Retirees Just Got Better

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More than 495,000 members and retirees have discovered that Retirement Online is a secure, convenient way to do business with NYSLRS. Now retirees can do even more online.

Retirement Online for Retirees

Check out these new features in Retirement Online for retirees:

Retirement Online for Retirees – New FeatureManage Your Direct Deposit

Ninety-six percent of NYSLRS retirees already receive their pension payments with direct deposit. Now you can use Retirement Online to securely update your bank account information. Whether you’ve switched banks or just need to update your bank account information, you can make those changes online.

If you’re still receiving your pension by mailed paper check, sign up for direct deposit through Retirement Online and get your money faster.

Retirement Online for Retirees – New FeatureView a “Pay Stub” of Your Pension Payment.

You can access full “pay stubs” for your payments from January 2023 onward by clicking the date of the payment you want to view. You can track year-to-date totals and any deductions for health insurance, union dues, tax withholding or disbursements under a domestic relations order. NYSLRS will also send you a notice whenever your net payment amount changes.

Other Retirement Online Features for Retirees

These new features add to what you can already do with Retirement Online:

Update Your Contact Information
Moving? Changing your phone number or email address? It’s easy to keep NYSLRS updated so you won’t have to worry about missing important news and information about your benefits.

You can schedule an address change so you’ll get NYSLRS mail at your seasonal home without interruption.

Manage Your Beneficiaries
Eligible retirees can change their beneficiary for their post-retirement death benefit or change the contact information for an existing beneficiary.

Retirement Online makes it easy to view your beneficiary selections and submit changes instantly.

Coming In 2024 — Print Your Own 1099-R

In January 2024, you will be able to view, download and print your 1099-R tax form in Retirement Online (starting with the 1099-R for your 2023 pension earnings).

Also, starting this summer, you’ll have the option to sign up to receive an email notification each January as soon as your 1099-R is ready to view in Retirement Online. From your account, you’ll be able to download and print the form rather than waiting to receive it in the mail.

If You Don’t Have an Account, Sign Up Today

If you don’t have a Retirement Online account, now is a great time to sign up. Click “Sign Up” on our Retirement Online Sign In page to get started. If you need help, we have step-by-step instructions on registering for your account and how to sign in for the first time. You may also find our Retirement Online Tools and Tips blog post helpful.

Already have an account? Sign in and make sure your email and mailing address are current to ensure that you receive important information from NYSLRS in the coming year.

If it’s been a while, you may need to look up your username or reset your password. If you still need assistance, call our customer service representatives at 866-805-0990, press 2 to access the retiree menu, follow the prompts, and then press 1 for Retirement Online assistance.

Make Sure You Receive Your Member Annual Statement

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Member Annual Statements are distributed to NYSLRS members each spring. It’s important that you make sure your contact information is correct to ensure you receive your Statement, which you can access in Retirement Online or have mailed to you.

Note for retirees: Retiree Annual Statements were mailed at the end of February.

Use Retirement Online to Check and Update Your Contact Information

The fastest way to check your contact information, and update it if needed, is through Retirement Online. Sign in to your Retirement Online account, go to the ‘My Profile Information’ area of your Account Homepage and click “update” next to your mailing address or email address to make corrections. Use a personal email, not a work email address.

Member Annual Statement

If you need assistance with Retirement Online, please call our Customer Service Representatives at 866-805-0990.

You can also update your contact information using our secure contact form. Be sure to complete all fields and provide your old and new contact information.

If your new mailing address is a PO Box, you must update your address in Retirement Online or complete and mail us a Change of Address Form (RS5512).

Your employer can’t update your NYSLRS contact information. So even if you updated it with your employer, you’ll need to update it with NYSLRS too.

Get Your Member Annual Statement Faster

You’ll receive your Member Annual Statement faster if you choose to receive it through Retirement Online. If you choose this option, you’ll receive an email that directs you to Retirement Online to see your Statement once it’s ready. To change your Statement delivery preference, go to the ‘My Profile Information’ area of your Retirement Online Account Homepage and click “update” next to ‘Member Annual Statement by.’

You can also receive other NYSLRS correspondence through Retirement Online by clicking “update” next to ‘Contact by.’ If you choose ‘Mail’ or don’t select a preference, you will receive letters by mail. Note: For security purposes, certain correspondence will only be sent by mail.

Please share this post with friends, family or coworkers who are NYSLRS members so they can also review their contact information.

A Short To-Do List for After You Retire

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There are a few things you should do regarding your NYSLRS benefits after you retire. This way, wherever your retirement takes you, we can continue to provide you with the benefits and services available to our retirees.

A Short To-Do List for After You Retire

Sign Up for Retirement Online

If you don’t already have a Retirement Online account, this is a great time to sign up. Retirement Online provides a secure and convenient way to check important NYSLRS information, like the deductions from your latest payment and a summary of your benefits. You can also view or update beneficiary information and generate pension income verification letters right from your computer. We’ll be adding additional online features for retirees in the near future, so stay tuned.

Have New Contact Information? Let Us Know

If you move after you retire, let NYSLRS know your new address so you can be sure to get important communications about your benefits.

The Post Office usually won’t forward pension checks to another address. If you haven’t already, you can sign up for our direct deposit program. It’s the safe, hassle-free way to receive your monthly benefit. But there are other things you’ll want to receive from us after you retire, such as:

  • Your 1099-R form. Your pension isn’t taxed by New York State, but it is subject to federal income tax.
  • Your Retiree Annual Statement. It’s a helpful reference that spells out the benefits, credits and deductions you receive each year.
  • Any official notifications such as a net change in your benefits.
  • Your Retiree Notes newsletter.

There are several ways to update your address. The fastest way is through Retirement Online. Or, you can complete our secure contact form for street addresses within the United States. Be sure to fill out the entire contact form and provide both your old and new addresses.

You can also complete a Change of Address Form (RS5512) and mail it to:

NYSLRS
110 State Street
Albany, NY 12244-0001

You should also make sure we have your current email address. Having an email address on file means we can contact you quickly if we need to notify you about an update to your NYSLRS benefits. If you haven’t updated your email address with NYSLRS, update it in Retirement Online, send it to us using the secure email form or send it to us with your Change of Address Form (RS5512).

Keep Your Beneficiary Information Current

Reviewing your beneficiary designations periodically is important. By keeping them up to date, you ensure that any post-retirement death benefit will be distributed to your loved ones according to your wishes. You can use Retirement Online to change your death benefit beneficiaries at any time, or contact our Call Center and we will send you the necessary form.

Read Our Guide for Retirees

Check out our publication, Life Changes: A Guide for Retirees (VO1705), for information about other benefits you may be entitled to and the services we offer after you retire.

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

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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

NYSLRS

Doing Business with NYSLRS from Home

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When we first launched Retirement Online, we were proud to provide our members and retirees a new, convenient way to review their benefit information and do business with NYSLRS. But as a result of recent upgrades, Retirement Online now offers a variety of time-saving features that make doing business from home a snap.

Doing Business with NYSLRS from Home

What Can You Do in Retirement Online?

Retirement Online gives you an easy and secure way to review your NYSLRS benefit information and conduct transactions in real time. In many cases, you can use Retirement Online instead of sending forms through the mail or calling NYSLRS. Here’s a quick look at some of its features:

  • Update Contact Information
    Do you have a new mailing address, email address or phone number? Make sure NYSLRS can get in touch with you by updating your contact information.
  • Update Your Beneficiary Information
    You can designate beneficiaries for your death benefits, and also make updates to existing beneficiaries.
  • Create a Pension Verification Letter or Mortgage Letter
    If you’re a retiree and need to provide proof of your retirement income, you can generate and print an income verification letter from your account. If you’re a member and need to verify your retirement account information, you can generate and print a mortgage letter when you need it.
  • Update Your Last Name
    If you changed your last name recently, you can change it online instead of submitting a Name Change form.
  • Change Your Correspondence Preference
    Would you prefer to receive emails from NYSLRS instead of mail? You can update your correspondence preference and receive an email notification from NYSLRS whenever we have updated information to send you. (Please note that some information, such as tax forms, will be sent by mail for security purposes.)
  • Estimate Your Pension (Members Only)
    You can estimate your pension benefit based on up-to-date account information, then save or print the estimate for your records.
  • Manage Loan and Service Credit Payments (Members Only)
    Need to pay back a loan or purchase service credit? You can adjust your payment amount or make a lump sum payment.
  • Apply for Retirement
    Ready to retire? You can file your service retirement application right from home.
  • Apply for a Loan (Members Only)
    Eligible members can apply online to take a loan out against their NYSLRS contributions.

If you don’t already have a Retirement Online account, sign up today. If you need help with Retirement Online, please refer to our Retirement Online Tools and Tips blog post.