Retirement Online is the fastest way to manage your NYSLRS account. Skip printing forms, having them notarized and sending them through the mail. When you submit your requests online, NYSLRS has them immediately, and your changes will be completed more quickly. It’s convenient and secure. Also, your important documents will be available online, sooner than printed copies are mailed.

View Your Account Information

Sign in to Retirement Online for easy access to your account information.

On your Account Homepage, you can find your:

• Retirement date;
• Monthly benefit amount after credits and deductions;
• Payment method; and
• The date of the last payment you received.

Update Your Contact Information

It’s important we have your current contact information so you receive the tax information, news, correspondence and statements we send you.

To update your contact information:

• Look under My Profile Information.
• Click update next to email address, mailing address or phone number.

You can even schedule an address change, so you’ll get NYSLRS mail at your seasonal home without interruption. Select or enter the effective date in the Change As Of field.

Get Email Notifications for Important Documents

You can help us ‘go green’ and reduce paper waste by choosing email as your delivery preference for correspondence and other important documents. When you have something to view, we’ll send an email notifying you to sign in to Retirement Online. And it will save time—you’ll get access to your important documents sooner than printed copies are mailed.

To update your delivery preferences:

• Look under My Profile Information.
• Click update next to ‘Contact by,’ ‘1099-R Tax Form Delivery by’ or ‘Retiree Annual Statement by.’
• Choose Email from dropdown.

Be sure the email address listed in your profile is current.

If you choose email as your delivery preference, you will not receive a printed copy in the mail.

View Your Pension Pay Stubs

Your pension pay stub gives you valuable insight into your monthly pension payment, including a breakdown of credits and deductions. Throughout the year, you can access your pay stubs online to see year-to-date totals.  

To view your pension pay stubs:

• Look under I want to… (located at the top right).
• Click View Pension Check link.
• Select date of the pension payment to view.

Change Your Direct Deposit Information

Whether you’ve switched banks or need to move your deposits to a different account, you can make those changes quickly with Retirement Online. Your changes will generally be applied to your next month’s pension payments.

To update your direct deposit information:

• Look under I want to… (located at the top right).
• Click Update Direct Deposit link.
• Follow steps to update your bank account number and routing number.

Not using direct deposit yet? Don’t wait to receive a check in the mail—direct deposit is fast, convenient and secure. Sign up for direct deposit now and get your money sooner.

Adjust Your Federal Tax Withholding

Retirement Online is the fastest and most convenient way to complete the W-4P Form and update your federal tax withholding for your NYSLRS pension.

• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click Update My W-4P Tax Information button.
• Follow steps to update your withholding.

If you update your federal tax withholding online by the middle of the month, your changes will generally be applied to that month’s pension payment.

For more information, including instructions for updating your withholding, visit our Taxes and Your Pension page.

Get Your 1099-R Tax Form

While your NYSLRS pension is not subject to New York State or local income tax, most NYSLRS pensions are subject to federal income tax. Each year, we provide a 1099-R tax form with the information you need to file your taxes. We mail printed 1099-Rs by January 31. However, we make 1099-Rs available in Retirement Online sooner than printed copies are mailed.

To view, save or print your 1099-R tax form:

• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click Manage My 1099-R Tax Forms button.
• Select an option from Year dropdown.
• Click Generate button.

Generate a Pension Income Verification Letter

Some organizations may ask for a letter verifying your pension income—maybe for housing or as part of an application for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP). Retirement Online is the fastest way to get a pension income verification letter.

• Look under I want to… (located at the top right).
• Click Generate an Income Verification Letter link.

Manage Your Beneficiaries

Most NYSLRS retirement plans provide a post-retirement death benefit for beneficiaries of eligible retirees who die after retiring directly from service or within one year of leaving public employment.

It’s a good idea to review your beneficiaries from time to time to make sure they reflect your current wishes. The beneficiary you named before might not be the one you would choose today. You should also review the contact information for your named beneficiaries so we can find them when needed.

To add or remove beneficiaries or update their contact information:

• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click View and Update My Beneficiaries button.

Get Your Retiree Annual Statement

Your Retiree Annual Statement provides a year-end summary of your pension payments for the last calendar year, including the total amount you received and a breakdown of credits, deductions and taxes. We mail printed Retiree Annual Statements by the end of February. However, we make Statements available in Retirement Online sooner than printed copies are mailed.

 To view, save or print your Statement:

• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click View My Retiree Annual Statement button.
• If Retirement System is blank, click Look Up icon and select ERS or PFRS from dialog box.
• Click Look Up icon next to Calendar Year field and select an option from dialog box.
• Click Generate Statement button.

The document will download on to your computer.