Tag Archives: retirement plan

Top Five Pre-Retirement Goals for NYSLRS Members in 2018

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January is a great time to set goals for the coming year. And setting pre-retirement goals is crucial in planning for a successful retirement. Here are five goals to consider for 2018:

Plan ahead for retirement

1. Choose a sensible savings plan that works for you.There are several ways to save for retirement, including starting a deferred compensation plan like the New York State Deferred Compensation Plan. An important part of developing a savings plan is to start early. The sooner you start saving, the more time your money has to grow. Check out our Weekly Investment Plan chart to see how a weekly investment can grow by age 65.

2. Track your expenses and income. Tracking your current expenses for a month or two will give you a better idea of how much you’re likely to spend in retirement and how much you’ll need to supplement your pension. Use the expense and income worksheets on our website to create a retirement budget. Be sure to include periodic expenses, such as car insurance and property taxes.

3. Request a pension estimate. If you’re within 18 months of your anticipated retirement date, it’s a good idea to request an estimate of what your retirement benefit will be. You can do this by sending us an email using our secure contact form or by calling 1-866-805-0990 (518-474-7736 in the Albany, NY area). If you are not certain that you’ve received credit for all your public service in New York State, you can submit a Request for Estimate form (RS6030) and be sure to provide detailed information about your public employment in section eight of the form. If your planned retirement date is farther away, you may want to use our online Benefit Calculator. This estimates your pension based on information you provide, so have your Member Annual Statement handy before you start, or sign in to your Retirement Online account to check your current service credit.

4. Pay off any NYSLRS loans. An outstanding loan balance at retirement will permanently reduce your NYSLRS retirement benefit. You cannot make loan payments after you retire, and the pension reduction does not go away after we recover the balance of the loan. Visit the Loans page on our website for information about making additional payments or increasing your loan payment amount.

5. Consider seeking the advice of a financial planner. Financial planners don’t manage your money, but can help you assess your present financial condition and develop a practical plan to meet your specific goals and needs. Also consider doing your own research by seeking Do-It-Yourself financial planning guides on the web.

If you ever have any retirement-related questions, please contact us.

ERS Tiers 1 and 2: The New Career Plan

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Did you become a member of the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) before July 1, 1973? If you’re still working in public service, you’re one of the 3,508 active members in Tier 1. If you joined after July 1, 1973 but before July 27, 1976, then you’re one of 4,127 active members in Tier 2.

Most ERS Tier 1 and Tier 2 members are in the New Career Plan (Section 75-h or 75-i). Currently, 96 percent of active Tier 1 members and almost 95 percent of active Tier 2 members are covered by this plan. Here’s a quick look at the benefits in the New Career Plan:

Benefit Eligibility

Tier 1

  • Members must be at least age 55 to be eligible to collect a retirement benefit.
  • There are no minimum service requirements — they may collect full benefits at age 55.

New Career Plan — ERS Tier 1

Tier 2

  • Members must have five years of service and be at least age 55 to be eligible to collect a retirement benefit.
  • The full benefit age is 62.
  • Almost 95 percent of active Tier 2 members are covered by the New Career Plan (Section 75-h or 75-i).

New Career Plan — ERS Tier 2

Final Average Salary

Final average salary (FAS) is the average of the wages earned in the three highest consecutive years of employment. For Tier 1 members who joined NYSLRS June 17, 1971 or later, each year used in the FAS calculation is limited to no more than 20 percent above the previous year’s earnings. For Tier 2 members, each year of earnings is limited to no more than 20 percent above the average of the previous two years’ earnings.

Benefit Calculations

  • For Tier 1 and 2 members, the benefit is 1.66 percent of the FAS for each year of service if the member retires with less than 20 years. If the member retires with 20 or more years of service, the benefit is 2 percent of the FAS for each year of service.
  • Tier 1 members and Tier 2 members with 30 or more years of service can retire as early as age 55 with no reduction in benefits.
  • Both Tier 1 and Tier 2 members who worked continuously from April 1, 1999 through October 1, 2000 receive an extra month of service credit for each year of credited service they have at retirement, up to a maximum of 24 additional months.

If you have questions about the New Career Plan, please read the Tier 1 plan publication or the Tier 2 plan publication. You can find other plan publications on our website.

NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time: ERS Tier 1

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When you joined the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), you were assigned to a tier based on the date of your membership. There are six tiers in the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and five in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) — so there are many different ways to determine benefits for our members. Our series, NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time, walks through each tier and gives you a quick look at the benefits members are eligible for before and at retirement.

One of our smallest tiers is ERS Tier 1, which represents 0.7 percent of NYSLRS’ total membership. Overall, there are 4,520 ERS Tier 1 members. Today’s post looks at the major Tier 1 retirement plan in ERS – the New Career Plan (Section 75-h or 75-i).
ERS-Tier-1-Benefits_001
If you’re an ERS Tier 1 member in an alternate plan, you can find your retirement plan publication below for more detailed information about your benefits:

Be on the lookout for more NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time posts. Want to learn more about the different NYSLRS retirement tiers? Check out some earlier posts in the series:

NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time: ERS Tier 2

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When you joined the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), you were assigned to a tier based on the date of your membership. There are six tiers in the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and five in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) – so there are many different ways to determine benefits for our members. Our series, NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time, walks through each tier and gives you a quick look at the benefits members are eligible for before and at retirement.

NYSLRS created Tier 2 on July 1, 1973, marking the first time NYSLRS created any new member group. Today’s post looks at one of the major Tier 2 retirement plans in ERS. ERS Tier 2 as a whole represents less than one percent of NYSLRS’ total membership.

ERS-Tier-2-Benefits_001aIf you’re an ERS Tier 2 member in an alternate plan, you can find your retirement plan publication below for more detailed information about your benefits:

Be on the lookout for more NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time posts. Next time, we’ll take a look at another ERS tier. Want to learn more about the different NYSLRS retirement tiers? Check out some earlier posts in the series:

NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time: PFRS Tier 1

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When you joined the New York State and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), you were assigned to a tier based on the date of your membership. There are six tiers in the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) and five in the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) – so there are many different ways to determine benefits for our members. Our series, NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time, walks through each tier and gives you a quick look at the benefits members are eligible for before and at retirement.

Today’s post looks at Tier 1 in the Police and Fire Retirement System, which has only 123 members. PFRS Tier 1 represents the smallest percentage – 0.4 percent – of NYSLRS’ total membership.

PFRS-Tier-1-Benefits_002

If you’re a PFRS Tier 1 member, you can find your retirement plan publication below for more detailed information about your benefits:

Be on the lookout for more NYSLRS – One Tier at a Time posts. Next time, we’ll take a look at another one of our ERS tiers. Want to learn more about the different NYSLRS retirement tiers? Check out some earlier posts in the series:

Change Your Mind, or Plans? Here’s How to Withdraw a NYSLRS Retirement Application

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Even though you’ve been preparing for retirement, sometimes certain life events happen and you may find yourself in a position where you just aren’t ready to retire. In some cases, this can happen right after you’ve already filed your NYSLRS retirement application. Don’t panic – you can pull your retirement application at any time before your retirement date.

How Can I Stop a Retirement Application I’ve Already Submitted?

To withdraw your application, you can either submit the Withdrawal of Application for Service Retirement (RS6354) form or send us a signed letter indicating you wish to withdraw your retirement application. Please include your name, address and registration number and/or the last four digits of your Social Security number in your letter.

Filing Forms with the Comptroller

Filing a form to withdraw your service retirement application is just like filing a form to apply for a service retirement. For any form to be considered “filed with the Comptroller,” it must be received by:

We will consider a form filed on the day you deliver it personally or when the Post Office delivers it to us. If you are concerned about meeting a deadline, you can mail the document via “Certified Mail – Return Receipt Requested” and we will consider it filed on the date it was mailed. You can also send the document to us via fax, but you must still mail us the original to meet the filing requirement. Please see our Contact Us page for more information.

Please keep in mind that if your retirement withdrawal is filed on or after your effective date of retirement, it is invalid and you will be officially retired.

When We Receive Your Retirement Withdrawal

Once we receive your request to withdraw your retirement application, we’ll send you an acknowledgment letter and also notify your employer, but we strongly encourage you to let your employer know immediately of your decision. That will help you and your employer avoid any unnecessary termination processing.

When Your Circumstances Change

When you’re ready to retire, you’ll need to file a new Application for Service Retirement (RS6037) form. Your application must be on file with us at least 15 days, but not more than 90 days, before your new retirement date.

Contact us if you have any questions about withdrawing your retirement application or any other retirement-related topic you might have.