You've carefully prepared for your retirement — you understand your retirement benefits, have a good idea of what your benefit will be, prepared a post-retirement budget and decided on a retirement date. You're ready to retire. What comes next?
You must apply to receive your New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System benefit by completing and filing an Application for Service Retirement (RS6037). You can download an application from our website, www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/forms/rs6037.pdf, or get one from your employer, our Call Center or one of our consultation sites (www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/consultation_site_offices/index.php).
Your application must be on file with NYSLRS at least 15 days, but not more than 90 days, before your date of retirement. You can file your application by mailing it to NYSLRS, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12244-0001 or by delivering it in person to one of our consultation sites. Please do not give your employer your application — file it directly with us.
Generally, an application is considered filed when we receive it. However, if you need to meet a filing deadline, you can mail your application by certified mail. In that case, we will consider your application filed on the date you mail it.
Please list all your public employment, including military service, and any memberships in other New York state public retirement systems on the application. This helps ensure that you receive the proper credit for your public service. We also ask you to list an intended beneficiary so we can provide you with information about all the payment options available to you. This is not a beneficiary designation and does not change any beneficiaries you may have on file. Since your application is a legal document, you must sign it and a notary public must witness your signature.
You will also need to provide us with proof of your birth date and, depending on the payment option you will choose, proof of your beneficiary's birth date. The most common documents we accept are birth certificates, passports, military discharge papers and New York state drivers licenses issued after 2004. You can submit proof of your birth date along with your retirement application, but if you don't have an acceptable document, don't delay filing your application.
For additional information, you can watch our Preparing for Retirement video series at www.nyretirementnews.com/category/videos/ and read our publication, Life Changes: How Do I Prepare to Retire? at www.osc.state.ny.us/retire/publications/vo1709.php. If you have any questions, please email us or contact our Call Center at 866-805-0990 (or 518-474-7736 in the Albany, N.Y. area).
Every month state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, sole trustee of the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System, provides information on the system, which delivers retirement benefits to many NYSUT School-Related Professionals and other support staff. If you are an ERS member with a question of general interest, email united@nysutmail.org.
For immediate assistance, contact the ERS Call Center toll-free at 866-805-0990, or 518-474-7736 in the Capital District area.