[ Your TRS Pension ]
Know your service milestones

Although retirement isn’t on your horizon yet, several important milestones occur over the next few years. Your death benefit coverage begins after one year of continuous service credit, entitling your designated beneficiary to both the balance of your member contributions and a death benefit if you die before retiring. After two years of service credit, you’re eligible to purchase prior service credit. And at five years of service credit, your pension is vested, meaning it’s guaranteed.
For details, visit the active members/service milestones page at nystrs.org for specifics.
It’s always a good idea to read your annual benefit profile when you receive it toward the end of the year. Check that your beneficiary designation and NYSTRS records are current and correct. To update your beneficiaries, log in to your MyNYSTRS account and visit the my retirement/beneficiaries page, or file a notarized Designation of Beneficiary for In-Service or Post Retirement Paragraph 2 Death Benefit (NET-11.4) form at nystrs.org.

