Know your retirement plan

s a member of the New York State and Local Retirement System, which administers the Employees’ Retirement System, you have a retirement plan based on your tier (determined by your membership date) and job title. The publication associated with your retirement plan provides comprehensive information about your benefits.

• Sign in to Retirement Online: bit.ly/RO-sign-in
• Find your tier and benefit plan code, located in the ‘My Account Summary’ section of your Account Homepage.
• Go to our Find Your Retirement Plan Publication page: bit.ly/plan-publication
• Type in your benefit plan code (for most members, the code will be “A15”).
• Click the publication link for your ERS retirement plan and tier.

How service credit factors into your pension. Service credit is one of the main factors in determining your pension benefit amount. Find out how you earn service credit whether you work full-time or part-time, and how to purchase credit for previous public employment or military service.

Your pension benefit calculation. Your pension benefit calculation depends on how many years of service you have and your age at retirement. Learning your pension calculation milestones is an important step in helping you plan for a financially secure retirement.

Disability and death benefits. If you are no longer able to perform your job because of a medical condition, you may be eligible for a disability retirement. When you die, your survivors may be eligible for a death benefit.

It’s a good idea to bookmark the link to your publication. Periodically, plan information is updated to reflect changes in the Retirement and Social Security Law.