There must be one entire month between the date we receive your application and your retirement date. For example, if your retirement date is March 1, your Retirement Application is due no later than January 31 and your Retirement Election Form is due no later than February 28. You can submit your retirement application as early as 4 months (120 days) prior to your retirement date.

Visit our Ready to Retire page to view the table showing all due dates. You can also find the due dates on p. 6 of the Retirement Guide along with step-by-step instructions for the retirement process. We also encourage you to participate in a Ready to Retire Webinar or Seminar. 

We will mail your MOSERS 1099-R tax form to you by the end of January. After we have mailed it, your MOSERS 1099-R will also be available for you to view and print or save from your Document Express online mailbox after you log in to myMOSERS. This form lists your 2021 pension benefit income from MOSERS. You will need this form to file your income tax return. If you receive more than one benefit from MOSERS, you may receive more than one 1099-R from us. For more information, please see our latest news item regarding 1099-Rs.

Your 1099-R tax form from the MO Deferred Comp Plan will be available in your online account by the fourth week of January 2022. The plan will also mail you a copy no later than January 31, 2022.

A member of MSEP 2011, who leaves state employment after January 1, 2018 but prior to being eligible for early or normal retirement, will get no service credit for unused sick leave. However, a member of MSEP 2011 who remains employed until they reach early or normal retirement eligibility will receive one month of credited service for every 168 hours of unused sick leave.

Unused sick leave cannot be used to determine retirement eligibility – it will not allow you to retire sooner – but it converts to credited service, which can increase your monthly pension benefit. 

Yes, pension benefit payments to your ex-spouse will commence when you begin receiving benefits from MOSERS in accordance with applicable statutes and the Division of Benefits Order(DBO) we have on file for you. Re-marriage of your ex-spouse does not affect their eligibility to receive their portion of your benefit. Upon either your death or the death of your ex-spouse, the DBO will automatically terminate.

See the Divorce and Your Pension Benefit brochure for more information. 

A general state employee who retires directly from active service will receive their first COLA on the anniversary month of their retirement. So, if you retire in August of 2022, you will receive your first COLA in August of 2023. The amount of the COLA for the calendar year is calculated each year in January.  

COLAs are payable on the anniversary of your retirement date except for:

• Retirees who converted from MSEP to MSEP 2000 during the conversion window in 2000 will have COLAs payable in July.
• Retirees who elected a BackDROP will have COLAs payable on the anniversary of their BackDROP date.
• Terminated-vested members of the MSEP 2011 will receive their first COLA on the second anniversary of their retirement (rather than the first anniversary).

We will send you a notice, either in the mail or in your MOSERS Document Express online mailbox, during the month when you get your COLA.

*If you retired under MSEP, and were hired before August 28, 1997, your COLA may be different. See “What is the COLA cap?”

Please see the COLA page on our website for additional information.

This is a great question. Below is a breakdown of the benefit formula.

If you are a general state employee (including college and university employees), when you apply for retirement, your monthly base benefit* is calculated using a formula, as defined by law, that takes into account the following factors:

• Final Average Pay (FAP) – The average of your highest 36 consecutive months of compensation
• Multiplier – The multiplier established by the legislature (1.6% or 0.016 for MSEP; 1.7% or 0.017 for MSEP 2000 and MSEP 2011)
• Credited Service – Your years and months of credited service earned, purchased, or transferred, and unused sick leave (if applicable)

* Base benefit is the amount before any reductions, taxes, or other deductions.

Examples - Using the multiplier for MSEP 2000 or MSEP 2011 retirees:

$3,000 (FAP)   x   0.017 (Multiplier) 15 years (Credited Service)   =   $765 monthly base benefit

$3,500 (FAP)   x   0.017 (Multiplier) 17.5 years (Credited Service)   =   $1,041.25 monthly base benefit

$4,000 (FAP)   x   0.017 (Multiplier) 30 years (Credited Service)   =   $2,040 monthly base benefit

$_____ (FAP)   x   ____ (Multiplier) x ____ years (Credited Service) = $_______ monthly base benefit

There is also the Temporary Benefit, which is available if you retire under the "Rule of 80" (MSEP 2000) or the "Rule of 90" (MSEP 2011), and it provides you with an additional benefit until age 62 along with your base benefit. The formula for the Temporary Benefit is: Final Average Pay (FAP) x .008 (Multiplier) x Credited Service. At age 62, it ends but your base benefit continues.

You can log in to myMOSERS to generate a benefit estimate or contact a MOSERS benefit counselor. 

Since you are only two years from retirement, we encourage you to attend a Ready to Retire session to learn about the process. Registration is now open for 2022 sessions. Log in to myMOSERS to sign up. You can also contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to make a 1-on-1 appointment. Check out our Ready to Retire page and the Retirement Guide for more information.  

No. The Governor’s proposal for a 5.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) and $15 per hour minimum base pay standard is for all active state employees. If it gains legislative approval, it would not affect benefits for anyone who is already retired.

Retirement benefits for general state employees (including university employees) are calculated using a three-part formula: FAP x Multiplier x Credited Service = Monthly pension benefit payment. Cost-of-living (COLA) adjustments are also based on state statute and depend on the individual’s retirement plan. Retirees do get a COLA each year. See our COLA page for more details. Any change to how pension benefits are calculated would require legislative action and we are not aware of any legislative proposals to change benefit amounts for state retirees.

Learn more about your benefits in the Summary of Pension Benefit Provisions (All Plans) and by plan on our website: MSEP, MSEP 2000, and MSEP 2011.

MOSERS will be able to determine the 2022 COLA in mid-January 2022. For most retirees, the rate calculation is based on 80% of the percentage increase in the average Consumer Price Index from one year to the next, with a maximum increase of 5% (minimum 0%).

When will it be paid? 

Each year, you will receive a COLA on the anniversary of your retirement date, unless one of these exceptions applies to you:

• Retirees who converted from MSEP to MSEP 2000 during the conversion window in 2000 have COLAs payable each year in July.
• Retirees who elected a BackDROP* will have COLAs payable each year on the anniversary of their BackDROP date rather than on the anniversary of their retirement date.
• MSEP 2011 members hired after January 1, 2011 who leave state employment prior to retirement eligibility, will receive their first COLA in retirement on the second anniversary of their retirement.

  We will send you a notice, either in the mail or in your MOSERS Document Express online mailbox, when the COLA is applied to your monthly benefit payment.

You may reduce your optional life coverage amount after retirement; however, you can NOT increase your coverage amount after retirement. Please visit our Life Insurance page in the Retiree section of our website for more details.