You are correct, there is a new form, which is required by the IRS as of January 1, 2023, IF you want to make any changes to your tax withholdings. (If you don’t want to make changes, no action is required.) Once you have completed both the Tax Withholding Authorization and the IRS W-4P forms and you have signed and dated them, you can return them to us by:

1. Faxing them to (573) 632-6103,
2. Scanning them and sending them as an attachment via email to mosers@mosers.org,
3. Submitting them using the Document Upload feature after you have logged in to myMOSERS
4. Depositing them in the drop box outside of our office or bringing them in to the receptionist, or
5. Mailing them to us at MOSERS, PO Box 209, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0209

Yes, 1099-R forms have been mailed! For immediate access to your 1099-R, or if you find you need a replacement copy of it, log in to myMOSERS. You will find your 1099-R under Personal Information and available for you to print.

The cost of life insurance coverage through MOSERS depends on your age. Please use the Optional Life Insurance Calculator to determine what your monthly premium will be in retirement. Please keep in mind the following regarding life insurance in retirement:

• You may retain up to $60,000 in coverage if you are a member of MSEP.
• You may retain all of your optional coverage until age 62 if you are a general state employee who retired under the “Rule of 80” (MSEP 2000) or the “Rule of 90” (MSEP 2011). At age 62, your coverage will automatically reduce to a maximum of $60,000.
• To keep your optional coverage, you must submit the Retain/Change Optional Life Insurance form (available in  myMOSERS). Use the same form to reduce or terminate your coverage at any time.
• Please note that you have 60 days from your retirement date to port or convert (continue) any remaining optional life insurance through The Standard.
• You cannot increase your coverage after retirement.

Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! Let’s address your questions one by one:

1. Are healthcare premiums taken out pre-tax in retirement? No. All deductions from your MOSERS pension benefit are POST tax.
2. As an employee, my premiums are taken out pre-tax to lower my taxable income. Does this happen with a retiree's pension payment? No. All deductions from your MOSERS pension benefit are POST tax.  
3. If healthcare premiums are deducted prior to federal tax deductions (while in retirement) than the prepayment of healthcare premiums (at year-end) would be the same, is that correct? No. Healthcare premiums in retirement are NOT deducted prior to federal taxes. So, there may be tax advantage to you to pre-pay your retiree healthcare premiums for the remainder of the calendar year from pay you receive as an active employee. See the information below from the MCHCP website:

Employees whose premiums are collected pre-tax through the cafeteria plan have the opportunity to pre-pay premiums pre-tax as a retiree. Prepaid premiums may only be paid within the same calendar year*. To prepay retirees must submit their enrollment request at least 31 days prior to their retirement date. The first month’s premium for retiree coverage will be divided between the last two active paychecks. Additional prepaid premiums may be collected from the retiree’s last two active paychecks and/or lump sum vacation/compensatory time payroll. Verify this payroll amount with the HR/Payroll personnel to determine how many months of retiree premiums can be prepaid.

*Employees with a retirement date of Dec.1 cannot prepay premiums, since future premiums would be for a different plan year. Employees with a retirement date of Jan.1 can only prepay premiums using funds from their final active payroll (usually Jan.15) and/or their vacation and compensatory time payroll.

Yes, a MOSERS retiree may take a position and continue to receive their MOSERS pension benefit as long as the position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible position. Please view the full list of MOSERS covered employers. 

If the position is with a MOSERS covered employer in a non-benefit eligible position, the retiree must first meet the termination and reemployment rules.

Your W-2 form shows income you have earned from your employer and comes from your employer, not from MOSERS. You will need to reach out to your employer for your W-2.

MOSERS provides retirees and benefit recipients with a 1099-R tax form. We will mail your 1099-R forms by the end of January. You can also access it online by logging into myMOSERS. You will find it under Personal Information and available for you to print. This form lists your 2022 retirement 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. If you are unable to log in to myMOSERS, call us at (800) 827-1063 or (573) 632-6100 and we can assist you. For security reasons, we cannot email it to you.

Yes, the new forms, Tax Withholding Authorization and IRS W-4P, are required as of January 1, 2023, in order to change your withholding amounts. It does look different than the form from previous years. Please keep in mind the following:

• If you wish to change the amount of taxes being withheld, please submit both the MOSERS form (Tax Withholding Authorization) and the IRS form (W-4P).
• If you are a retiree who is already having taxes withheld, your current withholding remains in effect, and you do not need to submit new forms unless you want to make changes.
• Please visit the Taxes page on our website for more information.
• MOSERS staff cannot advise you on how to fill out tax forms or your tax liability as it pertains to your MOSERS pension. We suggest you contact the IRS and/or a qualified tax advisor about your tax liability and to determine your withholding amounts.

Estimates are based on your final average pay (FAP), which is your highest consecutive 36 months of pay relative to the retirement date entered. When you run a benefit estimate of your own, it will project your current salary until the retirement date you entered. The system will look at your entire pay history to find your FAP/highest 36 consecutive months. That means part of your FAP may be in the future and part of it may be in the past – as long as it is 36 consecutive months. The closer you get to your retirement date, the more accurate your benefit estimate will be.

Please note:

• Wait for a pay raise to be reflected in our system before running an estimate. (If you get a pay raise this month, it will be reported to MOSERS next month, so for a January pay raise, our system won’t have that information and it won’t be reflected in an estimate until mid-February.)
• If you run an estimate that includes BackDROP, any pay earned during the BackDROP period you elect is not considered in your FAP.
• It’s important to remember that a benefit estimate is just that, an estimate, not a guarantee. They are as accurate as the assumptions used to produce them. See Calculating Your Benefit Estimate for more information.

Based on your example and assumed date of retirement, your estimate would include a salary of $3,000 for 24 months and a salary of $2500 for 12 months for your FAP. 

1099-Rs will be available in your Document Express online mailbox by the end of January. You can access it by logging in to myMOSERS. From there you will find it under Personal Information. If you prefer a hard copy, you are welcome to print it from myMOSERS or wait for it via mail. We will mail all forms by the end of January as well.

This form lists your 2022 retirement 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.  

MSEP 2011, which is set by state statute, does not allow for a purchase of prior active-duty miliary service credit. However, members of MSEP 2011 may be eligible for automatic credit for military service if they were employed by the state immediately prior to entering active-duty military service and then return to state employment within the timeframe specified by the USERRA. 

This is based on state law. Any changes must be passed by the Missouri General Assembly. We are not aware of any such proposals being filed so far this session, however, you can track proposed legislation on our Legislation page and view the 2023 MOSERS Legislative Tracking Sheet for more information. 

If you have additional questions, please refer to our Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2011 Members or contact a MOSERS benefit counselor for more information.