Once a member decides to retire and meets the eligibility requirements for monthly benefits, there are certain steps which must be taken to begin the retirement process.

About 120 days before the member’s planned retirement date, the member should begin the Retirement Online process in ORBIT or complete the Form 6 (Claiming Your Monthly Retirement Benefit) also available in the member’s ORBIT account.

If the member works in a position that requires contributions to TSERS during the six months before the effective date of retirement (or they are currently out of service, but the last day of service with the last participating TSERS employer is within five years before the effective date of retirement, and the member had unused sick leave), you, as the employer should complete the employer certification section online or (Section H) on the paper Form 6 (Claiming Your Monthly Retirement Benefit).

If the member wants a retirement estimate based on Option 4, the member will need to send us an estimate from the Social Security Administration (SSA) of their age 62 Social Security benefit. This estimate should be requested from SSA within two years of the effective retirement date.

To be legally retired, a member must terminate employment, live until the effective date of retirement, and not perform any work for a TSERS employer at any time during the 6 months immediately following the effective date of retirement except: 

• Serving as an unpaid bona fide volunteer in a local school administrative unit. 
• Serving as an unpaid bona fide volunteer guardian ad litem in the guardian ad litem program.
• Serving on an authority, board, commission, committee, council, or other body of the state or of one or more counties, cities, local school administrative units, community colleges, constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, or other political subdivisions or public corporations in the state, that is authorized to function as legislative, policymaking, quasi-judicial, administrative, or advisory body in a position that does not require membership in the retirement system. 
• Volunteering in a position normally designated as an unpaid bona fide volunteer position.

After the Retirement Systems Division receives the member’s retirement application (Step 1 in Retirement Online), an acknowledgment letter will be sent to the member. The letter will include instructions on the next steps in the retirement process and the additional information and forms needed to process the retirement. Later, the member will receive an estimate of the monthly benefits he or she can receive under the Maximum Allowance and other payment options, if applicable.

Other forms/ information that will be gathered through the retirement process are:  Form 170 (Authorizing Direct Deposit), Form 290 (Choosing Income Tax Withholding Preferences), Form 333(Choosing the Contributory Death Benefit for Retired Members) and Form 6E (Choosing your Retirement Payment Option).

The member should complete and provide all requested documentation to the Retirement Systems Division.

IMPORTANT: The Retirement Systems Division will not be able to pay monthly retirement benefits to the member until the properly completed Form 6E is received and processed.