Member Annual Retirement Statement MARS is available in ORBIT! The 2022 MARS, which uses December 2021 data, is available in ORBIT. MARS provides active members (with complete and accurate data) an estimate of their potential monthly retirement benefit based on service accrual and retirement contributions as of December 31 of the prior year. MARS, available exclusively in ORBIT, focuses on the foundation of retirement for public servants in the state of North Carolina – the pension benefit. This statement provides members with a tool for obtaining the most accurate data and information about their potential retirement benefits. More specifically, each eligible member will be able to view: Personal information like address, phone, email. Retirement Systems in which the member has been or is a member. Principal beneficiaries. Estimated potential retirement benefit from the North Carolina Retirement Systems. Links to the NC Supplemental Plans (NC 401(k) and NC 457 Plans) so members can enroll, increase savings and/or view statements for the plans in which they are a participant. Link to mySocialSecurity so members can create an account and receive a real-time estimate from the Social Security Administration based on their work history and contributions. MARS Frequently Asked Questions When will the new MARS be available? Members who actively contributed to the retirement systems and have at least one year of service as of December 31, 2021, should have an MRS posted to their personal ORBIT account by the end of April 2022. Will MARS be mailed to me? This statement is only available online in your secure ORBIT account. Can I contact member services to provide me with my statement by email or send a printed copy? No, MARS is unique and personalized statement and no one except you had access to the statement. The statement is only available in a digital format, online in your secure ORBIT account. I have over one year of service and was a contributing member for the full year ending December 31 but I don’t have a statement? If you meet the requirements of being an active, contributing member for at least one year ending on December 31 and do not have MARS in your ORBIT, there was missing or incomplete data. We ask that you log in to ORBIT, select the Reach A Counselor tab from the left menu and choose Member Annual Retirement Statement (MARS) from the drop-down menu. Here you will be able to submit your request and a retirement counselor will get back with you. I did not work or contribute a full, consecutive year ending December 31. Will I receive a statement? No, only members who are active contributing members who have served at least one year, ending December 31, will receive MARS online in their secure ORBIT account. I left my government employer before December 31. How do I get a statement? As a current or former employee, you have access to ORBIT, the secure, online portal that provides information about your account, membership, years of service and beneficiaries. Unfortunately, MARS is generated only for those who contributed to the retirement systems for a full year ending on December 31. If you left your employer prior to December 31, you would not receive a statement. I was on leave without pay in December. Will I receive a statement? If you were on unpaid leave and did not contribute to the retirement systems for a full year, you will not receive a statement. As a retiree, I returned to work last year. Will I have MARS in my ORBIT account? You will only have a statement if you are an active, non-retired member and worked the full calendar year ending December 31. Now that I have my MARS, how can I get more information on planning for retirement? Take advantage of the resources available through the Department of State Treasurer, from any of our partners listed in your statement or from your financial advisor or institution. Go to www.myNCRetirement.com for helpful information, tools and resources to help you plan for retirement. What do I do if I find discrepancies in my statement information, such as years of service or age? We ask that you log in to ORBIT, select the Reach A Counselor tab from the left menu and choose Member Annual Retirement Statement (MARS) from the drop-down menu. Here you will be able to submit your request and a retirement counselor will get back with you. Will the North Carolina Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund (FRSWPF) be listed as a retirement fund on the statement? If so, will it indicate how many years of service credit a member has in the fund? No. Only members of the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (LGERS), Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS), Consolidated Judicial Retirement System (CJRS) and/or Legislative Retirement System (LRS) will receive a statement. Service in the NC Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund (FRSWPF) will not be included on the MARS since the make-up of the pension plan is different than the other systems managed by the Retirement Systems Division. For more information about the Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Pension Fund, please visit the Fire & Rescue Personnel webpage. We do encourage members of the FRSWPF to log in to ORBIT at least one time per year to review years of service and contributions. I participate in the NC 401(k) Plan and/or the NC 457 Plan. Where can I find information on my potential income in retirement from these accounts? If you participate in one or more of the NC Supplemental Retirement Savings Plans, you can visit myNCplans.com and log in to access your quarterly statement and check monthly balances and investment returns. Additionally, NC Plans has a Retirement Income Calculator that you can use to pull in assets outside of the plans to receive a retirement income estimate based on your information. Where do I find my Social Security income estimate and information? Visit https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount to log in or create an account. A free and secure mySocialSecurity account provides personalized tools for everyone, whether you receive benefits or not. You can use your account to request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of an application, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits you already receive. Who do I contact if I have additional questions? We ask that you log in to ORBIT, select the Reach A Counselor tab from the left menu and choose Member Annual Retirement Statement (MARS) from the drop-down menu. Here you will be able to submit your request and a retirement counselor will get back with you.
Member Annual Retirement Statement MARS is available in ORBIT! The 2022 MARS, which uses December 2021 data, is available in ORBIT. MARS provides active members (with complete and accurate data) an estimate of their potential monthly retirement benefit based on service accrual and retirement contributions as of December 31 of the prior year. MARS, available exclusively in ORBIT, focuses on the foundation of retirement for public servants in the state of North Carolina – the pension benefit. This statement provides members with a tool for obtaining the most accurate data and information about their potential retirement benefits. More specifically, each eligible member will be able to view: Personal information like address, phone, email. Retirement Systems in which the member has been or is a member. Principal beneficiaries. Estimated potential retirement benefit from the North Carolina Retirement Systems. Links to the NC Supplemental Plans (NC 401(k) and NC 457 Plans) so members can enroll, increase savings and/or view statements for the plans in which they are a participant. Link to mySocialSecurity so members can create an account and receive a real-time estimate from the Social Security Administration based on their work history and contributions. MARS Frequently Asked Questions When will the new MARS be available? Members who actively contributed to the retirement systems and have at least one year of service as of December 31, 2021, should have an MRS posted to their personal ORBIT account by the end of April 2022. Will MARS be mailed to me? This statement is only available online in your secure ORBIT account. Can I contact member services to provide me with my statement by email or send a printed copy? No, MARS is unique and personalized statement and no one except you had access to the statement. The statement is only available in a digital format, online in your secure ORBIT account. I have over one year of service and was a contributing member for the full year ending December 31 but I don’t have a statement? If you meet the requirements of being an active, contributing member for at least one year ending on December 31 and do not have MARS in your ORBIT, there was missing or incomplete data. We ask that you log in to ORBIT, select the Reach A Counselor tab from the left menu and choose Member Annual Retirement Statement (MARS) from the drop-down menu. Here you will be able to submit your request and a retirement counselor will get back with you. I did not work or contribute a full, consecutive year ending December 31. Will I receive a statement? No, only members who are active contributing members who have served at least one year, ending December 31, will receive MARS online in their secure ORBIT account. I left my government employer before December 31. How do I get a statement? As a current or former employee, you have access to ORBIT, the secure, online portal that provides information about your account, membership, years of service and beneficiaries. Unfortunately, MARS is generated only for those who contributed to the retirement systems for a full year ending on December 31. If you left your employer prior to December 31, you would not receive a statement. I was on leave without pay in December. Will I receive a statement? If you were on unpaid leave and did not contribute to the retirement systems for a full year, you will not receive a statement. As a retiree, I returned to work last year. Will I have MARS in my ORBIT account? You will only have a statement if you are an active, non-retired member and worked the full calendar year ending December 31. Now that I have my MARS, how can I get more information on planning for retirement? Take advantage of the resources available through the Department of State Treasurer, from any of our partners listed in your statement or from your financial advisor or institution. Go to www.myNCRetirement.com for helpful information, tools and resources to help you plan for retirement. What do I do if I find discrepancies in my statement information, such as years of service or age? We ask that you log in to ORBIT, select the Reach A Counselor tab from the left menu and choose Member Annual Retirement Statement (MARS) from the drop-down menu. Here you will be able to submit your request and a retirement counselor will get back with you. Will the North Carolina Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund (FRSWPF) be listed as a retirement fund on the statement? If so, will it indicate how many years of service credit a member has in the fund? No. Only members of the Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (LGERS), Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS), Consolidated Judicial Retirement System (CJRS) and/or Legislative Retirement System (LRS) will receive a statement. Service in the NC Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund (FRSWPF) will not be included on the MARS since the make-up of the pension plan is different than the other systems managed by the Retirement Systems Division. For more information about the Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Pension Fund, please visit the Fire & Rescue Personnel webpage. We do encourage members of the FRSWPF to log in to ORBIT at least one time per year to review years of service and contributions. I participate in the NC 401(k) Plan and/or the NC 457 Plan. Where can I find information on my potential income in retirement from these accounts? If you participate in one or more of the NC Supplemental Retirement Savings Plans, you can visit myNCplans.com and log in to access your quarterly statement and check monthly balances and investment returns. Additionally, NC Plans has a Retirement Income Calculator that you can use to pull in assets outside of the plans to receive a retirement income estimate based on your information. Where do I find my Social Security income estimate and information? Visit https://www.ssa.gov/myaccount to log in or create an account. A free and secure mySocialSecurity account provides personalized tools for everyone, whether you receive benefits or not. You can use your account to request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of an application, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits you already receive. Who do I contact if I have additional questions? We ask that you log in to ORBIT, select the Reach A Counselor tab from the left menu and choose Member Annual Retirement Statement (MARS) from the drop-down menu. Here you will be able to submit your request and a retirement counselor will get back with you.
