Be sure your retirement application has been received by the Retirement System. Approximately 90 days from receipt is required by the System to complete your application process. Staff must verify your service and check your application for accuracy before you receive your first benefit payment.

If your application is not received by the System 90 days before your retirement date, you may experience a delay in receiving your first benefit payment. If a delay does occur, you will be paid retroactive to your retirement date.

Receive a Form 333 (Choosing the Contributory Death Benefit for Retired Members) and Form 333BEN (Designating Beneficiary(ies) for the Contributory Death Benefit for Retired Members). This optional $10,000.00 benefit payable at your death is available to all retirees for a low cost per month, which will be deducted from your benefit payment.

To choose this optional coverage, you must return the Form 333 no later than 60 days after your retirement date. After this 60-day period, you will no longer be able to elect the optional Contributory Death Benefit coverage.

TSERS and LGERS employees have the option to transfer all or part of their NC 401(k) or NC 457 funds to the Retirement System to receive an additional monthly benefit. You are not required to close your NC 401(k) or NC 457 accounts upon retirement. You may also transfer other eligible retirement accounts such as an IRA or an NC 403(b) into the NC 401(k) or NC 457 plans and then transfer those funds to the Retirement System to receive the Transfer Benefit.

If you do not have a NC 401(k) or NC 457 account, you will need to create an account before you retire in order to transfer a NC 403(b) or other retirement accounts into the Retirement System to receive an additional monthly benefit. Visit the NC 401(k)/NC 457 Transfer Benefit web page  for additional information. To better understand the relationship between the transferred amount and the monthly benefit, use the estimator found in your personal ORBIT account.

​Return the Form 6E to the Retirement System. If this form is properly completed and returned to the System by the 10th day of your retirement month, your first benefit check will be mailed on the 25th day of that month. For example, if you retire on Oct. 1, 2015 and the System receives your Form 6E by Oct. 10, your first benefit check will be mailed on Oct. 25, 2015.

If your Form 6E is not returned by the 10th day of your retirement month, but is returned to the System by the 25th, your first check will be mailed within a week after the 25th day of the month in which the Form 6E was received.

If your Form 6E is returned to the System after the 25th of the month in which it is first payable, your first check will be mailed within a week after the System receives your completed Form 6E. If a retroactive amount is payable to you, it will be included in your first payment.

Enjoy the first day of your retirement. 

Members with a retirement date effective on or before Dec. 1, 2023
Your first retirement benefit payment should be a paper check. By cashing or depositing that check, you are locking in your retirement selections. If you do not cash or deposit that first check,  you are locking in your retirement selections. If you do not cash or deposit that first check, you have until the next benefit payment date to change your mind about your selections. After that payment date, your retirement selections will be locked in, even if you didn't cash the first check. For a list of benefit payment dates, click here.

Members with a retirement date effective on or after Jan. 1, 2024
Your first retirement benefit payment should be made by direct deposit. Instructions must be received and acknowledged by the Retirement Systems before your effective retirement date. Otherwise, a paper check will be mailed.

Your retirement selection is locked in when the first payment becomes normally due and the first benefit payment date has occurred.

Log into ORBIT. Now that you have your first benefit payment, you have all the information you need to log into ORBIT. This system grants members 24-hour online access to their retirement account. Visit ORBIT to acquire a unique user ID and secure password.

ORBIT will provide you with payment history, earnable allowance, tax documents, the option to change your address, and much more. If you are already registered in ORBIT, your existing User ID and Password will continue to work.  If you have forgotten ORBIT your password, please re-register.

Make sure to verify your email address in ORBIT. Click on the tab titled "Maintain Phone/Email" and click on "Change your current phone/email address?" to add your phone and email information.

To receive important updates from the NC Retirement Systems, click on the tab titled "Sign up for Retirement emails" and fill out the online form.