You may retire with an unreduced service retirement benefit after you: 

• Reach age 65 and complete five years of membership service; or
• Reach age 50 and complete 24 years of creditable service.

You may retire early with a reduced retirement benefit after you:

• Reach age 50 with five years of membership service. 

Your early retirement benefit is calculated using the same formula as a service retirement benefit multiplied by a reduction percentage based on your age and/ or service at early retirement. Because your benefit may be paid over a longer period of time than if you had waited until being eligible for service retirement, your benefit will be reduced.

After five years of creditable service and while serving in a judicial capacity, if you become permanently disabled and are unable to continue your judicial service, as approved by the Medical Review Board, you may be eligible to apply for disability retirement benefits. 

Your disability benefit under the maximum allowance is calculated using the same formula as a service retirement benefit and you may choose any payment option except Option 4. 

If you choose a survivorship option, it will be calculated using disability reduction percentages. In calculating the disability retirement benefit, your final compensation is calculated as of your disability retirement date, but creditable service is counted as though you continue working to age 65, not to exceed 24 years.

If you leave CJRS for any reason other than retirement or death, you can either receive a refund of your contributions, plus interest, or leave your contributions in CJRS and keep all the creditable service you earned to that date. 

You may be entitled to receive a deferred benefit at a later date once you meet eligibility requirements after you have completed five years of creditable service, provided you do not withdraw your contributions. 

Your benefit is calculated using the formula in effect on your retirement date. It is based on your average final compensation and years of creditable service at that time.

If you leave CJRS before you have five years of creditable service, the only payment you can receive is a refund of your contributions and interest. 

State law prohibits us from making a refund earlier than 60 days after you leave employment with an employer that participates in CJRS. However, if you leave CJRS employment and you do not take a refund, you will retain your benefits and rights should you return to CJRS service at a later time. 

Set by state law, the interest credited on your contributions and paid with a refund is currently four percent (4%) compounded annually on your prior-year ending balance. To receive a refund, complete the Refund Online application in your ORBIT account. 

Any credit you may have in the following retirement systems may be counted along with your credit in CJRS in order to determine your eligibility for a reduced or unreduced benefit:

• Teachers’ and State Employees’ Retirement System (TSERS)
• Legislative Retirement System (LRS)
• Local Governmental Employees’ Retirement System (LGERS)

However, only your creditable service in CJRS is used in computing the amount of your benefit in CJRS. Creditable service in any other system is used to compute benefits from that system.

In most cases, CJRS is required to pay benefits to non-retired members with open CJRS accounts by April 1 of the year following the year in which the member reaches age 73 or ceases to be an employee, whichever is later. 

Members who are vested (five or more years of creditable service) who fail to complete the retirement process will receive a monthly retirement benefit based on the maximum allowance. 

Non-vested members who fail to complete a refund application will receive a refund of their contributions and interest by April 1 of the year following the year in which the member reaches age 73.