To begin receiving benefits, you must complete and submit to the pension fund: 

• Form 6FR (Retiring from the Firefighters’ and Rescue Squad Workers’ Pension Fund)
• Form 170 (Authorizing Direct Deposit)
• Form 290 (Choosing Income Tax Withholding Preferences)

You must apply for benefits. They are not paid automatically. Your application and direct deposit form should be returned to the pension fund 30 days before your scheduled retirement date. If incorrect information is submitted to the pension fund that causes your benefit to be incorrect, the pension fund will correct the error and adjust your payment to be the actuarial equivalent of the benefit you were correctly entitled to receive.

Overpayment Offsets

Monthly retirement benefits and refund of contributions are subject to offsets for overpayments incurred to members in a state-administered retirement system. If you incur an overpayment or erroneous payment in: 

• state-administered retirement system 
• the Disability Income Plan of North Carolina 
• or State Health Plan premiums (or claims paid on behalf of) 

This includes any benefits paid to any member who is later determined to have been ineligible for those benefits or unentitled to those amounts, which may be offset against any retirement allowance, return of contributions, or any other right accruing to the same person, the person’s estate, or designated beneficiary(ies).