To apply for all Retirement System benefits, you must file the appropriate application with the Office of the State Comptroller in a timely manner (filing deadlines are provided along with benefit descriptions throughout this publication).
For an application to be considered as “filed with the Comptroller,” it must be submitted electronically through Retirement Online, or in the case of a paper application, received by our Albany office, one of our consultation sites or another office of the State Comptroller. Giving a paper application to your employer does not mean that you have “filed with the Comptroller.”
If you need help, you can call 866-805-0990, make an appointment for a pre-retirement consultation or send your question using our secure contact form.
Service Retirement Benefits
You must apply for a service retirement 15 – 90 days before your chosen date of retirement. For information about filing, including information and documents you’ll need to submit to NYSLRS, visit our Preparing for Retirement page. Read Receiving Your Benefit and Filing Your Pension Payment Option Election for information about pension payment options and filing deadlines.
Retirement Online is the fastest way to file for a service retirement. When you file online, you can upload retirement-related documents as you step through the application process and see an estimate of your pension and the payment options available to you. If you file online, you can also update your application online before your date of retirement or change your date of retirement if needed. Sign in to your Retirement Online account, go to the ‘My Account Summary’ area of your Account Homepage and click “Apply for Retirement.”
You can also file for retirement by mail. You can print a paper Application for Service Retirement (RS6037) from our website. If you mail a document “Certified Mail — Return Receipt Requested,” we will consider it as having been filed on the same date it was mailed, once it is delivered to us by the Post Office (NYSLRS mailing address is at the top of our forms).
If you need to submit a time-sensitive service retirement-related document to meet a deadline, and you can’t submit it using Retirement Online or certified mail, you can scan and attach to our secure contact form or fax it to our Benefit Calculation and Disbursements Bureau at 518-474-3510.
However, although we will consider your document as filed on the date the scanned copy is received, you must still mail us the original document to continue the process and complete any filing requirements. Please include your name, NYSLRS ID and phone number on your document.
Disability Retirement Benefits
Specific filing information and deadlines are provided on each of the disability benefit description pages in this plan publication.
Disability retirement documents can be scanned and emailed to [email protected] or faxed to the Disability Services Bureau. For applications in-process or to apply for a disability retirement benefit, the fax number is 518-474-3091 or 518-408-3587. Documents for approved disability retirement applications (pension payment option form, proof of your date of birth) can be faxed to 518-408-3766.
If you fax or email your disability application, you must also mail the original (NYSLRS mailing address is at the top of our forms).
Filing Multiple Applications
If you become ill or disabled and are unable to perform your duties, you may be eligible to file applications for disability and regular service retirement benefits simultaneously “without prejudice,” depending on the circumstances. This means we will process all filed applications and, if more than one benefit is approved, you will be given the opportunity to choose your pension from the approved benefits.