A faculty or staff member who is leaving University employment should contact one the appropriate office regarding retirement benefits and/or the withdrawal of contributions.
State Employees' Retirement System - Contact the SERS Counseling Center at 814-863-6505, or call toll free 1- 800-633-5461 to receive the current location and local telephone number of your regional SERS Retirement Counseling Center.
Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association - Contact TIAA at 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, or call toll free 1-800-842-2776
Federal Civil Service Retirement System - Contact Jenny Price, 306C Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 814/863-5838 or jlm876@psu.edu.
In certain instances, retirement credit is portable and may be transferred to the retirement system of the new employer.
If the faculty or staff member who contributed to the State Employees' Retirement System (SERS) is accepting a job with an agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, contributions may not be withdrawn when leaving the University.
Likewise, if the faculty or staff member has contributed to TIAA and is accepting a position with an institution which has TIAA retirement, contributions may not be withdrawn when leaving Penn State.
It generally takes from four to six weeks following the termination date for contributions to be refunded or for the annuity to begin.
The following is for individuals on Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS).
- Your annuity for CSRS begins the next day if your last working day is the last day of the month or the first or second day of the month. If your last working day is any other day in the month, your annuity would not start until the first of the following month.
- Your Spouse and a Notary Public must sign the retirement forms if you elect less than the maximum survivor benefit of 55%.
- In order to assist you in planning for your retirement, annuity estimates will be calculated and sent to you at your request.
