Retirement Planning Resources

The Office of Employee Relations (OER) has a variety of resources to help with your retirement planning needs including seminars, guides, videos, and webinars.

Go to the OER Pre-Retirement Planning website

You can request an estimate of your retirement benefit payout by calling the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) at 1-866-805-0990. You can also use their online calculator below.

Retirement Calculator

You can apply your unused sick time (up to a maximum of 200 days) in two ways upon your retirement:

1. Credit for Health Insurance - Your unused sick leave will reduce the monthly cost of your health insurance in retirement.

• If you elect the “Single-Annuitant” Option:
  100% of your sick leave credit will be used to offset your monthly health insurance premium and will terminate upon your death. 

• If you elect the “Dual-Annuitant” Option:
  70% of the reduced sick leave credit will be applied towards your monthly health insurance premiums. Upon your death, the same 70% will be applied towards the monthly health insurance premiums for your enrolled dependent(s). If you do not indicate a choice before your retirement becomes effective, you will default to the “single-annuitant” option. 

2. Credit to Add Time to Retirement - You can use sick leave credit to add time to your retirement service. You are not able to use sick leave credit to reach a milestone. For example, an employee with 19 years and 9 months cannot use sick leave credit to reach a 20-year milestone.

go to the civil service formula for calculating sick leave credit

NYSHIP requires retirees and their dependents to be enrolled in Medicare parts A and B when first eligible for primary Medicare coverage due to age or disability. You do not need to enroll in part B until you retire from state service. 

download the nyship and medicare guide

The earliest possible date to receive your initial benefit payment is 45 days after your last date on the payroll. To elect how and when you would like your benefit payments to begin or for more information, visit the website below or call 1-800-422-8463.

New York State Deferred Compensation Website

When you joined State service, you may have chosen the beneficiaries for your retirement system payouts. If you didn't make a selection or if you need to change your beneficiaries now is the time to do it. Visit the Retirement Online website or the webpage below to view and change your beneficiaries.

go to the retirement online website

go to the designation of a beneficiary with contingent beneficiaries webpage

The Survivor's Benefit Program provides a death benefit of $3,000 to survivors of New York State Retirees for former New York State employees who retired after April 1, 1970. Employees are automatically covered by this benefit if:

1. You have at least 10 years of full-time state service within the 15-years immediately prior to leaving or retiring from state service AND you retire directly from state service (from a retirement system or pension plan supported by state funds), or
2. If you retire after age 62.

Please complete this form to designate a beneficiary for the survivor's benefit ONLY if you are choosing option "0" as your pension option. If you have selected an option other than "0," the survivor's benefit must be paid to the same beneficiary designated to the retirement system, and this form does not need to be completed.

download the eligibility of retired employee for survivor's benefit (rs 6355) form

Read the overview of restrictions that apply to state officers and employees when they leave State service on the New York State Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government website:

Post-Employment Restrictions