Rules of Membership

Mandatory Membership
You must join NYSTRS if you are employed under all of the following conditions:

• As a teacher, teaching assistant, guidance counselor, educational administrator, or any other title covered by this System, and
• By a New York State (excluding New York City) public school district or BOCES, or by an eligible charter school that participates as an employer in NYSTRS, and
• Full-time every work day for the full day, as defined in the
  appropriate contract or job description, through the end of the school year.

Optional Membership
You may join if:

• You are employed less than full-time in any of the positions and by any of the employers listed above, or
• You are employed in a New York State Community College or
  SUNY, where you may elect NYSTRS, the New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System or an Optional Retirement Plan.

If you are a member and have also elected the Optional Retirement Plan, contact the System at (800) 348-7298, Ext. 6020 when you cease New York State public employment to discuss your eligibility for benefits.

Simultaneous Memberships and Transfer
You can have memberships in more than one New York State public retirement system and receive benefits from more than one system. However, if you are no longer working in employment reportable to one of the systems, you can transfer your membership into the other system, which in most cases is beneficial to you. Service credit, member contributions (if any) and original date of membership may be transferable. Before deciding, you should contact both systems to discuss how a transfer could affect your benefits. In addition to this System, the New York State public retirement systems where transfers of membership are possible:

• New York State and Local Employees' Retirement System;
• New York State and Local Police and Fire Retirement System;
• Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York;
• New York City Board of Education Retirement System;
• New York City Employees' Retirement System;
• New York City Police Pension Fund; and,
• New York City Fire Department.

To request a transfer, contact the retirement system you are leaving and obtain the necessary forms and instructions.

Joining NYSTRS
To become a member, you must file an Application for Membership (NET-2). Once we receive a properly completed form, we will send you an acknowledgement letter and a membership card. New members are encouraged to read Your First Look at NYSTRS — a pamphlet designed for new members, and for part-time or substitute teachers who have the option of joining NYSTRS. The pamphlet outlines service milestones, your eligibility for future benefits and the services we provide.

Both the acknowledgement letter and membership card contain your System identification number, known as your EmplID. You will be asked to provide this number on forms, when corresponding with the System, when calling or meeting with System representatives, or when registering for a personalized MyNYSTRS account on our Web site. Like your Social Security number, your EmplID is unique to you and will not change as long as you are a member.

Tiers of Membership

Membership tiers refer to groups of members whose benefits are determined by different sections of law and regulations. Your tier is determined by your current date of membership, as noted in your Benefit Profile mailed to you annually and available in your online MyNYSTRS account.

Tier structure is based on these membership dates:

Reinstatement to an Earlier Date of Membership

If you are an active member of this System, and had previous membership(s) in this System or any other NYS public retirement system, you may be eligible to reinstate to the earliest date of membership. To apply, you must file an Election to Reinstate (RIS-1) form with NYSTRS.

If you are reinstated to a Tier 1 or 2 membership, there will be no cost to you, and you will not be required to make member contributions. However, if you are reinstated to a former Tier 3, 4 or 5 membership, you will be required to repay, in a lump sum with interest, the amount refunded from the previous membership.

If you are a Tier 3, 4 or 5 member reinstating to Tier 1 or 2, any outstanding NYSTRS loan must be repaid before you can reinstate. Tier 3, 4 and 5 members reinstated to Tier 1 or 2 can no longer borrow from, or receive a refund of, their member contributions.

There is no deadline or window to file for reinstatement. However, if you are being reinstated from Tier 3, 4 or 5 to Tier 1 or 2, your contributions will cease only after the form is filed and your eligibility is confirmed.

There are some situations where a reinstatement may not be to your advantage. Since reinstatement is irrevocable, read the information accompanying the form carefully and contact the System if you have questions.

Maintaining Membership

You can maintain your current membership if:

• You are vested (even if you are not working). Tier 1-4 members vest with five or more years of New York State service. Tier 5 members vest with 10 years of state service; OR,
• You work the equivalent of 20 or more full-time days in a school year in a capacity reportable to NYSTRS every seven years.

Ceasing Membership

Automatically
If you have less than five years (Tiers 1-4) or less than 10 years (Tier 5) of service credit, your membership will cease if you do not receive the equivalent of 20 or more full-time days of credit in a school year for seven consecutive school years.

Voluntarily
If you are a Tier 1 or 2 member, you may withdraw your contributions, if any, and cease membership if you are not teaching or are teaching part-time and your contract with a participating employer has ended. If you are a Tier 3, 4 or 5 member, you may generally withdraw only if you have less than 10 years of service credit except as described below.

Under Chapter 553 of the Laws of 2011, if you are a Tier 3, 4 or 5 member with 10 or more years of service credit, you can withdraw if:

• You have permanently ceased teaching in all NYS public schools participating with NYSTRS;
• You elect to withdraw from NYSTRS membership for the purpose of obtaining credit for the teaching service in a public retirement system in another state; and,
• The retirement system in the other state certifies that you are an active member with at least five years of service credit in that system at the time of the withdrawal request from NYSTRS, and attests that the NYS service credit may be used in whole or in part to obtain retirement credit in that system. 

Before you submit your Application for Withdrawal from Membership (REF-7A), we recommend that you contact the System to discuss the effect of withdrawal on your benefit eligibility, vested death benefit, and transfer rights. If you are eligible to purchase prior service credit, you might increase your credit beyond the total needed to vest (five years for Tiers 1-4, and 10 years for Tier 5) and therefore be eligible to receive a pension as early as age 55. 

Withdrawal of membership forfeits your right to a future benefit, including the loss of the vested member death benefit. If you withdraw and later return to New York State teaching and rejoin NYSTRS,  you may be able to reinstate to your original membership date and re-establish your eligibility for a benefit (see Reinstatement to an Earlier Date of Membership). Please contact NYSTRS at that time regarding the current laws.

Vesting

Vested is the status that members attain with a certain amount of New York State service credit, which makes them eligible for a retirement benefit at age 55. Tier 5 members vest with 10 years of state service credit. For all other tiers, five years of credit is necessary to vest.

At age 55, if you are a vested member and have not transferred or withdrawn your NYSTRS membership, you may file a retirement application and begin to receive a benefit from the System. If you return to teaching before retiring, you will remain in your original tier and accrue additional credit.

Understanding Your Membership

Web Site
Visiting our Web site at www.nystrs.org is the quickest and easiest way to get the latest information on legislation and news related to your benefits. You can also read publications in our Library and print System forms. With a MyNYSTRS account, you can: access your personal membership information; view your annual Benefit Profile; sign up for e-newsletters; change your address; apply for a loan; register for the Pension & Retirement Education Program (PREP); use the Benefit Estimator to project retirement benefits; and, make an appointment for a benefits consultation.

Your Benefit Profile
This comprehensive personalized statement, mailed to you annually, gives a summary of your membership status and estimates of your benefits. It also includes detailed explanations to help you make informed decisions about retirement. The Profile — which can be viewed in your MyNYSTRS account on our Web site — includes:

• Salary data as reported by your employer(s) for the previous school year;
• A summary of your service credit, including prior service;
• A review of your member contributions and loan information;
• Benefit eligibility and calculation;
• Projections of your retirement benefits under various scenarios;
• An in-service death benefit estimate; and,
• A list of your beneficiaries.

Benefits Consultations
As an important part of your retirement planning, you should meet with a NYSTRS representative who can answer your pension questions and provide you with printed benefit estimates. These individual benefit consultations are held at various locations throughout the state during the school year (either by meeting with NYSTRS staff in-person or through a video conference). Consultation schedules are posted in schools and on the Benefits Consultations page of our Web site. You can book a consultation online through the MyNYSTRS area of our Web site at www.nystrs.org, or by calling NYSTRS at (800) 348-7298, Ext. 6100.

Pension & Retirement Education Program (PREP)
No matter how far along you are in your career, this program can be tailored to fit your needs. A variety of retirement-related topics are covered throughout the day, with members able to choose which would be of greatest benefit. Schedules are posted in schools and through the Retirement Planning page of our Web site. You can book a seminar online through the MyNYSTRS area of our Web site at www.nystrs.org, or by calling NYSTRS at (800) 348-7298, Ext. 6100.

Hotline
Call (800) 782-0289 to request System forms and publications, and to listen to recorded messages about NYSTRS benefits. This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Inquiries
You can call the System during posted business hours at (800) 348-7298 or (518) 447-2900. If you have a general NYSTRS question, you can e-mail us at communit@nystrs.state.ny.us.

Member Newsletters
The newsletters Your Source (for active members) and Resource (for retirees) contain pertinent benefit and retirement information. Each is published three times annually.

Specialty Pamphlets
We produce a wide variety of specialty publications to help you at each stage of your career. Visit the Library section of our Web site for a listing.