Retirement Online is the fastest and most convenient way to update your beneficiaries. You should also review and update their contact information so we can find them when needed.

• Sign in to Retirement Online.
• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click View and Update My Beneficiaries button.

NYSLRS pensions are defined benefit plans, also known as traditional pension plans. When you retire, you will receive a monthly pension payment for the rest of your life. Your pension will be calculated using a preset formula based on your earnings and years of service—it will not be based on the individual contributions you paid into the system. Member contributions support the benefits earned by current and future retirees and are an important asset of the Common Retirement Fund, which holds and invests the money used to pay NYSLRS benefits.

Your Statement provides your member contribution balance as of March 31, 2026 because:

• Your contributions earn interest annually and determine the amount you would be eligible to borrow if you decide to take a NYSLRS loan.
• If you were to die in service, your contribution balance would be paid to your beneficiary in addition to any death benefit they are eligible to receive.

Defined benefit plans, such as your NYSLRS pension plan, are supported by contributions from both members and employers. Employers make annual contributions to the Common Retirement Fund, which holds and invests the money used to pay NYSLRS benefits. Employer contributions are based on the salaries of all their employees and the pension plans offered to their employees. The contribution rates paid by employers are set annually by the NYSLRS Chief Actuary and approved by the Comptroller.

Your employer reports your earnings to NYSLRS. The amount provided in your Statement is the pensionable earnings they paid to you during the State fiscal year (April 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026).

Here are common reasons the earnings in your Statement may not be what you were expecting:

• Depending on your retirement plan and tier, certain payments (for example, meal and uniform allowance) cannot be used in calculating your pension and are not included in the earnings shown on your Statement.
• Your employer may not have reported your March earnings to us in time to include them in your Statement.
• The information in your Statement is for the State fiscal year (April 1–March 31), so it will not match the calendar year earnings in your W-2 tax form.

If you feel your earnings are incorrect, contact your payroll office. If there is a discrepancy, your employer must submit an adjustment report to notify us of the change.

To view earnings reported by additional employers: 

• Sign in to Retirement Online.
• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click View My Recent Employment Summary button.

Your employer reports your days worked to NYSLRS, which determines your service credit. Your Statement provides:

• Service Credited from 4/1/25–3/31/26: The amount you earned during the State fiscal year.
• Total Credited Service: Your total estimated service as of March 31, 2026.

If you work full-time but your Statement says you earned less than 1 year of service credit during the last State fiscal year, your employer may not have reported your March earnings to us in time to include them in your Statement.

To view your current total estimated service:

• Sign in to Retirement Online.
• Look under My Account Summary.
• Your Account Info lists your Total Estimated Service.

If you worked for a public employer before joining NYSLRS or if you were in the military, you may be eligible to request additional service. You should submit your request as early in your career as possible when records we need to verify your service are more readily available. And the sooner you purchase your credit, the less it will generally cost, and it allows you time to pay for the credit, if necessary. We must receive your request for previous service credit before your date of retirement.

To request credit for additional service:

• Sign in to Retirement Online.
• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click Manage My Service Credit Purchases button.
• Click Request Additional Service Credit link.

For most members, your Statement provides an estimate of your monthly pension benefit to help with retirement planning, which is calculated based on your retirement plan and using the earnings reported by your employer(s) through March 31, 2026. Additionally, for most members who have:

• Not yet reached full retirement age, your estimate is based on a projection of your service credit at your full retirement age.
• Already reached full retirement age, your estimate is based on your actual service credit using a retirement date of March 31, 2026.

To estimate your pension based on your current earnings and service information:

• Sign in to Retirement Online.
• Look under My Account Summary.
• Click Estimate My Pension Benefit button.

The estimate in your Statement is an automated calculation based on the information we have on file for you as of March 31, 2026. During a pre-retirement consultation, a customer service representative may add information supplied by you, such as an estimate of your sick leave accruals and lump sum payments you may receive at retirement. This information isn’t reported by your employer until after you retire; therefore, it is not included in the estimate in your Statement.

Use Retirement Online to get your Statement. It’s the fastest and most convenient way to view, save or print your Statement.

You can request a reprint of your 2026 Statement after the mailing is complete in July using our secure contact form (select Member Annual Statement from the Topic dropdown). Reprints are typically processed within 2 to 4 weeks.

Please note, you cannot request a reprint of a previous year’s Statement. However, Statements for 2022–2026 are available in Retirement Online.

Here are the most common reasons why you may not have received your Statement:

• Your Statement was mailed but the address we have on file for you was not current. Update your contact information to make sure you receive your Statement.
• You had an open retirement case before May 1, which means you will be retiring and will no longer be an active member.
• You withdrew your membership or transferred it to another public retirement system, which means you are no longer an active member.
• Your membership benefits have been suspended pending compliance with one or more NYSLRS requirements (for example, a record of activities is required for some elected and appointed officials).
• Your membership is no longer active (you were not vested when you left public employment, and you have not been employed by a participating employer for seven or more years).
• You joined NYSLRS during the fiscal year, but your employer did not report any earnings or days worked.
• You joined NYSLRS, but your enrollment wasn’t completed by March 31.

If you chose email as your delivery preference and didn’t receive an email notifying you, the email address we have on file for you may not be correct. Update your contact information to make sure you receive your next Statement.

If your email address is correct, check your spam or junk folder. If you’re using a work email address, the email server may be blocking our emails. We recommend using a personal email address, which you will have access to before and after you retire, not a work email address.