The amount of your monthly pension benefit payment could change for a variety of reasons, such as:

• A change in your marital status.
• The temporary benefit ending.
• A request from you to change the amount of state or federal taxes being withheld.
• Changes in medical or life insurance premiums.
• Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs).

We will notify you whenever your benefit payment amount changes.

As of January 1, 2021, if you divorce after retirement, you may remove your ex-spouse as the survivor beneficiary of your pension and receive an adjusted amount. To adjust your benefits, you must obtain a divorce decree or amended divorce decree (that includes specific language) from a court of competent jurisdiction and provide MOSERS with a certified copy.

For more details, read the Divorce & Your Pension Benefit brochure or contact a MOSERS benefit counselor.

Marriage After Retirement

• If you were single at retirement and elected the Life Income Annuity, you may elect a survivor benefit for your new spouse if you marry after retirement.
• If you were married at retirement and elected a joint & survivor option and your spouse dies first, you may elect a survivor benefit for your new spouse if you remarry.
• Keep in mind that you will have one year from your date of marriage to elect one of the joint & survivor options and name your new spouse as the beneficiary.

If you are unsure which benefit payment option you elected, you can find it on your Annual Benefit Statement, on your Member Dashboard in myMOSERS under Pension Benefit, or by contacting a MOSERS benefit counselor.

If you receive the temporary benefit, it will end when you turn 62, regardless of when you apply for Social Security benefits. You will receive your final temporary benefit payment at the end of the month when you turn 62.

Your pension benefit is subject to federal income tax and may be subject to state income tax. You can change your withholding election online anytime during the year. Log in to myMOSERS and select Update Tax Withholding under the I want to… menu, then complete the online IRS W-4P Form.

Visit our Taxes page for additional information.

You may have MOSERS optional life insurance premiums and the Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan’s medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums withheld from your monthly benefit payment. If those premium amounts change, it will affect the amount of your monthly benefit payment.

MOSERS provides annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) to retired members and their surviving beneficiaries. We will send you a notice to your Document Express online mailbox during the month you receive your COLA.

See our Cost-of-Living Adjustments page for more information.