When you retire, you will get a monthly pension benefit for life. Your base benefit is calculated using a formula, as defined by law, using the following factors:

• Final Average Pay (FAP) – The average of your highest 36 consecutive months of pay
• Multiplier – A number established by the legislature
• Credited Service – Your years and months of credited service earned, purchased, or transferred, and unused sick leave (if applicable)

(Base benefit is the amount before any reductions, taxes, or other deductions.)

To answer your question specifically, the FAP is based on the highest 36 consecutive months in your pay history, not on fiscal years. For most people that ends up being at the end of their state service, but not always.  

MOSERS must administer the retirement plans according to applicable state and federal laws. With respect to retiree reemployment, state law generally requires payments to be paused when a retiree returns to employment:

"Employee" shall be any person who is employed by a department and is paid a salary or wage by a department in a position normally requiring the performance of duties of not less than one thousand forty hours per year. RSMo 104.1003.1(13).

If a retiree is employed as an employee by a department, the retiree shall not receive an annuity payment for any calendar month in which the retiree is so employed . . . . RSMo 104.1039.

No, the temporary benefit is not available to those who elect early retirement. You will receive a temporary benefit only if you are a general state employee who is younger than the age of 62 and you retire under normal retirement with the MSEP 2000 (“Rule of 80”) or MSEP 2011 (“Rule of 90”).

If you retire under the "Rule of 80" (MSEP 2000) or the "Rule of 90" (MSEP 2011), in addition to your base benefit, the temporary benefit provides you with an additional benefit until age 62. The formula for the temporary benefit is: Final Average Pay (FAP) x .008 (Multiplier) x Credited Service = Temporary Benefit. At age 62, the temporary benefit ends but your base benefit continues.

Yes. General state employees who retire under MSEP 2000 or MSEP 2011, who are eligible for the temporary benefit, will continue to receive an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) on their continuing base benefit after their temporary benefit ends. 

Any COLAs associated to the temporary benefit, and the temporary benefit itself, will end directly after the member’s 62^nd birthday. To learn more, see our Cost-of-Living Adjustments page. 

No. The law does not allow you to purchase or transfer service from another state to MOSERS.

Depending upon your plan membership (MSEP, MSEP 2000, or MSEP 2011), once you are vested, you may be able to purchase or transfer service acquired in the state of Missouri. With the exception of prior military service, it must be full-time, nonfederal, public (government) employment, and rendered in Missouri, such as the following types of service:

• Service with MODOT or the Missouri Highway Patrol
• Service with a city, county, or public school in Missouri
• Prior military service

Purchasing or transferring service may increase your pension benefit, make you eligible for retirement sooner, or both. For more information contact a MOSERS benefit counselor and see

Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP (Closed Plan) Members

Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2000 Members

Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2011 Members

For potential part-time employment to count toward your future pension benefit, it must be in a benefit-eligible position. It is the responsibility of the employer, not MOSERS, to determine if a position is eligible for MOSERS benefits. Generally speaking, an employee must work in a position normally requiring at least 1,040 hours per year to qualify for MOSERS benefits. 

Pension benefits for general state employees are calculated using the formula: Final Average Pay (FAP) x Multiplier x Credited Service = Monthly Base Benefit

When we calculate your future pension benefit, we would not “convert it to 50%”. If you worked for three years in a benefit-eligible position, you would accrue an additional three years of service. When you retire, we will look at your entire MOSERS-covered pay history (excluding any time during a BackDROP period) and find your highest 36 consecutive months of pay. For most members, that occurs during their final three years but not in all situations. Your question is a good example of when a member’s “high 36” may not be during their last three years.

Once your potential employer has notified you if it is a benefit-eligible position or not, we encourage you to contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to further discuss your specific situation.

All benefit provisions are outlined in law and MOSERS must administer benefits according to the law. In 2010, the Missouri General Assembly made changes to pension plans including the elimination of BackDROP for newer state employees. However, state employees retained the valuable defined benefit plan structure, which provides lifetime retirement benefits. BackDROP is available only to general state employees in MSEP and MSEP 2000. You can track proposed legislative changes on our Legislation page when the General Assembly is in session from January through mid-May.

If you were not vested (did not have at least 5 years of service) when you left state employment, you must complete 12 continuous months of benefit-eligible employment.

Additionally, if you were a member of MSEP 2011 and took a refund of contributions, you would need to return any refunded contributions plus interest to restore your past service credit.

See Returning to State Employment and MOSERS Covered Employers for more information. Please feel free to contact a MOSERS benefit counselor at (800) 827-1063 (toll-free) or (573) 632-6100 (in Jefferson City) to discuss your individual situation. 

There must be one entire month between the date we receive your application and your retirement date. Using your example, if your retirement date is October 1, your Retirement Application is due no later than August 31 and your Retirement Election Form is due no later than September 30. You can submit your retirement application as early as 4 months (120 days) prior to your retirement date.

Visit our Ready to Retire page to view the table showing all due dates. You can also find the due dates on p. 6 of the Retirement Guide along with step-by-step instructions for the retirement process. We also encourage you to participate in a Ready to Retire Webinar or Seminar. 

You do not need to notify MOSERS of any decisions about BackDROP until you are completing the retirement process. You can just keep working. Also, you are not required to take BackDROP, regardless of how long you work beyond normal retirement eligibility. We encourage you to sign up for a Ready to Retire seminar or webinar where we will explain the retirement process and BackDROP in more detail. If you register and provide an anticipated retirement date at least two years beyond your normal retirement eligibility date, we will provide benefit estimates with and without BackDROP.

Please note that BackDROP is available only to general state employees in MSEP or MSEP 2000. To be eligible for BackDROP, you must continue working in a MOSERS benefit-eligible position for at least two years beyond your normal retirement eligibility.