It is possible this employee may have prior state service or may have purchased or transferred service in order to meet the requirements for “80 and Out” or they may be misstating or misunderstanding the terminology. Also, it is important to remember that, in order to retire, members are not required to have age and service equal 80 (or 90 for MSEP 2011) if they meet another set of age and service requirements first. If you or your co-workers have any additional questions about retirement eligibility, see the requirements and click on the plan information below or contact a MOSERS benefit counselor.  

NORMAL (UNREDUCED) RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY  REQUIREMENTS:

MSEP Members

• Age 65 + 5 years of service or
• Age 60 + 15 years of service or
• “Rule of 80” – (at least age 48) when age + years of service = 80 or more

MSEP 2000 Members

• Age 62 + 5 years of service or
• “Rule of 80” – (at least age 48) when age + years of service = 80 or more

MSEP 2011 Members

• Age 67 + 5 years of service or
• “Rule of 90” – (at least age 55) when age + years of service = 90 or more at time of termination

EARLY (REDUCED) RETIREMENT ELIGIBILITY  REQUIREMENTS:

If you elect early retirement, your base benefit will be reduced by one-half of one percent (0.005) for each month your age at early retirement is younger than your normal retirement age.

MSEP: Age 55 with 10 years of service

MSEP 2000: Age 57 with 5 years of service

MSEP 2011: Age 62 with 5 years of service

If you leave state employment this year at age 60 years, 9 months, you will be required to wait and draw your benefit at age 67.  In order to be eligible for early retirement, you must reach age 62 prior to leaving state employment. Please note that taking early retirement will reduce your base benefit by ½ of 1% (.005) for each month your age is younger than normal retirement age. Your normal retirement age would be at 67. You can find more information in the MSEP 2011 Handbook.

Early retirement is an existing option available to most MOSERS members (but not available to legislators or statewide elected officials). As a general state employee, if you elect early retirement, your base benefit will be reduced by one-half of one percent (.005) for each month your age at retirement is younger than your normal retirement age.

We are not aware of any proposed early retirement incentives for state employees. Any such incentive would require legislative authorization. There were no early retirement incentives that passed during the recent regular legislative session that ended on May 14, 2021. Anytime the Missouri General Assembly is in session, you can follow any bills affecting MOSERS on our Legislation page.

View Pension Plans on our website for more information including details on normal (unreduced) and early (reduced) retirement eligibility for MSEP, MSEP 2000, and MSEP 2011. 

We are not aware of any proposed early retirement incentives for state employees. Any such incentive would require legislative authorization. There were no early retirement incentives that passed during the recent regular legislative session, which ended May 15, nor during the special session this past summer. Anytime the Missouri General Assembly is in session, you can follow any bills affecting MOSERS on our Legislation page. The General Assembly will meet again for their next regular session beginning in January 2021. 

As you are aware, a retirement incentive would require legislative authorization. The specific provisions of any such proposed legislation would determine timeframes and who would be eligible. We are not aware of any such proposals. You can follow any bills affecting MOSERS on our Legislation page. 

You cannot access your pension from MOSERS until you are eligible for retirement. However, if you have money in the MO Deferred Comp 457 retirement savings plan, in-service withdrawals from your account are permitted under the following circumstances; you experience a qualifying, unforeseeable emergency that causes extreme financial hardship, or if your account balance is $5,000 or less – you may elect a one-time, in-service distribution provided you have not made a contribution during the prior two-year period. Please visit https://www.modeferredcomp.org for more information or, if you have any questions, please call (800) 392-0925.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides a new in-service distribution type from a plan or IRA called a “coronavirus-related distribution” (CRD). To be eligible for CRD treatment, the distribution must be made to an individual who is diagnosed with the disease, has a spouse or dependent who is diagnosed, or has experienced adverse financial consequences as a result of the disease. Employees may self-certify eligibility. More info on the CARES act, qualifications and provisions can be found here: https://www.modeferredcomp.org/news/2020-caresact.html

Any retirement incentive, such as paying retiree medical insurance or changing retirement eligibility rules, would require legislative authorization. There were no retirement incentives that passed during the recent legislative session, which ended May 15. Any time the Missouri General Assembly is in session, you can follow any bills affecting MOSERS on our Legislation page.

If the Governor were to call a special session of the General Assembly, we will post that information on our website. Otherwise, the General Assembly will meet again in January 2021. 

Under the MSEP 2000, you would not be eligible for early retirement and to receive benefits until at least the age of 57.

Minimum Requirements for Early Retirement by Plan:

MSEP:

Age 55 with 10 years of service

MSEP 2000:

Age 57 with 5 years of service

MSEP 2011:

Age 62 with 5 years of service

If you elect early retirement, your base benefit will be reduced by one-half of one percent (.005) for each month your age at retirement is younger than your normal retirement age. The formula for calculating the early retirement reduction factor is:  1 – (Months Retiring Early x .005) = Early Retirement Factor.

View Pension Plans on our website for more information including details on normal (unreduced) retirement eligibility for MSEP, MSEP 2000, and MSEP 2011. 

No, your benefit will not be subject to reduction if you are vested, leave service, then retire at age 67. (The reduction you are referring to is for “early retirement” and is a reduction of ½ of 1% (.005) off your base benefit for each month your age is younger than normal retirement.)

However, if you continue working until you are 67, then your benefit would ultimately be higher because you would have more service. When you apply for retirement, your base benefit will be calculated using a formula that takes into account your final average pay and your credited service. For a more in-depth look at which option may be best for you, we encourage you to use our Comparison Calculator to compare various scenarios over time or contact one of our benefit counselors.

Benefit counselors are available:

Monday - Friday
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Contact Us:

(800) 827-1063 toll-free
(573) 632-6100 in Jefferson City