If you are a vested member of MSEP, MSEP 2000, or MSEP 2011 and leave state employment before you are eligible to retire, your pension stays secure with MOSERS and will be available to you when you meet the age requirement for your plan and complete the retirement process. Retirees receive a lifetime payment based on a.) a formula set by law and b.)  the option they elect at retirement. See Leaving State Employment for more information.

If you return to work for the state at a later date, you will start earning service credit immediately and will be eligible to retire once you meet the following requirements based on your plan:

MSEP Normal Retirement Eligibility (Full/Unreduced Benefit)

• Age 65 with 5 years of service or
• Age 60 with 15 years of service or
• At least age 48 with the sum of your age and years of service equaling 80 or more (Rule of 80)

MSEP 2000 Normal Retirement Eligibility (Full/Unreduced Benefit)

• Age 62 with 5 years of service or
• At least age 48 with the sum of your age and years of service equaling 80 or more (Rule of 80)

MSEP 2011 Normal Retirement Eligibility (Full/Unreduced Benefit)

• Age 67 with 5 years of service or
• At least age 55 with the sum of your age and years of service equaling 90 or more (Rule of 90)

Please contact a MOSERS benefit counselor. They can review your individual circumstances and tell you specifically when you will be eligible to retire based on different scenarios.

After meeting the termination and reemployment rules, you may return to work and continue receiving your monthly pension payment, as long as your position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible position.

If you return to work for the state of Missouri in a MOSERS or MPERS benefit-eligible position:

• Your monthly pension payment will stop.
• Depending on various factors (your plan, how long you work, etc.), you may or may not earn additional credited service during reemployment.
• When you retire again, your monthly pension payment will equal the amount you were receiving when you returned to work plus any additional benefit you may have earned during reemployment.

No. Since the sick leave was used in the calculation of the retirement benefit for the period of service in which it was earned, any remaining unused sick leave is removed from your employer’s payroll system after you retire.

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.

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.

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. 

Yes, a MOSERS retiree may take a position and continue to receive their MOSERS pension benefit as long as the position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible position. Please view the full list of MOSERS covered employers. 

If the position is with a MOSERS covered employer in a non-benefit eligible position, the retiree must first meet the termination and reemployment rules.

Upon meeting the termination and reemployment rules, you may return to work and continue receiving your monthly pension payment, as long as your position is not a MOSERS or MoDOT and Patrol Employees’ Retirement System (MPERS) benefit-eligible* position. Please view the list of MOSERS covered employers. There is no limit on how much you earn.

However, if you return to work for the state of Missouri in a MOSERS or MPERS benefit-eligible* position:

• Your monthly pension payment will stop.
• Depending on various factors (your plan, how long you work, etc.), you may or may not earn additional credited service during reemployment.

When you retire again, your monthly pension payment will equal the amount you were receiving when you returned to work plus any additional benefit you may have earned during reemployment.

*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. The number of hours required by a position should be based on the number of hours expected during the normal course of business over a one-year period by position, regardless of whether the position is intended to be temporary or permanent in nature.

Service credit may be available for purchase or transfer, depending on your situation. Purchasing service may increase your retirement benefit, allow you to retire sooner, or both. Waiting to purchase service may cost you more money, due to interest, in addition to the purchase price. You can view the Purchasing and Transferring Service Guide for MSEP 2011 members on our website to see if you are eligible to purchase or transfer prior service. We strongly encourage you to contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to discuss your individual situation as there are many factors that will determine your eligibility.