Before receiving a benefit payment from MOSERS, IRS rules require a “bona fide termination” of your employment. 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.

Generally speaking, an employee must work in a position normally requiring at least 1,040 hours per year to qualify for MOSERS benefits. It is the responsibility of the employer, not MOSERS, to determine if a position is eligible for MOSERS benefits. Therefore, your new employer would make the decision regarding your question about a maximum amount of weekly or monthly hours. Once your employer has notified you if it is a benefit-eligible position or not, we encourage you to contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to discuss your specific situation.

Since your question relates to medical insurance, please contact your medical insurance provider. For most state employees, that is Missouri Consolidated Health Care Plan (MCHCP). If you are employed at a college, university, or the Department of Conservation, contact your human resources/employee benefits office. As a reminder, at MOSERS, we administer retirement, life insurance, and long-term disability benefits, but not medical insurance. We cannot respond to questions about benefits we don’t administer. 

Each person’s situation may be different, and we cannot advise you on your tax liability as it pertains to your MOSERS pension. We suggest you contact the Missouri Department of Revenue and/or a qualified tax advisor about your tax liability and to determine your withholding amounts.

You will elect both your Missouri state and your federal tax withholdings on the Substitute W-4P form and submit it to MOSERS. The fastest, easiest way to submit it is by logging in to myMOSERS. You may also submit it to us via mail, email, or fax (see our Contact page for details). Please note that the amount of withholdings you elect does not change your tax liability.

If you would like to change your email preferences, please log in to myMOSERS After logging in, select Personal Information then Email Options. From there you can opt-out of receiving email updates. If you are unable to log in, please contact a MOSERS benefit counselor who will be happy to help you.

You are not able to access your MOSERS defined benefit pension until retirement and it is not transferable to a pension plan in a different state. However, if you are no longer working in a MOSERS benefit-eligible position, and you are a member of MSEP 2011 or the Judicial Plan 2011, you may be eligible to request a refund of your employee contributions. By taking a refund, you will lose all your credited service and future rights to receive pension and LTD benefits from MOSERS. By law, there is a 90-day waiting period before we can issue a refund.

If you saved money with the MO Deferred Comp Plan while employed with the state, you do have the option to withdraw your 457 savings penalty-free upon leaving state service or you may roll your savings balance to another qualified retirement savings plan. Please visit www.modeferredcomp.org for more information.

Yes. Active members and retirees who have MOSERS basic life insurance* are eligible for travel assistance when traveling at least 100 miles from home or in a foreign country. Family members, including a spouse and children through age 25 are also covered. This includes help with trip planning, lost travel documents, and emergency medical or legal resources while you are away from home. The medical assistance includes help with locating medical care, 24-hour access to nurses by phone, and emergency transportation services. (Please note: Travel assistance is not the same as travel health insurance. Please contact your health insurance provider regarding health care coverage when travelling.)

For more info, check out the Travel Assistance Service Overview. You can get the most out of Travel Assistance with the Assist America Mobile App.

*MOSERS' life insurance is not available to employees of the Department of Conservation or state regional universities except for Lincoln University and State Technical College of Missouri.

The General Assembly passed the FY23 state budget on Friday, May 6. This budget will be effective beginning July 1, 2022. Within the FY23 budget, the General Assembly appropriated and fully funded the amount requested by the Office of Administration of $610 million to fund the State’s annual employer contribution to MOSERS. 

In addition, the General Assembly passed a $500 million one-time extraordinary payment to MOSERS. For more information, visit our Legislation page or view HB 3005. 

No, there are no legislative proposals to change benefit payments for retirees or beneficiaries from monthly to biweekly.

Your MOSERS benefit is subject to normal federal taxes. It is also subject to normal Missouri state income taxes if you are a resident of Missouri. However, if you are a Missouri resident, you may qualify for the Public Pension Exemption.

Visit the Missouri Department of Revenue's Public Pension Exemption page or read our Missouri Public Pension Exemption flyer for more information.

IRS Tax Penalties: Taking your MOSERS defined benefit (DB) pension at age 57 does not subject it to IRS tax penalties. However, taxes and/or penalties related to other distributions include:

• There may be a 10% IRS tax penalty if you are younger than age 59 ½ at the time of payment, elect BackDROP*, and take a lump-sum cash payment. If you terminate employment in or after the year you reach age 55, this penalty will not apply. Additionally, MOSERS is required to withhold 20% of a BackDROP cash payment for federal taxes. More details are available in the Special Tax Notice brochure on our website. In such a situation, you can avoid the IRS tax penalty by rolling over the BackDROP payment to a qualified retirement account such as with MO Deferred Comp and not withdrawing it until you meet all IRS regulations (generally speaking, that is after you attain age 59 1/2 but there are exceptions, see page 4 of the Special Tax Notice brochure (BackDROP and Refunds), including one for public safety employees).
• If you have made pre-tax contributions to the MO Deferred Comp plan (an internal revenue code section 457(b) plan), distributions from that plan following retirement or termination of service at any age are subject to ordinary income tax only.
• Employer “match” contributions made on behalf of an employee to a 401(a) plan are subject to an additional 10% penalty if withdrawn prior to age 59 1/2.

Be sure to check with your financial institution or a tax advisor for information about your tax liability when you begin withdrawing your funds.

*BackDROP is available only to general state employees who are members of MSEP & MSEP 2000 and who work at least two years beyond normal retirement eligibility.