We will not have all the data we need to calculate the 2023 COLA until mid-January. As you noted, by law, the maximum increase for the COLA in a single year is 5%. COLAs for most retirees are equal to 80% of the percentage increase in the average Consumer Price Index (CPI) from one year to the next, with a maximum of 5% (minimum of 0%). We will post the 2023 COLA to our website in January. Be sure to visit the COLA page on our website for more information. 

I believe you may be referring to a 1099-R form.

 A 1099-R shows distributions you have received from pensions and other retirement plans. A W-2 form comes from an employer, not from MOSERS. A W-2 shows income you’ve earned from your employer.

MOSERS provides you with a 1099-R tax form. This form lists your 2022 retirement benefit income from MOSERS. You will need this form to file your income tax return. If you receive more than one benefit from MOSERS, you may receive more than one 1099-R from us.

We will mail your 1099-R form by the end of January 2023. You can also access it online by logging into myMOSERS. You will find it under Personal Information and available for you to save or print. If you are unable to log in to myMOSERS, call us at (800) 827-1063 or (573) 632-6100 and we can mail you a replacement. For security reasons, we cannot email it to you.

Congrats on your upcoming retirement! Yes, we do offer our Ready to Retire session as both in-person seminars and online webinars. As a member who has less than 5 years until retirement eligibility, attending a Ready to Retire session is a great decision and one that will allow you to learn more about the retirement process and how you can prepare. Our seminars are full for the remainder of this year, however, we will be releasing the education schedules for 2023 in mid-December. Be sure to check the Education page on our website and watch your email for updates.  

In calculating pension benefit amounts, for final average pay (FAP), we use gross salary (before taxes, health insurance, cafeteria plan, etc.).

Thank you for contacting us to ask about Amendment No. 1 on the November 8^th voting ballot. It is relative to “state investments” and is not a provision related to the MOSERS trust fund or our investment program. This provision was passed by the General Assembly in 2021 under HJR 35 to be placed before Missouri voters. This ballot issue would expand authorized investments in which the State Treasurer may invest State treasury funds. 

The assets held for paying MOSERS members’ current and future retirement benefits are held in the MOSERS Trust Fund, which is governed by our 11-member Board of Trustees per state statute in Chapter 104. Likewise, this trust fund cannot be co-mingled with any other funds per state statute in Section 105.662, and is separate from State treasury dollars.

All eligible state employees are members of a retirement plan based on when they are first employed in a MOSERS benefit-eligible position and their vested status.

 Our records indicate that you are a member of MSEP. State law allows members of MSEP to choose either MSEP or MSEP 2000 at the time of retirement. A plan will not be picked for you. Your plan is not dependent upon if you attend a Ready to Retire seminar or not. Additionally, you are not required to make that decision a year in advance.

 It is important for you to learn about the retirement process and your choices at retirement. Below are options:

• We have a Ready to Retire webinar on December 1, 2022, which we have opened up to additional attendees. You may register via myMOSERS or contact us at MOSERSEducation@mosers.org.
• At any time of year, you may call or make an in-person appointment to meet individually with a MOSERS benefit counselor to discuss your options.
• In mid-December, we will post the education schedule for next year to our website. We encourage you to watch for that and, as soon as possible, register to attend an in-person seminar or webinar.

If you are retired and not a Missouri resident, please contact the Missouri Department of Revenue and state tax agency in your state for additional information, to inquire if you will need to file a state tax return in either or both states, and to determine the taxability of your MOSERS benefit where you live. Our staff is not authorized to provide tax advice.

If you are a vested member of MSEP or MSEP 2000 and leave state employment prior to retirement, your pension stays secure with MOSERS and will be available to you when become eligible and complete the retirement process. See Leaving State Employment for more information.

Keep in mind that any benefit estimates you may have received assume you worked until your normal retirement date. If you leave employment, you will stop accruing service credit. As a result, your first eligible normal retirement date may be later and your benefit amount will be less. You may contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to get a revised estimate of your future benefit.

If you are a member of MSEP 2011, the same is true. Alternatively, you have the option to request a Refund of Employee Contributions. If you elect a refund, there is a 90-day waiting period and you will forfeit your future rights to receive a pension from MOSERS.

You can find a replacement copy of your 1099-R form by logging into myMOSERS. Select Personal Information and from there you will find it available for you to download and print.

Your specific question is outside the purview of MOSERS. Please discuss your questions about taking annual leave with your supervisor and/or HR representative. It is also important that you find out if there is a limit on how many hours of unused annual leave your employer will pay out when you retire. Again, it is your agency that determines the amount of vacation/annual leave that you can get paid for, not MOSERS. Limits on how much they will pay out may vary from one agency to another.

If your employer approves the use of annual leave prior to your retirement date, you would still be considered an active employee, would still be accruing service credit, and would still have your insurance coverage while taking annual leave. Your employer may require you to return to work prior to your retirement date.

As it relates to your MOSERS benefits, the amount of unused annual leave you have at retirement has no impact on your MOSERS retirement benefits. However, unused sick leave may increase the amount of your service credit and your monthly retirement benefit. See our Life Events page for more information on both unused annual leave and unused sick leave. Contact a MOSERS benefit counselor directly if you have any further questions about your pension benefits.