Upcoming Retirement and Financial Planning Events

Retirement eligibility is determined by your start date in a benefit eligible position. Under current state law, if you were employed in a benefits-eligible position with the A&M System on August 31, 2003, you are eligible to participate in the Texas A&M System group insurance plan as a retiree and receive the employer contribution toward your premiums as a retiree when:

• you are at least age 55 and have at least 5 years of TRS or ORP service credit, or your age plus years of service equal at least 80, or you have at least 30 years of service, and
• 3 of those years of service are with the A&M System, and
• the A&M System is your last state employer, and
• you have an intact TRS or ORP account.*

If you were hired by the A&M System in a benefits-eligible position after August 31, 2003, or if you left A&M System employment before August 31, 2003, and did not meet the criteria listed above as of August 31, 2003, you are eligible to participate in the Texas A&M System group insurance plan as a retiree and receive the employer contribution toward your premiums as a retiree when:

• you are at least age 65 and have at least 10 years of TRS or ORP service credit, or your age plus years of service equal at least 80 and you have 10 years of service credit, and
• 10 of those years of service are with the A&M System, and
• the A&M System is your last state employer, and
• you have an intact TRS or ORP account.*

*An intact TRS account is one that has not been withdrawn. An intact ORP account is a 403(b) account containing funds that can be tied to your Texas ORP account.

If you plan to retire in the next year, please register for Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshops as soon as you can. 

Benefits of Retiring with the A&M System:

TAMUS retirees are eligible to participate in health, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage for the duration of their life (age limitations apply for life insurance). Retirees may enroll eligible dependents on their health, dental, and vision coverage and maintain employer contribution. Upon the retiree’s passing, any dependents actively on their health, dental, or vision coverage may continue coverage as a Surviving Dependent, without employer contribution. Survivors would pay the total cost of their insurance coverage, listed on the retiree premium sheet.

• Retiree Benefits

Retirement Programs

• Mandatory Retirement Plans:
  • Teacher Retirement System (TRS)
  • Optional Retirement Program (ORP)
• Voluntary Programs:
  • Tax-Deferred Account Program
  • Texa$aver Deferred Compensation Plan
• Retirement Planning
  • Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshops

You can retire and begin to receive TAMUS retiree benefits once you meet eligibility criteria. Please review the following A Look Ahead: A Guide to Retiring from the A&M System to become familiar with rules under current state law.

• Texas A&M Retirement Checklist
• Register for Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshops
• Retirement Planning
• TRS video: Steps to Retirement

Please complete the form I'm Ready to Start My TAMU Retirement within 3-6 months of your retirement date so Benefit Services can start your retirement process, including eligibility review, consult, and processing paperwork. If you are eligible to retire, a retirement packet will be curated and either presented at your consultation or emailed to you. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements for retirement, you will be notified.

If you would like to have your eligibility reviewed, submit a request to benefits@tamu.edu. Please be aware that during peak seasons, such as January, May, August, and December, there may be a delay in the review process.

Schedule a consultation with a Texas A&M Retirement Specialist to discuss your unique situation.

• Retiree Benefits
• Retiree Privileges
• Social Security
  • Social Security Administration

An Overview of TRS and ORP

• TRS
  • TRS
  • TRS Employment After Retirement
  • TRS Financial Awareness Videos
  • Request a TRS Refund
• ORP
  • ORP Vendor list
  • ORP Fee Summary
  • Guidelines for ORP and TDA Transfers and Rollover
  • HR15 – ORP Notification of Change in Employment Status
• TDA
  • HR18 - TDA Notification of Change in Employment Status
• Medicare
  • Medicare.gov
• Register for Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshops
• PerksConnect (employee/retiree discount program)
• Retiree/Survivor Insurance Premium Payments: How do I pay my insurance premiums?
• Re-Employment for Retirees

When you or your spouse are turning 65, there are a few things you need to do. Retirees must enroll in Medicare A & B and submit a copy of their Medicare card to Benefit Services. Active employees enrolled in the A&M Care Plan should enroll in Medicare A. Upon retirement or leaving a benefit eligible position, TAMU Benefit Services can certify your coverage in the A&M Care Plan. Find more information about working past 65 and Medicare.

Retirees over age 65 gain access to the Silver Sneakers program through BlueCross BlueShield.

In addition, retirees participating in the 65 Plus Medicare Advantage Plan (MAP) cannot have another Medicare Advantage Plan. Enrolling in an additional Medicare Advantage Plan will disqualify you from the Texas A&M University System 65 Plus Medicare Advantage Plan.

Retirees returning to work over the age of 65 will return to the A&M Care Plan if working 50% or more effort.

• Social Security
  • Social Security Administration
• Medicare
  • Medicare.gov
  • Medicare & You

1. Pre-Retirement Counseling Workshops are offered once a month (virtually or in person) and you can sign up via TrainTraq – pre-register for a Workshop here. Although not required, this Workshop is very informative and will likely answer most of your questions, as well as address things you may not have considered.
2. Retirement Consultations are scheduled individually and, although not required, offer you the opportunity to ask specific questions pertaining to your unique retirement situation. You can elect to meet with a Retirement Specialist via phone, in person (at the General Services Complex, 750 Agronomy Rd.), or virtually via Zoom. You can schedule your Retirement Consultation here.

Refunds of an employee's Teacher Retirement System (TRS) deposits are available only to those who have terminated all employment with all TRS-covered employers. To request a refund of your TRS account, complete the TRS-6 Form and send the signed form to TRS after all final pay has been reported to TRS. If you are vested under TRS with 5 years of TRS service credit, you will be required to complete an additional waiver of benefits form verifying that you understand the benefits you are forfeiting by withdrawing your account. Once TRS receives all necessary forms, TRS will process the withdrawal request. Refunds go directly to you and taxes are withheld. There is also a 10% tax penalty if withdrawn before age 55.

You may also request a rollover of your funds into an IRA instead of taking a cash withdrawal. If requesting a rollover, check that option on the TRS 6 form and return the form. TRS will send you a packet instructing you how to complete the rollover. Complete the information in the packet and return it to TRS. TRS legally has up to a year to process these rollovers, but the process actually takes a couple of months. The IRA trustee or custodian must be a bank, a federally insured credit union, a savings and loan association, or an entity approved by the IRS to act as trustee or custodian. Rollovers go directly to the custodian and not to the TRS member. Taxes are not withheld, but rollovers imply a future tax liability. Foreign nationals whose countries have tax treaties with the United States are treated by TRS like any other refunding-member who doesn't roll over the funds. In other words, taxes are deducted; however, these individuals file with the IRS at the appropriate time for qualified refunds.

Please be aware that if you withdraw your funds from TRS or ORP, you forfeit those years of service with the A&M System. This action may potentially impact your eligibility to retire and receive insurance benefits during retirement.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)

• Phone: (800) 223-8778
• Website: trs.texas.gov
• Info Line: (888) 877-0123

Instructions on how to access your MyTRS Account and Request a Refund.

Yes, TRS allows purchase of unreported TRS-eligible service, substitute service, out-of-state service, military service, developmental leave and previously withdrawn service. Check the TRS Benefits Handbook for full definitions and limitations for each category. Contact TRS for all purchase calculations. Then, determine if you want to make the purchase. State law may limit the total amount of service credit, which may be purchased. Section 415 of the Internal Revenue Code also limits the amount of money which may be voluntarily contributed to TRS in a year toward a purchase; however, those who roll money directly from another qualified retirement account, such as a 403b or 401k, will not encounter this annual IRS limit. In addition to these purchases, a special purchase exists for state sick and/or personal leave, but this may only be executed at the time of retirement.

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)

• Phone: (800) 223-8778
• Website: trs.texas.gov
• Info Line: (888) 877-0123

Learn more about Purchasing Service Credit.

Your personal TRS account information is confidential, and can only be accessed by you. TRS active members with valid passwords can obtain access to their most recent Annual Statement of Account through the TRS website trs.texas.gov.

• Phone: (800) 223-8778
• Info Line: (888) 877-0123

Learn more about the Teacher Retirement System.

In addition, please be aware that if you participate in the Teacher Retirement System (TRS), it will take approximately two months to receive your first annuity payment. The university provides the final report of earnings at the end of the month in which your last paycheck was received. All earnings must be reported to TRS before the retirement can be certified and the TRS paperwork processed. You are encouraged to plan for this time delay.