Life and Job Changes

It is important you keep TRS advised of your current contact information. 

• Active members should change their address with their employer, which will then be updated with TRS.

• Retired and inactive members should use MyTRS to update their contact information or may download and mail a Personal Data Form 1R to TRS.

If a vested member terminates employment before reaching regular retirement age, the member may wait (without working) to retire until they reach their regular retirement age to avoid a reduced retirement benefit. However, waiting past regular retirement age if the member is no longer employed does not increase their monthly benefit, so they should not delay retirement once they qualify.

Withdrawing your contributions

Do I get a refund if I terminate my membership with TRS? 

Upon termination of employment, a member may withdraw their accumulated member contributions credited to their account. A member may request a withdrawal packet by secure messaging through MyTRS or by phone at (405) 521-2387. Completed forms will not be accepted before member’s last day on the job. The earliest one can receive payment is 4 months after the termination date. The member’s termination date must be verified by their former employer(s). For more information on withdrawing your account, please refer to the Member Handbook.

Unused Sick Leave

Sick Leave Credit is service credit for documented unused sick leave accrued while working in Oklahoma public education. A total of 120 days of unused sick leave may count as one year of service credit. As of August 1, 2012, if a member has less than 120 days of unused sick leave, additional service credit for sick leave days shall be equal to the number of unused sick leave days divided by one hundred twenty (120) days. Such service shall be added to other service credit earned while employed by the public schools of Oklahoma. Sick leave in excess of 120 days will not be recognized. The following restrictions apply to 14 sick leave for service credit: donated leave, sick leave that accrued during noncreditable service, or sick leave accrual in excess of 15 days per year will not count toward sick leave credit. Sick leave must be verified by employer at retirement or termination of employment. When sick leave cannot be verified because records are not available at the employing school(s), an average of sick leave used during the last 10 years of employment may be used to determine sick leave credit for the years documentation is not available.  If leaving employment, please use a TRS Form 6 (Verification of Unused Sick Leave).

Update contact information  

You can update your contact information using MyTRS.

Name change

If you get married and your name changes:

• Active members should change their names with their employer, which will then be updated with TRS.

• Retired and inactive members download and mail a Personal Data Form 1R to TRS.

Change of Address

It is important you keep TRS advised of your current contact information. 

• Active members should change their address with their employer, which will then be updated with TRS.

• Retired and inactive members should use MyTRS to update their to update their contact information or may download and mail a Personal Data Form 1R to TRS.

Update your Beneficiaries

• All members can update their beneficiaries using MyTRS.

Marriage after retirement

Single members who marry after the date of retirement, and with documentation of good health, may change their Maximum Option to Option 2 or 3 within one year of the date of marriage.  All changes must be submitted in writing and received by TRS or postmarked within the specified dates.

No matter the situation, divorce can be a difficult event in your life. The legal process can be complicated, so we want to make things as simple as possible for you.

If you are going through a divorce, and you need to divide your TRS account in the process, we are here to help. Although we cannot provide legal advice, we can help you get started. However, we do recommend consulting with an attorney to help with this process.

What happens to my benefits if I become divorced?

A court may order that your former spouse receive a portion of your retirement benefits. A copy of the court order or judgment must be approved by TRS. This type of order is commonly known as a Qualified Domestic Order (QDO) and the former spouse is referred to as an Alternate Payee. If you anticipate a divorce, you or your attorney should download the TRS Form QDO and must submit a draft of the proposed QDO to TRS for review prior to finalization in court. It is your responsibility to provide TRS with a file-stamped copy of the QDO after it has been approved by the court. You should also consider reviewing your beneficiary designations after a divorce.

Removal of a Joint Annuitant after divorce

If you are trying to remove an Option 2 or 3 joint annuitant from the account after your divorce, you or your attorney should download the TRS Form QDO and must submit a draft of the proposed QDO to TRS for review prior to finalization in court. It is your responsibility to provide TRS with a file-stamped copy of the QDO after it has been approved by the court. You should also consider reviewing your beneficiary designations after a divorce.

In the case of a divorce between the retiree and joint annuitant, the retirement contract remains in effect and the joint annuitant (ex-spouse) will receive the member’s monthly benefit after the member’s death unless a Court enters a Qualified Domestic Relations Order directing otherwise. A new joint annuitant may not be designated to receive the lifetime benefit.

Name change

If you get married and your name changes:

• Active members should change their names with their employer, which will then be updated with TRS.

• Retired and inactive members download and mail a Personal Data Form 1R to TRS.

Change of Address

It is important you keep TRS advised of your current contact information. 

• Active members should change their address with their employer, which will then be updated with TRS.

• Retired and inactive members should use MyTRS to update their contact information or may download and mail a Personal Data Form 1R to TRS.

Update your Beneficiaries

All members can update their beneficiaries using MyTRS.

You may qualify for disability retirement benefits if a medical disability prevents you from performing regular duties as an employee in the public schools of Oklahoma. To qualify for disability retirement you must:

• Have at least 10 years of contributory Oklahoma service, and

• Not be eligible for regular, unreduced retirement

• Submit a disability retirement application detailing your medical condition that must have existed while employed by the public schools of Oklahoma, and

• Be found medically disabled by the TRS Medical Board and unable to perform your regular duties and approved by the Board of Trustees.

You may also qualify for disability benefits if you are awarded Social Security disability benefits, provided:

• The disability existed while employed in the public schools of Oklahoma, and

• You have at least 10 years of contributory Oklahoma service, and

• You are not eligible for regular, unreduced retirement, and

• You submit a disability retirement application, and

• You submit documentation to TRS certifying your Social Security award.

• For more information about Disability Retirement, please refer to the Member Handbook.

A survivor’s benefit of $18,000 (for an active account) or $5,000 (for a retired account) is provided at no cost to the member, and is paid to the member’s beneficiary in addition to the contributions available in the member’s account. Members may submit one beneficiary form for all the benefits through the System or the member may submit a separate beneficiary form specifically for the survivor’s benefit amount. In order to be valid, beneficiary forms can be submitted on MyTRS.

For active contributing members, a survivor’s benefit of $18,000 shall be paid in equal shares to the designated beneficiary(s) along with the member’s account balance of contributions and applicable interest. If the member qualified for retirement at the time of death, had ten (10) years or more of creditable service, and the member listed only one (1) primary beneficiary (such as spouse) for both the account balance and the $18,000 survivor benefit, the sole primary beneficiary (if not divorced from the member after date of signed beneficiary designation) may elect to forego the $18,000 survivor benefit and the balance of the member’s account plus accrued interest to retire as the annuitant under the Option 2 retirement plan and receive a lifetime monthly benefit. Member’s beneficiary(ies) may also elect to assign all or a portion of their death benefit to a licensed funeral home.

For more information about Survivor Benefits, please refer to the Member Handbook.

Joint Annuitant vs. Beneficiary: What’s the difference?

Upon the death of a member, a joint annuitant will continue to receive a monthly benefit for the remainder of the joint annuitant’s life, whereas a beneficiary will receive a payout for a limited dollar amount (i.e. the $5,000 survivor benefit). A joint annuitant is designated by a member at retirement on the retirement contract under retirement plan Option 2 (for 100% joint annuity) or Option 3 (for 50% joint annuity). A member may only designate one joint annuitant and the joint annuitant cannot be changed. If the designated joint annuitant dies before the member, the member’s monthly benefit will “pop up” or revert to the maximum retirement plan for the 32 remainder of the member's life. A new joint annuitant may not be designated to receive the lifetime benefit. If the joint annuitant dies after the member but before the member's account balance is depleted, then the joint annuitant’s estate will be awarded the balance of the member's account balance.