Superlative retirement benefits for members

Each year, the most common retirement date for UFT members is July 1. In the 2016–17 school year, 3,317 UFT members enrolled in the Teachers’ Retirement System retired, with 1,719 of them retiring during the summer.

While members may retire at any time, most retire after the fall semester or when the school year ends to avoid disrupting student learning. But regardless of when you retire, we’re here to help you.

The UFT has fought for decades to make sure your pension remains safe. This has not been an easy battle, especially when anti-teacher, anti-union corporate interests and hedge fund managers are constantly blaming union benefits for many of society’s ills.

In fact, unions have for decades fought for working men and women and they helped create the middle class in the United States. Unions are in large part responsible for improving the living standards of the average U.S. citizen as well as for federal health and safety legislation that helps both union and nonunion workers.

The union also has fought to get you comprehensive health benefits in retirement and has supplemented those benefits through the UFT Welfare Fund and through the Retired Teachers Chapter. We take your welfare very seriously!

Knowledge is power

We know that financial security in retirement means peace of mind. But you have to understand your benefits to get the most out of them. The UFT is dedicated to making sure you have the information to make educated decisions.

Retirement is a life-altering event, and the UFT has many services to help members prepare for it. These services include:

• Pension consultants in every UFT borough office to answer your questions;
• Pension clinics for all tiers offered in all boroughs (see listing on this page);
• This monthly column in the New York Teacher and on the UFT website;
• “UFT PensioNews” newsletters;
• Speakers for chapter meetings;
• Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) workshops in all boroughs;
• Preliminary pension consultations;
• A final pension consultation before retirement;
• “Ready-or-Not” preretirement education programs;
• Financial Wellness workshops;
• Three teacher-member trustees on the Teachers’ Retirement Board;
• Retirement information on the UFT website; and
• The Retired Teachers Chapter, which represents you after retirement

Make sure you take advantage of all the union’s services to make the most of your retirement.

Planning to retire soon?

If you plan to retire this school year, we suggest you make a final pension consultation appointment at a UFT borough office by calling 212-598-6866. The final pension consultation covers an estimate of your retirement allowance and discussion of the following:

• Maximum retirement allowance compared with other available options;
• Designation of beneficiaries;
• The effect of lump-sum withdrawal on your retirement allowance;
• Loan options from TRS accounts at retirement;
• Lump-sum death benefit;
• Fractional payment of retirement allowance;
• TDA account options — should you defer, annuitize, roll over or withdraw?;
• Health coverage in retirement, including basic plans, optional benefits, UFT Welfare Fund benefits and the Supplemental Health Insurance Plan (SHIP);
• Use of remaining Cumulative Absence Reserve (CAR) days;
• A review of the retirement application and health benefits enrollment form;
• A brief general description of federal, state and local income taxes; and
• UFT services after retirement through the Retired Teachers Chapter.

Make sure that TRS has proof of your date of birth on file to avoid an unnecessary delay in the retirement process. Acceptable proof is a birth certificate, passport or naturalization papers.

The UFT is here to help and guide you through the retirement process.