Yes. You may elect a new rate by filing an online election through the secure section of our website or by filing a Withholding Certificate for Periodic Pension or Annuity Payments (W-4P) with TRS.

Please note that, if you have a permanent home address outside of the United States, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations prohibit you from electing to have no federal income tax withheld from your retirement benefits.

Your withholding election would generally take effect approximately two to six weeks after TRS receives your online W-4P filing, or approximately two months after TRS receives your paper form.

Your retirement allowance payments may include deductions for federal tax withholding, union dues, health insurance, life insurance, and more.  You may also have deductions to repay a TDA loan to TRS or a cost recovery plan to repay other funds to TRS. Deductions from your monthly payments are itemized on your pay statements and on the Quarterly Payment Statements that TRS posts for you in the secure section of our website.

All withdrawals are paid through Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) directly into your bank account. TRS will issue payment via paper checks only for members residing abroad whose bank will not accept ACH/EFT deposits.

For in-service members paid on the Department of Education payroll, their bank information is already on file; no action is required. You may provide or update bank account information in the secure section of TRS’ website, under Payments. Please note that establishing or changing an EFT account generally takes at least 21 days.

You will not be allowed to submit a withdrawal request unless TRS has your bank account information on file.

TRS must receive the following payments before any death benefits can be processed:

• All Qualified Pension Plan (QPP) retirement allowance payments and/or Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) Program annuity payments that were cashed or directly deposited after the member’s date of death; uncashed checks must also be returned to TRS.
• An amount representing an overpayment of the member’s QPP retirement allowance; in these cases, the member was in the process of reimbursing TRS for the overpayment.

When you log in to the TRS website to file your benefit claim, the dollar amount owed to TRS and instructions for repayment will be indicated. Your notification letter also provides this information.

You can establish an EFT account or change your current EFT information in the secure section of our website. Log in and go to Payments. Please note that it takes at least 21 days to establish an EFT account.

If you are (or were) a Department of Education employee, the account where your pay is deposited is your default account in TRS’ online EFT Wallet. This information will remain on file with TRS until you change it.

Note: If you have not yet retired and the account you establish with TRS becomes invalid, your payments will be sent to the last verified account on file with the DOE

Yes. TDA contribution limits are established by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) each year. For 2026, the general contribution limit is $24,500. (However, you may be eligible to make additional “catch-up” contributions. (See What are 'catch-up' contributions? FAQ below.) Your individual TDA contribution limit for the calendar year is shown online in the secure section of our website.

Please note that the annual limit applies to traditional TDA contributions and Roth contributions combined. In addition, IRS limits are applied cumulatively to contributions made to Section 403(b) Plans (like TRS' TDA Program) and Section 401(k) Plans. Therefore, if you also contribute to other Section 403(b) and 401(k) Plans, you are responsible for ensuring that your aggregate contributions do not exceed the IRS limits.

Once you register for access to the secure TRS website using the claim code provided in your notification letter, you will create a username and password and log in to the death benefit claim feature. The feature guides you through all required steps and includes an upload feature to submit required documentation and forms. After all the required online steps are completed, you will print a summary receipt for your records; you must also print the “Attestation and Notarization for Online Death Benefit Claim,” have it notarized, and return it to TRS.

TRS must verify and validate the bank account information you provide on your EFT election. Withdrawals, loans, and other one-time payments can be made to the new account no less than 21 days after TRS receives your election. For monthly benefit payments, it may take 30-60 days before the new account can receive the payments.

Before your EFT begins, TRS will send you a letter confirming the type of account (i.e., checking or savings), account number, transit routing number, and the financial institution to which payments are to be deposited. The letter will be posted in the secure section of our website (in the Documents section) before you receive it in the mail.

As a TRS member, you can take advantage of two retirement plans under one roof: first, the guaranteed plan known as the Qualified Pension Plan (QPP); and second, our popular Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) Program. Benefits Summary explains more.

Your First Steps

Make Benefits in Brief the first place you go for TRS information. This booklet introduces you to TRS, summarizes your benefits, and describes key membership information. There’s a wealth of information elsewhere on our website—just use the Search feature, located at the top of any page, to learn about specific topics.

Log in to the secure area of our website. You can register by setting up a username (user ID) and password. Then, you can see your account information, enroll in our TDA Program, designate beneficiaries, and more! (In some cases, you may not be able to register until your first pension contribution is deducted from your pay.)

Watch our video for new members. TRS has created a video to introduce you to TRS, your retirement system. Watch now and share with a friend.

Your Next Steps

Once you are registered for secure access, you can log in and:

• Designate your beneficiaries under the QPP;
• Upload proof of your date of birth; and
• Tell us if you have been a member of another retirement system in New York State.

These simple steps will complete your enrollment in TRS.

You also have the opportunity to participate in the Tax-Deferred Annuity Program, our supplementary investment program. Two-thirds of your fellow members have enrolled, and we hope you will consider doing the same after learning more and reading the Your Tax-Deferred Annuity Program.

In-service TDA participants, members with TDA Deferral status, and TDA annuitants may change their TDA investment elections four times a year. Investment election changes take place on the following conversion dates: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1.

In-service TDA participants may change their investment elections for their future TDA contributions and/or past TDA accumulations by logging in to the secure section of our website or by filing a paper TDA Investment Election Change Form (code TD45) at any time; their elections would take effect on the next conversion date that occurs at least 30 days after TRS receives their form or online request.

Members with TDA Deferral status may change their investment elections for their TDA accumulations by logging in to the secure section of our website or by filing a paper TDA Investment Election Change Form (code TD45) at any time; their elections would take effect on the next conversion date that occurs at least 30 days after TRS receives their form or online request.

TDA annuitants may change their investment elections for their TDA accumulations by filing a paper TDA Annuitant's Investment Election Change Form (code RP9) at any time; their elections would take effect on the next conversion date that occurs at least 60 days after TRS receives their form.