Leaving Before Retirement

If you leave the service of a SCERA-covered employer before you are eligible to retire, you will be asked to make a decision about the contributions and accrued interest in your retirement account. The choices you have may vary, depending on whether or not you are vested. Members are vested upon the completion of five years of service (including earned and purchased service for a SCERA-covered employer, and reciprocal service. Purchased public service is not included).

If you leave employment, we will be sending you forms which you will use to elect what you wish to do with your retirement account. If you wish to withdraw your funds, please complete the Distribution of Retirement Contributions Election form. If you wish to develop reciprocity with another qualified retirement system or elect to leave your funds on deposit please complete the Membership Election form.

Establish reciprocity

You may establish reciprocity by leaving your accumulated retirement contributions on deposit with SCERA and establishing membership in a reciprocal retirement system within six months. Reciprocity is an election you make with the retirement system. It is not established automatically.

Become a deferred-vested member*

If you are vested, you may elect to become a deferred member by leaving your accumulated contributions and interest on deposit, and later begin receiving a monthly retirement benefit. You will be eligible for a service retirement when you would have been otherwise eligible to retire had you remained in a full-time eligible position. Click for Vesting and Retirement Eligibility for Plan A members and Vesting and Retirement Eligibility for Plan B members.

Become a deferred non-vested member*

If you are not vested, you may elect to become a deferred member by leaving your accumulated contributions and interest on deposit and continue to earn interest. You will be eligible for retirement at age 70.

Take a refund

If you terminate employment, you have the option of taking a refund of your contributions and interest credited at the plan’s actuarially assumed investment return rate prior to 2019 and the 10 Year Treasury Note rate from 2019 forward, payable directly to you or rolled into another qualified retirement account. If the refund is payable directly to you, all pre-tax contributions plus interest will be subject to tax withholding. Please refer to the "Special Tax Notice Regarding Plan Payments and Federal Income Tax" form. The refund process takes six to eight weeks.  Please see page 2 of the Distribution of Retirement Contributions Election form for information regarding the Withdrawal / Rollover Employment Requirements.

Returning to SCERA

Upon returning to SCERA membership, your membership in Plan A or Plan B will depend on your prior Plan membership.

If your funds are still in the retirement system and you return to SCERA membership, your earlier service credit is intact, and you will resume earning service credit.

If you withdrew your funds, you may redeposit your previously withdrawn contributions, plus the interest your funds would have earned if you had left them on deposit. Such a redeposit would restore the service credit that was forfeited by the withdrawal. For more information on a redeposit, please refer to the section on Purchasing Service Credit.

Leaving Before Retirement Information

Click link to download information about leaving before retirement. 

*Please verify your current service credit by logging into your MySCERA account.  If you do not currently have 5 or more years of service and your goal is to be vested, you may wish to contact SCERA to audit your service credit two months prior to submitting your official termination date.  In all instances, we recommend reviewing your MOU or talking with your HR contact to learn the impact that terminating employment prior to retirement may have on your employer offered benefits.