As a member of Michigan's Public School Employees Retirement System, you are eligible for one of the best public pensions around. We encourage you to explore this website (and ) to learn all about your pension plan.

Your partners in planning.

Throughout your working career, your employer takes care of your pension plan deductions, wage and service records, and plan contributions. Regular reports are sent to ORS to become part of your personal pension record. When it's time to retire, your employer hands off all your final records to ORS, and we become your partner in retirement.

Take charge of your future.

Don't wait! Learn all about your pension, and then develop a plan for retirement so that it is all you hope it will be. Click here to see why planning and saving is so important

Corrected EFT statements (direct deposit) are being printed, mailed and will be delivered next week. If you wish to review your account information please access miAccount, a secure section of our website where you can view, print, and change personal account information including a secure message board where you can discuss personal account information with retirement staff. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Published on June 25, 2009 at 1:05 p.m.

ORS has identified a print/display issue with the June EFT statements (direct deposit) displaying extra information in the "Financial Institution Deposit Summary" section. ORS is confident your pension has been deposited correctly with your financial institution, as you requested. This is strictly a printing issue. ORS is evaluating the extent of the printing problem and will place updates on this website. If you wish to review your account information please access miAccount, a secure section of our website where you can view, print, and change personal account information including a secure message board where you can discuss personal account information with retirement staff. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Published on June 25, 2009 at 11:52 a.m.

State government offices will be closed for six days this summer to help reduce the state's current budget deficit. Our office will be closed on:

• Friday, June 19
• Monday, July 6
• Friday, July 24
• Friday, August 7
• Friday, August 21
• Friday, September 4

Additionally, we will be closed on Friday, July 3, for the Independence Day holiday.

While our office may be closed you may still use miAccount, our secure website where you can view and print your personal account information, make changes, and correspond securely with ORS. miAccount is available to you seven days a week from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Published on June 11, 2009

The Office of Retirement Services is pleased to announce the publication of the March 2009 issue of Connections, our semiannual retiree newsletter.

Articles in this issue include:

• It's Tax Season - Relax!

• Pure Michigan

• Message From the Director

• Ask an Expert

• When to Contact ORS 

• Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System Financial Information for Fiscal Year ending September 30, 2008

Published on March 25, 2009

For members who are considering retiring in the near future we offer the following resources to help you plan and prepare:

miAccount
miAccount is a secure website where members can view and print personal account information, make changes, and correspond securely with ORS. Log in now.

Website
The Ready to Retire section of our website is geared for members who are within a few years of retiring. It contains specifics on how pensions are calculated, the various payment options, how to prepare for retirement, and the application process.

Preretirement Seminars
This two-hour meeting is an opportunity for you to hear an overview of your retirement benefits so you can make informed decisions about your retirement and your future. Meetings are scheduled at various locations and also online. Register for an upcoming meeting.

Online Tutorials
For those who might not have time to attend a preretirement seminar, or those who want a refresher, we offer the following online tutorials.

• Qualifying for Your Pension
• Calculating Your Pension
• Pension Payment Options
• The Equated Plan

Ready, Set, Retire!!
Our Detroit office offers Ready, Set, Retire!! sessions for members retiring within the next 12 months. This optional counseling session will provide you with assistance in completing the retirement application forms. Ready, Set Retire!! group sessions are available Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3:30 to 5:30 PM and Fridays from 9:30 to 11:30 AM for a maximum of 10 participants per session (spouses welcome). Complete confidentiality will be exercised. Register for an upcoming session.

Published on February 4, 2009

The Customer Education Center in Detroit is now open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the first and third Tuesdays each month. Though the office will be open for walk-ins, to ensure the best possible service we encourage customers to make an appointment by calling our Customer Service Center at (800) 381-5111.

Published on January 29, 2009

Public Act 617 of 2006, which goes into effect January 1, 2009, permits a retiree to add a new spouse as a survivor pension beneficiary. However, certain conditions and time limits apply.

If you are considering this option you should understand that your pension will be recalculated using the standard actuarial formula which will result in a reduction of your pension.

Read more information about naming a new spouse as a beneficiary after retirement.

Published on December 19, 2008

Public school retirees who have been retired for at least 12 months may be exempt from the earnings limitation if they are working in an approved critical shortage position or for a school that has an approved emergency situation. The earnings are exempt for up to six years or until July 1, 2011, whichever comes first.

Michigan's Department of Education (MDE) publishes the list of critical shortage exceptions each year. To see the 2008-2009 list, navigate to Teacher Shortage Memo on MDE's website.

Published on October 23, 2008

ORS is pleased to present the following new online tutorials:

• How you qualify for your pension
• How your pension is calculated
• How you can take payment of you pension
• How the Equated Plan works

Each tutorial runs between four and nine minutes and provides information you need to be more confident about your retirement decisions. View the tutorials.

Published on June 20, 2008

In an effort to keep our records up-to-date and accurate, we are trying to contact inactive members who may not have a current address on file. If you previously worked for a Michigan public school and are not eligible to receive a pension, you may still have contributions on deposit because of that work and it is important that we have up-to-date contact information for you. See if your name is on our list of people we are attempting to contact.

Published on June 11, 2008