Retirement

As an employee of a public institution, you do not pay into social security (see below) for retirement, but you are required to participate in one of two public retirement systems:

  • Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS): for all non-faculty employees
  • State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio (STRS): for faculty

New Hires-Choosing a Plan

Supplemental Retirement Plans 403(b) and 457

Planning to Retire


Retirement at Work

Use this Retirement@Work® portal to enroll in your supplemental retirement plan(s), change your voluntary 403(b) contribution amount at any time, choose your preferred retirement plan provider(s) for all plans, view all Miami University 403(b) Plan and ARP account balances across investment providers and access tools and resources for planning.

Also review the Retirement at Work User Guide for additional information and guidance.

Earnings Not Covered by Social Security

Your earnings from your Miami employment are not covered under Social Security. When you retire, or if you become disabled, you may receive a pension based on earnings from this job. If you do, and you are also entitled to a benefit from Social Security based on either your own work or the work of your husband or wife, or former husband or wife, your pension may affect the amount of the Social Security benefit you receive. Your Medicare benefits, however, will not be affected.

Under the Social Security law, there are two provisions that may affect your Social Security benefit amount: the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset Provision.

Windfall Elimination Provision

Under the Windfall Elimination Provision, your Social Security retirement or disability benefit is figured using a modified formula when you are also entitled to a pension from a job where you did not pay Social Security tax. As a result, you will receive a lower Social Security benefit than if you were not entitled to a pension from this job.

For example, if you are age 62 in 2013, the maximum monthly reduction in your Social Security benefit as a result of this provision is $395.50. This amount is updated annually. This provision reduces, but does not totally eliminate, your Social Security benefit.

Government Pension Offset Provision

Under the Government Pension Offset Provision, any Social Security spouse or widow(er) benefit to which you become entitled will be offset if you also receive a Federal, State or local government pension based on work where you did not pay Social Security tax. The Government Pension Offset Provision reduces the amount of your Social Security spouse or widow(er) benefit by two-thirds of the amount of your pension.

For example, if you get a monthly pension of $600 based on earnings that are not covered under Social Security, two-thirds of that amount, $400, is used to offset your Social Security spouse or widow(er) benefit. If you are eligible for a $500 widow(er) benefit, you will receive $100 per month from Social Security ($500-$400=$100). Even if your pension is high enough to totally offset your spouse or widow(er) Social Security benefit, you are still eligible for Medicare at age 65.

For additional information, including details about both provisions, see the Social Security Administration's Retirement Planner. You may also contact your local Social Security office or call 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778 for the deaf or hard of hearing).

Secure Act and Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Changes

New legislation raises the age to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) from 70-1/2 to 72. Please contact your vendor representative for details on how this and other changes may impact you.