Retirement FAQ - Member

You need to go to your human resource office and complete a Form FR-11, Application for Service Retirement, sign the form in front of a notary, and submit your signed form to the division. The form is also available to be downloaded from the Forms page of the division's website.

We ask that you submit your application three months prior to your termination date to give us time to complete all the necessary calculations and add your name to the retired payroll on time. We do not accept retirement applications more than six months in advance of your effective retirement date.

Note: The day you terminate employment is not your retirement date under the FRS. Retirement is always effective the first of the month and your application must be submitted to establish an effective retirement date. 

Yes. When you apply for retirement, you must furnish proof of your age. If you choose benefit Option 3 or 4, you must also furnish proof of age for your joint annuitant and a copy of your marriage certificate if naming your spouse as your beneficiary. The division must receive the required proof of age before you can begin receiving benefits. We will accept a readable copy of one of the following documents:

• Birth certificate
• Delayed birth certificate
• Census report more than 30 years old
• Life insurance policy more than 30 years old
• Documentation from Social Security Administration stating the date of birth it has established for payment of benefits to you or your joint annuitant
• Certificate of naturalization
• Valid, unexpired U.S. passport
• Florida driver’s license issued after Jan. 1, 2010, that indicates compliance with the federal REAL ID Act

If you cannot furnish any one of the documents listed above, a readable copy of a document from two of the following categories will be required:

• Birth certificate of your child, giving your (or your joint annuitant's) age
• Baptismal certificate more than 30 years old
• Hospital record of birth
• School record at time you (or your joint annuitant) entered grammar school

For members initially enrolled in the FRS before July 1, 2011, average final compensation (AFC) is the average of the five highest fiscal years of salary earned during covered employment. For members initially enrolled in the FRS on or after July 1, 2011, AFC is the average of the eight highest fiscal years of salary earned during covered employment. Salary records are kept for retirement purposes by fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Certain kinds of payments, such as lump-sum sick leave payments, retirement incentive bonuses, and lump-sum annual leave payments in excess of 500 hours, cannot be included in the AFC.

Yes. It is important to designate a beneficiary so that you can direct payment of any benefits that may be due at your death.

You may designate a beneficiary online by logging in to your FRS Online account. A form to file your beneficiary designation, Form BEN-001, is available from the Members page of the division’s website; mail or fax the completed form
to our office.

Yes. On your application for retirement, you will be asked to name your beneficiary and choose a benefit payment option; the beneficiary designation filed previously is no longer in effect:

• If you choose Option 1 or 2, you may name as beneficiary any person, organization, trust, or your estate. You may name one or more beneficiaries to receive benefits jointly or sequentially.
• If you choose either Option 3 or 4, your beneficiary must also qualify as your joint annuitant. If you choose Option 3, you may name more than one joint annuitant, and specify the proportion of the benefit to be paid to each. A joint annuitant is defined as:

• The member’s spouse; or
• The member’s natural or legally adopted child who is either under age 25 or who is physically or mentally disabled and incapable of self-support (regardless of age); or
• The member’s parent or grandparent who was dependent upon the member for at least half of the financial support at the time of death; or
• A person for whom the member is the legal guardian, and who was dependent upon the member for at least half of the financial support at the time of death.

Please refer to the above answer.