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The SUNY Optional Retirement Program (ORP) TIAA membership is open to full time unclassified staff members.

New York State Employees' Retirement System membership is open to all employees.

New York State Teachers' Retirement System membership is open to employees in the unclassified service employed in a select group of titles: faculty, librarian or coach title, chancellor, president, vice-president, dean, associate dean or assistant dean.

If you are a full-time employee, you must elect to participate in one of these programs within thirty (30) days of the effective date of your appointment. If you do not make a timely election, and are in a position eligible for TRS membership, you will then be required to join TRS. All other full-time employees who do not make a timely election will be required to join ERS. Part-time employees are not required to join a retirement system.

Once you become a participant in one of these programs, either through election or by failure to make a timely election, you will not be able to change from one to another during employment at 91³Ô¹ÏÍø.
Exception: if you are not now eligible for a particular retirement program, and later become eligible for that program, you will be permitted to change to that program at that time. Example: you are a classified staff member and become a full time faculty member; you would then be eligible to elect either TIAA or TRS since you were not eligible for either as a classified staff member. NTPs that change status to full time faculty need to contact the Office of Human Resources on the ability to change systems when changing positions as several other caveats may apply.

Summary of Tier IV SUNY Retirement Plan Options (PDF)

The public retirement systems (TRS and ERS) are both "defined benefit" retirement programs. The benefits you receive at retirement will be determined based on a formula, using specific formula factor, your final average salary, age and years of service. The Optional Retirement Program is a "defined contribution" program. The amount of benefits you receive at retirement will be based on the amount of funds contributed to your account, the investment earnings on those funds, your age when you take income and the benefit option you choose.

Detailed information on each plan is available on the systems' websites. You should review these prior to making your decision. The site addresses are: