Retirees
For all who have reached this milestone in their career, ATRS would like to congratulate you on a job well done and thank you for serving the students of this great state. We wish you all the very best.
As a July 1 retiree, your first benefit payment will be paid on July 28, 2021 via electronic deposit (EFT).
Once your application is processed, you will receive an acknowledgement letter indicating your final benefit amount along with other details regarding your retirement.
As a reminder, ATRS does not manage or administer the public school health insurance program for retirees. That program is administered by a separate state entity, AR Benefits. If you have not done so already, we recommend contacting AR Benefits to discuss your health insurance options after retirement. AR Benefits can be reached at 501.682.9656.
Many retirees are concerned that receipt of Social Security benefits will reduce their ATRS benefit. The good news: this is not true. Although many state retirement systems do coordinate their benefits with Social Security, ATRS does not reduce its benefits once you become eligible for Social Security. So your Social Security benefit has no impact whatsoever on your ATRS benefit. ATRS retirees have the double benefit of both ATRS lifetime benefits and Social Security benefits.
If you are considering returning to work after retirement, we strongly encourage you to review your termination separation period.
T-DROP
If you are entering T-DROP July 1, and once your T-DROP application is processed, you will receive an acknowledgement letter indicating your T-DROP benefit along with a 10 year projection of your estimated benefits payable under the T-DROP plan.
For any questions or concerns, please contact one of our Retirement Counselors at 501.682.1517 or info@artrs.gov. Retirement Counselors are available Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm.