10/30/2024
New & Updated Online Services Debuted Today
Earlier today, we updated services available in members’ online accounts.
If you are an active member currently working for a SERS employer or left state employment after qualifying for monthly pension payments but haven’t yet applied for them, you can now estimate your monthly pension reflecting a partial withdrawal of your contributions and interest.
If you are retired or receive payments from SERS as a beneficiary or survivor of a deceased SERS member, you can now produce a pension verification reflecting the payment data pulled from your member record. You also can now compare how changes to various fields on the new IRS W-4P form will impact the amount of money withheld from your payments for federal income tax purposes.
You’ll need to sign into your online account to use these new or updated services.
03/19/2024
Active Members: Your 2023 SERS Statement is in the Mail
Today, we mailed your 2023 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA and it will be available in your online member services account tomorrow.
Your statement provides a snapshot of all your SERS retirement plans as of December 31, 2023, whether you have one or multiple SERS retirement plans. The statement lists the number of beneficiaries you have on file for each plan. Beneficiaries are plan specific, so if you contribute to more than one SERS retirement plan, you will need to name beneficiaries for each plan.
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents. Your combined statement will help you plan for your retirement.
If you do not receive your member statement by April 3, 2024, please contact a SERS plan specialist at ra-sersretc@pa.gov or 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
03/21/2023 Active Members: Your 2022 SERS Statement is in the Mail
Today, we mailed your 2022 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA and made it available in your online member services account.
Your statement provides a snapshot of all your SERS retirement plans as of December 31, 2022, whether you have one or multiple SERS retirement plans. The statement lists the number of beneficiaries you have on file for each plan. Beneficiaries are plan specific, so if you contribute to more than one SERS retirement plan, you will need to name beneficiaries for each plan.
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents. Your combined statement will help you plan for your retirement.
If you do not receive your member statement by April 4, 2023, please contact a SERS plan specialist at ra-sersretc@pa.gov or 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
6/14/22
Carefully Consider Unsolicited Offers to Help You Understand Your State Benefits!
SERS members have reported an increase in the number of unsolicited offers from businesses to help them understand how their state benefits, from retirement plans to life insurance, fit into their retirement planning.
Be Wary
Please be wary of financial planners who present themselves as experts about your SERS retirement benefits. In many cases, their goal is to sell you an investment product.
Unless an e-mail comes from SERS or Empower, the third-party administrator of the Defined Contribution Plan and the Deferred Compensation Plan, be very wary.
Compare Fees
If you are considering an investment product, be sure to compare the fees for that product to those offered through the SERS Deferred Compensation Plan. In most cases, the deferred comp fees will be lower because they have been professionally negotiated for a large employer-based investment pool.
Retirement Plan Questions?
If you have questions about your SERS retirement plans, contact a plan specialist:
Defined Benefit Plan (pension) – ra-sersretc@pa.gov or 1.800.633.5461
Defined Contribution Plan (personally selected investments) - Participant_services@empower.com or 1-866-737-7457
Deferred Compensation Plan (voluntary, supplemental plan) - Participant_services@empower.com or 1-866-737-7457
3/22/2022
Active Members: Your 2021 SERS Statement is in the Mail
Today, we mailed your 2021 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA and made it available in your online member services account.
Your statement provides a snapshot of all your SERS retirement plans as of December 31, 2021, whether you have one or multiple SERS retirement plans. The statement lists the number of beneficiaries you have on file for each. Beneficiaries are plan specific, so if you contribute to more than one SERS retirement plan, you will need to name beneficiaries for each plan
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents. Your combined statement will help you plan for your retirement.
If you do not receive your member statement by April 1, 2022, please contact a SERS plan specialist at ra-sersretc@pa.gov or 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
3/23/2021
Active Members: Your 2020 SERS Statement is in the Mail
Today, we mailed your 2020 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA and made it available in your online member services account.
Your statement provides a snapshot of all your SERS retirement plans as of December 31, 2020, whether you have one or multiple SERS retirement plans. The statement lists the number of beneficiaries you have on file for each. Beneficiaries are plan specific, so if you contribute to more than one SERS retirement plan, you will need to name beneficiaries for each plan
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents. Your combined statement will help you plan for your retirement.
If you do not receive your member statement by April 1, 2021, please contact a SERS plan specialist at ra-sersretc@pa.gov or 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
5/15/2020
Active Members: Your 2019 SERS Statement Is in the Mail
Today, we mailed your 2019 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA and made it available in your online member services account.
New this year! Your statement will serve as a snapshot of all your SERS retirement plans as of December 31, 2019, whether you have one or multiple SERS retirement plans. The new statement lists the number of beneficiaries you have on file for each of the plans you contribute to. Beneficiaries are plan specific, so if you contribute to more than one SERS retirement plan, you will need to name beneficiaries for each plan.
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents. Your new combined statement will help you plan for your retirement.
If you do not receive your member statement by May 25, 2020, please contact a SERS pension plan specialist at 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
04/08/20
ALERT: Be Wary of E-mail Offers to Review Your SERS Retirement Plans!
It’s happening again. Unfortunately, a number of online and e-mail opportunists are trying to take advantage of people’s anxieties during the current Coronavirus crisis.
Recently, some state employees have begun receiving unsolicited e-mails from outside entities, urging them to book a free consultation, or click on a survey link.
Don’t do it!
These e-mails are NOT from SERS or Empower Retirement, the third-party administrator of the deferred comp and defined contribution plans.
Please be especially wary of financial planners who present themselves as experts about your SERS retirement benefits. In many cases, their goal is to sell you an investment product.
If you are considering an investment product, be sure to compare the fees for that product to those offered through the SERS Deferred Compensation Plan. In most cases, the deferred comp fees will be lower because they have been professionally negotiated for a large employer-based investment pool.
Stay safe!
To keep your retirement savings safe, don’t click on strange or suspicious links from sources you don’t know. You can trust communications clearly coming from SERS (@PennSERS), or Empower Retirement (@EmpowerToday), or an e-mail address that ends in “pa.gov”.
Remember. If something doesn’t look right – don’t click on it.
We also encourage you to forward the e-mail as an attachment to CWOPA_SPAM@pa.gov so our security specialists can continue to monitor the situation. Then delete it.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and please continue to stay safe out there.
02/25/2019
Active Members: Your 2018 SERS Statement Is in the Mail
On Friday, we mailed your 2018 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA. Your 2018 statement will also be available in your online member services account next week.
Even if you are many years away from retirement, your statement provides information that will help you understand your benefit and how it grows. Your 2018 statement details the service credit you earned, contributions you made, and interest you earned on your contributions in 2018 and over the course of your SERS membership. If you are eligible for a monthly pension, or in other words "vested" in the system, your statement will include estimates of retirement benefits calculated to several retirement options.
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents.
If you do not receive your member statement by March 8, 2019, please contact a SERS pension plan specialist at 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
03/09/2018
Active Members: Your 2017 SERS Statement Is in the Mail
Yesterday, we mailed your 2017 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA. Your 2017 statement will also be available in your online member services account next week.
Even if you're many years away from retirement, your statement provides information that will help you understand your benefit and how it grows. Your 2017 statement details the service credit you earned, contributions you made, and interest you earned on your contributions in 2017 and over the course of your SERS membership. If you are eligible for a monthly pension, or in other words "vested" in the system, your statement will include estimates of retirement benefits calculated to several retirement options.
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents.
2/8/2017
On February 7, 2017, the Governor's budget address included a mention of "offering a new early retirement program to modernize our state workforce." At this time we have no information on who may be eligible as no legislation has been introduced.
Please note that any early retirement offer will have to be passed by both the House and the Senate, and signed by the Governor. In the event that such legislation would be proposed, you can access the status of it, or any other pending legislation at www.legis.state.pa.us.
If legislation is enacted, we will notify affected members.
3/15/2016
Keep Alert to Potential Phone Scams
A few members have reported receiving questionable automated phone calls. The automated message indicates the call is from SERS and asks the member to confirm his or her personal information by logging into a website.
To protect your personal information from scams like this, never give your personal or financial information to anyone over the phone or online unless you initiate the call or verify the website address is legitimate.
01/06/2016
Act 2015-93 INFORMATION
On December 28, 2015, Governor Tom Wolf signed Act 2015-93, which instituted several technical, tax-related requirements for SERS and is part of Pennsylvania's ongoing efforts to maintain the Retirement Code's compliance with federal and state laws, including the Internal Revenue Code. Many of these technical changes are transparent to SERS members, and most of the other changes affect only a few State employees. Most importantly, the passage of this legislation ensures that State employees continue to enjoy the benefits of their retirement accounts remaining tax-deferred until they leave state service and begin receiving a pension.
These changes include:
Retiree return to service rules, allowing annuitants to return to active service in limited circumstances, are structured to satisfy federal requirements
Minimum vesting standards are established in the event SERS pension plan is closed
Benefit limits for higher salaried or longer service employees and the handling of pickup contributions
Maximum contribution and minimum distribution rules, and death benefit parameters
Coordination of retirement benefits between SERS and PSERS to ensure that any combined benefit does not exceed the IRS maximum distribution limit
For specific information related to Act 93 click here. If you have any questions on how these technical changes may affect your retirement, please contact your SERS regional office.
5/13/2015
Pension reform is a Hot Topic in Harrisburg
Recent news reports have included stories about a few pension-related bills that are currently being drafted or have been introduced. One bill in particular, Senate Bill 1, proposes changes to the future benefit to be earned by current employees.
It is important to keep in mind that any changes to the structure of the SERS benefit must be introduced as a bill, passed by both chambers of the legislature and signed into law by the Governor.
Our retirees should also note that none of the bills currently under consideration affect their benefits.
As the administrator of the SERS pension benefit, we do not advocate for or against specific pension reform bills. We are, however, closely monitoring legislative activity and will notify you if any law enacted will impact your benefit.
We encourage you to remain informed as this debate unfolds.
You can read proposed legislation and track its progress on the legislature's website, www.legis.state.pa.us, by using the keyword "pension." The site also features a legislator search tool so that you can find the name and contact information for your legislators.
To receive updates like this by e-mail, sign-up on our website.
4/24/2015
Keep Alert to Potential Phone Scams
A few members have reported receiving questionable phone calls in which the caller claims to be with the U.S. Treasury or IRS and indicates that there is an issue with the member's SERS benefit. The callers also claim that the member will be brought before some sort of government magistrate or grand jury if they ignore the call. The callers can be aggressive in tone and may call multiple times.
The calls that members have described are similar to this well-known IRS scam.
To protect your personal information from scams like this, never give your personal or financial information to anyone over the phone unless you initiated the call to a company or agency that you are certain is legitimate.
3/12/2015
Your 2014 SERS Statement Is in the Mail
Earlier today, we mailed your 2014 statement directly from our print and mail vendor in Claysburg, PA. Your 2014 statement will also be available in your online member services account tomorrow afternoon.
Even if you’re many years away from retirement, your statement provides information that will help you understand your benefit and how it grows. Your 2014 statement details the service credit you earned, contributions you made, and interest you earned on your contributions in 2014 and over the course of your SERS membership. If you are eligible for a monthly pension, or in other words “vested” in the system, your statement will include estimates of retirement benefits calculated to several retirement options.
Please review your annual statement for accuracy and keep it with your other important financial documents.
If you are an active member and do not receive your member statement by March 26, 2015, please contact a SERS pension plan specialist at 1.800.633.5461.
If you would like to receive member updates directly to your e-mail, sign up here.
06/13/2014
Hazleton Regional Counseling Center Has Moved
After many years at the same location, we're moving our region 5 counseling center from Hazleton to:
Wilkes-Barre Regional Counseling Center
15 Public Square, Suite 410
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
Toll Free Phone: 1.800.633.5461 (unchanged)
Local Phone: 570.829.0632
Fax: 570.829.0629
The staff and staff assignments remain the same, only the location is changing. If you need to visit the new office, you can find driving directions on our website under the Counseling Centers area.
The Hazleton office will close at the end of the day Tuesday, June 10 and the Wilkes-Barre office will open for business Monday, June 16. If you need anything during that time, please call 1.800.633.5461 and we will be happy to assist you.
Thank you for your patience during this transition period. If we can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.