Retiree Resources



Use your online account to do the following:

Online account

  • Get 1099-R tax statements
  • Download proof of income
  • Update your contact information
  • Review your beneficiaries
  • Send us a secure message
  • Update your direct deposit information
  • Track return to work hours
  • Access your DCP or Plan 3 investments

Payday

DRS issues pension payments on the last business day of each month. The date you receive your payment will depend on your financial institution. Here are the days payments will be issued this year:

2024 pension payment schedule

Jan 31
Feb 29Mar 29Apr 30
May 31Jun 28Jul 31Aug 30
Sep 30Oct 31Nov 29Dec 31

Cost-of-Living Adjustment COLA

A COLA is an adjustment to your monthly benefit after you retire. The type of COLA you are eligible for depends on your retirement system and plan.

Visit the retiree COLA page for the latest COLA percentages and information about COLAs for your plan.

Proof of retirement income letter

Are you looking for a pension verification letter for a mortgage, refinance, estate planning or senior housing? If you are collecting a pension, you can get this letter any time through your online account.

Pension verification or retirement status proof of income statement

  1. Log into your online account.
  2. Select Benefit Summary from the menu.
  3. Under Retirement Details, select Download Pension Verification Letter.
  4. Your personalized letter file will be saved as a PDF where you store downloaded files (usually your Downloads folder).


DCP and Plan 3 customers: Contact the DRS record keeper for access to verification of investment funds. Plan 3 includes two separate retirement incomes. You might need to collect your verification from two separate accounts: your pension account and your investment account.


Update beneficiary or survivor

How do you update your beneficiaries? To update your beneficiaries, complete this paper form—retired members are unable to designate pension beneficiaries online due to the complexity of survivor options. Your beneficiary would receive a lump sum of your contributions upon your passing (as well as your survivor’s passing if you named one). If you have a DCP account, you can update your DCP beneficiaries online.

How do you update your survivor? A survivor is someone you designate to receive a portion of your retirement benefit in the event of your passing. In most cases, you cannot change your survivor. If your survivor passes before you, you can have your benefit changed to the unreduced single amount. If you marry in retirement, you have a one-time option to add your spouse as a survivor between your first and second year of marriage (second and third year for retirees from the Washington State Patrol). Report these life changes to DRS.

Read more about the difference between survivors and beneficiaries


Podcast episodes for retirees:


Retired public safety officers

Tax savings on health insurance premiums

If you retired as a public safety officer from a designated Washington state retirement system, you might be able to exclude up to $3,000 of your qualified health, accident and long-term care insurance premiums from your gross taxable income each year.

If you qualify, you might pay less in taxes because your gross taxable income will be lower when you report it to the IRS on your annual tax return.

Do I qualify for this tax saving option?

If you answer yes to all three following questions, you likely qualify.

1. Are you a retired Washington state public safety officer?

Public safety officer includes agencies for which you served as a:

  • Fire fighter or law enforcement officer (including police, corrections, probation and parole officers as well as judges and prosecuting officers) involved in, crime, juvenile delinquency control, or reduction or enforcement of criminal laws
  • Police or fire department chaplain
  • Ambulance crew or rescue squad member

2. Did you retire at the normal retirement age or with a disability?

“Normal retirement age” is the age when you’re entitled to receive a full benefitIf you retired early, you don’t qualify unless you received a disability retirement.

3. Do your health insurance premiums qualify?

To qualify, your premiums must:

  • Cover health, accident or long-term care insurance
  • Cover you, your spouse or your dependents
What if I’m not sure if I qualify?

If you’re not sure if you qualify, or if you have questions, contact the Internal Revenue Service or your tax advisor. Keep in mind that DRS team members are not allowed to offer tax advice.

If you choose to participate, your monthly federal tax withholding will not change.

For more information about the federal programs that provide this benefit (the Pension Protection Act of 2006 and Secure Act 2.0), contact the IRS.

Retirement organizations

Representing Washington’s public pension system retirees


LEOFF 1 Coalition – Serves retired law enforcement officers and fire fighters

407 West Bay Drive
Olympia, WA 98502
877-553-6631 or 360-570-1035
Fax: 360-943-7086
Contact: Joyce Wilms

Retired Firefighters of Washington (RFFOW) – Serves retired LEOFF Plan 1 fire fighters

15310 163rd Court SE
Renton, WA 98058-8122
425-226-3793

Retired Public Employees Council of Washington (RPEC) – Serves retired state, county, city and local government employees

906 Columbia St SW, Ste 501
Olympia, WA 98501
800-562-6097 or 360-352-8262
Fax: 360-352-0354

Retired Washington State Patrol Employee Association (RWSPEA) – Serves Washington State Patrol retirees

RWSPEA – Secretary/Treasurer
PO Box 127
Greenacres, WA 99016

Washington Education Association (WEA) – Retired – Serves public education retirees

PO Box 9100
Federal Way, WA 98063-9100
800-622-3393 or 253-941-6700

Washington State Council of Fire Fighters (WSCFF) Retirees Association – Serves retired Washington State fire fighters

1069 Adams St SE
Olympia, WA 98501
360-943-3030

Washington State Retired Deputy Sheriffs and Police Officers Association (WSRDSPOA) – Serves retired deputy sheriffs and police officers

PO Box 1805
Sumner, WA 98390
800-826-1974

Washington State School Retirees Association (WSSRA) – Serves TRS, PERS, SERS retirees

4726 Pacific Avenue SE
Lacey, WA 98503
800-544-5219 or 360-413-5496
Fax: 360-413-5497

Thinking about returning to work?

See your plan for information:

New retiree return to work rules:

Some retirees can now work up to 1,040 hours and continue receiving benefits. Read more


Reporting a death

Death of a retired member

Please contact DRS as soon as possible. If the retiree chose a survivor benefit, we must update the account for payments to continue. If the retiree did not select a survivor option, we need to stop monthly benefits to avoid an overpayment.

When you contact us, please be ready to provide the deceased retiree’s:

  • Full name
  • Social Security number
  • Date of death

We’ll also ask who is handling the affairs for the estate.


Report a death to DRS

Online: Report the death online.

Phone: 360-664-7081, Option 1

Email: drs.moddnd@drs.wa.gov – Please provide only the last 4 digits of the deceased’s SSN

Mailed form: Print and mail this death reporting form to DRS.


Death of an active or not yet retired member

If the deceased worked in a public service position in Washington, payment may be due to survivor(s). When you contact us, please be ready to provide the deceased member’s full name, Social Security number and date of death. Also tell us if the death may be work-related.

Death of a beneficiary or survivor

If you are an active member, you can update your beneficiary designation at any time by logging into your online account.

If your named survivor dies after you retire, you can have your pension benefit changed to the single-life option with no survivor reduction. You will need to report the death to DRS. This provision applies to all DRS plans except for LEOFF and WSPRS Plan 1, which have different survivorship options.


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