NMSU Retirement Eligibility

An employee will be considered eligible for certain NMSU retirement benefits if the following criteria are met:

1. Has at least 10 years in a regular continuous employment status without a break in service prior to the date of retirement and receives an Educational Retirement Board (NMERB or NMARP) benefit immediately upon termination of employment.
   • To be eligible for the retiree health plan, the employee must have been hired before July 1, 2016 AND must have been covered on the employee health insurance through NMSU for the 10 consecutive years prior to retirement, either as an employee or as the dependent of an employee, without a gap in coverage.
   • To be eligible for the retiree life insurance plan must have been covered on the Group Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance through NMSU for the 10 consecutive years prior to retirement without a gap in coverage.
2. An employee of the Cooperative Extension Service must be eligible for and receive federal retirement.

Download a copy of the NMERB Handbook

Retirement Process

NMERB Retirement Seminar Presentation

Note from ERB: Please send any questions this Retirement Seminar Presentation might have prompted to member.services@state.nm.us, and write “Retirement Seminar Question” in the subject line. We plan to answer your questions and post them on our “ Frequently Asked Questions” page on a periodic basis.

6 Months to 1 year Prior to Retirement

Request an estimate of retirement benefits from the NMERB at least 6 months prior to retirement, but no more than 1 year before retirement. The request for estimate form can be found on the NMERB Member Forms page. Please be advised: The NMERB can take 6-8 weeks to prepare the estimate.

The NMERB now offers virtual appointments for pre-retirement or refund/rollover consultation. Visit NMERB Virtual Appointments for more information.

For an immediate unofficial estimate, you should login to your member account in the NMERB Member Portal. If you need assistance with login information, please contact the NMERB directly at 1-866-691-2345.

• If you are divorced at any time during your years of contribution, NMERB will need a copy of the divorce decree to determine if any benefits are due the ex-spouse.
• If you have prior service under PERA, NMERB will request PERA data to compile the estimate request for retirement.

Individuals planning for retirement before 55 years of age should consult with their tax advisor as additional penalties may apply

3 Months Prior to Retirement

Schedule an appointment with Benefit Services 3 months prior to your retirement date. Plan to spend 45 minutes to an hour with Benefit Services to complete all retirement paperwork.

• 9 month academic employees may retire July 1st or January 1st of each year.
• 12 month employees may retire the first of any month.

Employees retiring under the NMARP must contact the ARP vendor for the appropriate retirement distribution paperwork.

Ready to retire? Click here to schedule an appointment to complete the retirement packet: ( Please schedule at least two weeks in advance.)

• You must be able to provide the following information:
  • Aggie ID Number
  • Date of Retirement – must be the first of a month
    • If you are an NMERB Retiree – you must have confirmed your eligibility to retire prior to completing the retirement packet with NMERB. This can be done by contacting NMERB directly or by logging into your NMERB account NMERB Member Portal.
    • If you are an NMARP Retiree – you must contact TIAA or Fidelity to request your ARP distribution paperwork and send it to Benefit Services prior to the date of retirement for signature by the Plan Administrator.

Not ready to retire, but have questions regarding the retirement process, click here to schedule a 15 minute question and answer meeting.

Pre-retirement Resources:

• ERB Retirement Checklist
• ARP Retirement Checklist
• Benefit Information Sheet

*IMPORTANT*

Return to Work Options May 18, 2022

NMERB Retiree Return to Work Program: The 12 consecutive month layout period for employees who retired after January 1, 2001, remains unchanged. Application process required; if approved, the retiree will receive a copy of the approved RTW application to provide to the employer. Employee and employer pay nonrefundable contributions.

NMERB Retiree working .25 FTE or less: No waiting period required, application process required; if approved, the retiree will receive a copy of the approved RTW application to provide to the employer. No contributions are required by employee/employer. If the employee is working for other NMERB employers, the FTE will be combined with the FTE of all other employers. The resulting FTE must not exceed .25 FTE for any month of the fiscal year.

NMERB Retiree earning less than $15,000: There is a required 90 consecutive day layout period from the employee’s retirement date, application process required; if approved, the retiree will receive an approved copy of the RTW application to provide to the employer. No contributions are required by employee/employer. If the employee is working for other NMERB employers, the gross earnings will be combined with the gross earnings of all other NMERB employers. The resulting gross earnings must be less than $15,000 for the fiscal year.

NMERB Retiree Return to Work 36 Months Program: There is a required 90 consecutive day layout period from the employee’s retirement date, application process required; if approved, the retiree will receive an approved copy of the RTW application to provide to the employer. Employee and employer pay nonrefundable contributions. Maximum employment period of 36 months, need not be consecutive.

Below are links to a Return to Work information sheet for NMERB retirees and newly revised Return to Work forms:

Return to Work Information for NMERB Retirees

Return to Work Application (Electronic Application)

Application to withdraw from Return to Work

For more information, Click Here

***Prior to returning to work or providing services to an ERB employer, the retired member must file an application and obtain approval from NMERB. Failure to do so will result in suspension of retirement benefits and the retired member will be required to repay benefits paid during the employment

Retirees - please direct your questions to Member.Help@state.nm.us or 1-866-691-2345

Retiree Medical Insurance Plans

► Review medical insurance benefit plans available

Social Security

You may be entitled to collect a retirement benefit through Social Security. Please contact them directly at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) to inquire about benefit eligibility.

• Online Services available at www.ssa.gov. More information about online benefits here.
• Create an individual online account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. Information about how to create a personal account here.

Other SSA Resources:

• Frequently Asked Questions
• Presentation scheduled for May 5, 2017
  • A representative from Social Security presented information on social security. Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to record the audio presentation. The presentation slides are available above. Questions regarding social security should be directed to the Social Security Administration office.

Emeritus Faculty Benefits

Emeritus status for faculty is based upon two conditions:

1. The faculty member is eligible for retirement under the New Mexico Educational Retirement act or the Federal Civil Services; and
2. The faculty member is tenured; or is a non-tenure track faculty at the rank of professor.

Read more about Emeritus Faculty Rights at http://hr.nmsu.edu/academicpersonnel/emeritus-status/.