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MTRS benefits and resources

Retirement Application, Part 2


Training video on how to complete Part 2


What is this?

  • This is Part 2 of our retirement application.
  • It is the service and salary history portion of the application that is to be completed by payroll administrators.
  • It is five pages long, and, unlike the Part 2 that appears in the downloadable application that is accessible to members, is interactive. Be sure to download the form to your desktop before entering any data.

For the complete 19-page application, see Retirement Application.


What is the process?

  • Step 1: The retiring member will present you with a printed copy of Part 2 of his or her retirement application. Members applying for superannuation (regular and RetirementPlus) or termination retirement are required to use this application. They are instructed to print the application—which includes Part 2 in a non-interactive version—and bring Part 2 to you for completion. Neither Part 1, which is completed by the applicant, nor Part 2 may be submitted by e-mail or via the web.
  • Step 2: You are to complete Part 2, make a copy for your records, and return Part 2 to the member. It is the member’s responsibility to send us both Part 1 and Part 2 together. You are welcome to complete the copy of Part 2 that they bring you, or come to this page and access this interactive version so that you may complete Part 2 onscreen. In all cases, you must have a hard copy that you sign and return to the member. It is not possible to submit Part 2 by e-mail or via the web.

Refund Application, Part 2


What is this?

This is Part 2 of our refund application, which is to be completed by payroll administrators.

Part 2 is the service and salary history portion of the application. You will find that it is very similar to Part 2 of the Retirement Application.

It is two pages long, and, unlike the Part 2 that appears in the downloadable application that is accessible to members, is interactive. Be sure to download the form to your desktop before entering any data.

For the application that is available to members, see Refund Application.


What is the process?

  • Step 1: The refund applicant will present you with a printed copy of Part 2 of his or her refund application. Members applying for a refund are instructed to use this application. They are instructed to print the application—which includes Part 2 in a non-interactive format—and bring Part 2 to you for completion. Neither Part 1, which is completed by the applicant, nor Part 2 may be submitted by e-mail or via the web.
  • Step 2: You should complete and return Part 2 directly to the applicant after you have issued the applicant’s final paycheck. It is then the applicant’s responsibility to submit both Part 1 and Part 2 to the MTRS’s main office. Please note that the applicant cannot submit this application until after his or her last day of service, and we cannot process the refund until after we have received and posted the applicant’s final payroll deduction.
    You are welcome to complete the copy of Part 2 that they bring you, or come to this page and access this interactive version so that you may complete Part 2 onscreen. In all cases, you must have a hard copy that you sign and return to the member. It is not possible to submit Part 2 by e-mail or via the web.

For use by districts that do not participate in the GIC-RMT program

Insurance coverage for retired members of the MTRS is not provided by the MTRS, but, rather, is a local contractual benefit. Most school districts offer continued insurance coverage to their retirees, and, for those, the MTRS is able to deduct the retiree’s portion of the monthly premium from his or her retirement allowance and forward that portion to the city of town treasurer on a monthly basis. Please note, however, that unlike active member health insurance deductions–which are withheld on a pre-tax basis–the IRS requires that retirees’ insurance premiums be withheld on an after-tax basis.

Effective July 1, 2015, all individual changes must be processed in MyTRS directly.

Below is the group rate designation/change form for districts that do not participate in the GIC-RMT program to follow when requesting to set up, cancel or change retiree insurance rates. Please submit requests at least 45 days prior to the effective date of the new rates (e.g., changes effective April 1 should be received by the MTRS by February 13). Changes received closer to the effective date will be processed as soon as possible, but are more likely to be processed on the following month’s warrant retroactive to the original date.

Group Rate Premium Change Form


What is the process?

To report insurance rate changes for your retired employees, please:

  1. Complete the group insurance change form (see Guided Practice 17 for step-by-step instructions on how to properly complete this form).
  2. Submit your completed form as an attachment to an e-mail to insuranceupdates@trb.state.ma.us.
  3. Watch for an e-mail from us notifying you that we have processed your change.

Please submit requests at least 45 days prior to the effective date of the new rates (e.g., changes effective July 1 should be received by the MTRS by May 15). Changes received closer to the effective date will be processed as soon as possible, but are more likely to be processed on the following month’s warrant, and be effective retroactive to the original date.


DOs and DON’Ts

  • Please DO:
    • Use only our form above, and make sure that your form is complete, including plan codes. Plan codes are abbreviated names of each plan (PPO and HMO alone are insufficient).
  • Please DON’T:
    • Send duplicate, incomplete or faxed forms.
    • Refund or bill retirees directly if you have already submitted the change to us. If we have received your request, we will process it retroactively, when needed, based on the effective date you provided.
    • Refer retirees to the MTRS to discuss insurance benefits and coverage. We will certainly answer calls related to delays in processing deduction changes, but we do not have the expertise to discuss the types of plans that you offer.
    • E-mail your forms to individual MTRS representatives, as they will be returned.

Additional notes, instructions, and completed example form

Insurance deductions are always deducted one month prior to the effective period. For example, premiums for April 1 are deducted on March 31.

Example: Group Rate Premium Change Form

 


Service purchase forms

Vocational work experience service purchase application


What is this?

  • This is our vocational work experience service purchase form.
  • It is the same four-page, interactive form available to members.

You are welcome either to complete the copy of page two that members provide, or to access this interactive version. Either way you choose to complete your part is fine; the advantage of the online interactive version is that you may more easily type in your data. In all cases, the completed form must be printed out and signed. It is not possible for the applicant or you to submit the form either by e-mail or via the web.


What is the process?

Members applying to purchase this service are instructed to print the application, complete page one and bring the application to you for completion of page two. Depending on the applicant’s service history, you may be asked to complete Section 4, Section 5, or both:

  • If your school or school district has a vocational education program, your current and former employees will be asking you to complete Section 4, to verify their Chapter 74-approved program service. Section 4 consists of your contact info and three fields: the start date of the applicant’s employment in a Chapter 74-approved program with your district; the name of that Chapter 74-approved program ; and, the applicant’s position title and subject area at the time.
  • If yours is the district in which the applicant most recently established membership service in the MTRS, members will be asking you to complete Section 5. Section 5 consists of your contact info and four fields: the start date of the applicant’s employment in your district, and the applicant’s position title, annual contract rate and employment status (full-time or part-time and percentage).
  • Just as you’ve done with our other service purchase forms, please complete, sign and return the form directly to the member. It is then the applicant’s responsibility to submit the two-page application to the MTRS.

Substitute, temporary or part-time public school service in Massachusetts


What is this?

  • This is our Substitute, temporary or part-time service purchase form.
  • This is the same six-page, interactive form available to our members.

You are welcome either to complete the copy of the form that members provide or to access the interactive version on this page. Either way you choose to complete your part is fine; the advantage of the online interactive version is that you may more easily type in your data. In all cases, the completed form must be printed out and signed. It is not possible for the applicant or you to submit the form either by e-mail or via the web.


New Members

The Social Security Protection Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-203) requires state and local employers who hire individuals for non-Social Security covered positions on or after January 1, 2005 to provide these new hires with Form 1945. This notice explains the possible reduction in the employee’s future Social Security benefit as a result of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset . The new hire must sign the notice, acknowledging that he or she is aware of this possible reduction, and then you must send it to:

Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System
c/o Employer Services
500 Rutherford Avenue, Suite 210
Charlestown, MA 02129-1628

Please be sure to send these forms directly to our main office, and not with your monthly payroll deduction reports to our lockbox in Philadelphia.

To obtain the form as well as more information on the notice itself, instructions for its use and how the form can be ordered, please visit Social Security’s website at http://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1945.pdf.


Member enrollment process

MyTRS Member Guide: Creating a username and password

MyTRS Member Guide: Forgot username or password?


Contribution reporting

Leave of Absence Information

Workers’ Compensation Leave form

Retirement Deduction Submittal form

Military Service Leave Reporting Form


Rehiring of a retired Massachusetts public retiree

Post Retirement Earnings Calculator

Instructions for Post-Retirement Earnings Worksheet