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New and Prospective Members

Welcome!

The ASRS is a trusted, sustainable, and well-managed retirement system that provides long term disability, retiree health insurance, and lifetime pension benefits to educators, municipal, and state government employees who have dedicated their careers to serving the citizens of Arizona.

Get Registered

As a member of the ASRS, your employer will soon begin (or has already begun) to deduct contributions from your paycheck towards your retirement. If you haven't already, it's important to take a moment and complete your registration with the ASRS. This keeps your account secure, and allows online access to your account where you can estimate retirement benefits, keep your contact information up-to-date, and register for educational webinars.

Important: even if you are currently an ASRS member working for a new ASRS employer, you'll need to complete the registration process again, using your new employer's enrollment code.

New Member Guide cover image - How It Works

⏵Registering is quick and easy. Here's how:

 

Step 1:

Visit Secure.AzASRS.gov and click on the “First Time Registering?” link near the bottom of the page.

 

Step 2:

Follow the registration process using your Employer Name and Enrollment Code.
If you've lost your enrollment code please contact your employer.

 
 

 

Membership Value Graphic showing ASRS benefits
 

Member Contributions

Member and employer contributions is how the ASRS funds all the benefits we offer our members. These benefits include lifetime pension benefits for retirees, long term disability, survivor benefits, and more. Contributions are mandatory for all members, except for those who file a 65+ waiver, or don't meet the 20/20 membership criteria. (See the FAQ's for more information on both.)

 

Retirement Plans: A Comparison

How does an ASRS pension compare to a retirement savings account such as a 401(k)? In technical terms, your ASRS pension plan is a 401(a) Defined Benefit plan, while a 401(k) is classified as a Defined Contribution plan. There are many differences between the two.

 

Get Connected

 

My ASRS Secure Account Login
The secure portal to your personal retirement account. Log into your myASRS account to update contact information, estimate your retirement benefits, view account details, or send our experienced retirement specialists a secure message if you have questions regarding your account.

Visit us on Facebook and YouTube to connect with other ASRS members and watch helpful videos!

ASRS Facebook page

 

 
 
ASRS YouTube channel
 

FAQ's

Yes; membership in the ASRS is mandatory if you work for employers who are part of the ASRS and meet membership criteria.
A couple of exceptions:
  • 65+ Waiver. If you're new to the ASRS and 65 or older on your first day of employment, you can waive ASRS membership. Please note: this is irrevocable, and your waiver must be completed within 30 days of the start of your employment.
  • The 20/20 membership criteria. If you're hired to work less than 20 hours a week for less than 20 weeks in a fiscal year, you may be exempt from contributions. In addition, If you've previously retired with the ASRS, are returning to work for an ASRS employer, and wish to continue receiving your pension benefit while employed, you'll need to work less than the 20/20 membership criteria.
  • Check with your employer! While contributions are required for the vast majority of members, there are a few other exceptions. Your employer has tools to determine your contribution status.

No - there are some pretty big differences between your ASRS plan and a 401(k), which is what most people think of when they think of a “retirement plan.”
Your ASRS pension benefit isn't based on your account balance and never “runs out.” In fact, most ASRS retirees end up receiving more in pension benefits over the course of their retirement than they ever paid in contributions throughout their career.
This isn't to say a 401(k) is a bad thing - we highly advocate for our members to have some form of personal savings outside of their pension benefit to help complete their retirement income.
A closer look at how your pension benefit and a 401(k) compare.

No. While the ASRS provides a guaranteed benefit for life that can never be reduced, our plan was not designed to provide cost-of-living increases for retirees throughout their retirement. Your future pension benefit from the ASRS is designed to be just one part of your retirement income, with Social Security and personal savings making up the rest.

Annuity options are the different ways in which you can decide to receive your pension benefit once you're able to retire. The ASRS offers a few different annuity types. Some members prefer to take a higher monthly pension benefit, other members wish to take a reduced monthly pension that also leaves a beneficiary with a monthly benefit for the rest of their life once the retiree passes away. Read more at our Annuity Options or log into your myASRS account to generate personalized estimates.

ASRS retiree pensions are calculated based on years of service, the retiree's average monthly compensation, and a graded multiplier. For a more detailed look, visit Estimate Your Benefits.
For a personalized pension benefit estimate, you can log into your secure myASRS account and select the Retirement option under the Your Benefit Estimates section from the left-hand menu. There, you can see what your projected normal retirement benefit may look like, or play with variables such as early retirement, higher or lower average monthly compensation, and varying annuity types.

Your future benefits are absolutely safe, and protected by the Arizona Constitution. They're guaranteed for the duration of your life, and will never be reduced.

Contributions will be automatically deducted from your paychecks, but you do need to complete the registration process as outlined at the top of this page to make sure your account is fully and correctly associated with you.

All contributing members contribute the same percentage. View Contribution Rates for a detailed look at the current contribution rate, how often it changes, and how it's determined.

Unless you're a state employee, contributions will be deducted from your first paycheck. For state employees, there is a six-month waiting period before you are a member of the ASRS and contributions are deducted from your paycheck. This is due to Arizona Revised Statute § 38-671.

'State employee' is defined as "employed by an agency, department, board or commission of this state, a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents, the judicial branch and whose salary is paid through the department of administration, the Arizona corporation commission or the legislature.

No - The ASRS does not permit members to take loans from their account because it is not authorized in state statute. Absent authorizing legislation, the ASRS cannot permit members to borrow from their account.

Visit our Member Videos for more in depth information!