Check out our educational offering, “Route 4: Next Exit Retirement.” Available as a video, in-person meeting, or online webinar, Route 4 is for members retiring within six months and is designed to help you finalize your retirement choices. 

Route 4 provides you with essential information about: 

• • • The significance of your credited service and average monthly salary
  • • The retirement annuity options available to you 
  • • How each annuity option determines the amount of your lifetime benefit as well as the survivor benefit for your beneficiaries
  • • How to apply for retirement online
  • • When to expect your initial pension payments

Also, for those who join the online webinar or in-person session, this meeting also includes a personalized retirement benefit estimate, so you can get a good idea of what your monthly pension may be. 

Note: While Route 4 webinars touch briefly on health insurance, they do not address the finer points of ASRS health insurance. To learn more about the specifics of our plans, please attend a “Know Your Insurance” webinar.

Webinars and in-person meetings are typically scheduled two months out, and registration is required through your secure myASRS account. After logging in, select the “Communication & Education” dropdown from the left-hand navigation and follow the prompts to register.  

>> To view a schedule of upcoming meetings and online webinars, visit our Member Education page.

To prepare for your Route 4 meeting, we recommend attending a “Route 3: Destination in Sight" meeting, as it lays the groundwork for Route 4.

Originally published 5/2021, Updated 3/2024

One of the most common questions we get from retirees relates to whether they will receive regular increases to their pension. Many are surprised to learn that the ASRS was not designed to provide for yearly post-retirement benefit increases. 

By design, the ASRS is meant to be one of three sources of income in a member's overall retirement portfolio, with social security and personal savings being the other two. In retirement-speak, this is commonly referred to as the three-legged stool. As a member of the ASRS, most of you are contributing to two of these - ASRS and social security - already.

Will my pension ever go up? The short answer: maybe, but don't plan on it. 

• • For retirees with a membership date (the date you first joined ASRS) after September 12, 2013, there is no statute or rule in place that would give retirees a benefit increase. The only way for these retirees to get an increase to their pension would be for the legislature to grant an ad hoc increase. 
  • For retirees with a membership date before September 12, 2013, you are eligible for a PBI, or permanent benefit increase, if ASRS investment experience meets the criteria to provide one. The ASRS last granted a PBI in 2005. (Learn more about PBI's here.)

Although you may have friends and family who participate in pension plans from other states that do provide regular post-retirement benefit increases to their retirees, you may find upon closer examination that their benefit has other features that are less generous, such as:

• • Non-participation in Social Security. According to the National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA), “Approximately one-fourth of employees of state and local government [across the United States] participate in a public retirement system in lieu of Social Security. This includes approximately 40 percent of public school teachers and over two-thirds of firefighters, police officers, and other first responders.”  This means that retirees of those pension systems are not eligible to receive a Social Security benefit while receiving their pension benefit. A pension fund without Social Security as part of its overall design typically provides some of the features social security has, like a cost-of-living raise. ASRS retirees, alternatively, do receive their Social Security benefit in addition to their pension benefit.
  • A smaller base benefit. Some plans will provide a smaller starting pension benefit because their design anticipates regular post-retirement benefit increases.

In summary, the lack of a regular post-retirement benefit should not be viewed as good or bad. It is merely how the ASRS plan was designed. To make the most of your ASRS benefit, it's important to understand how it was designed and plan accordingly. For example:  

• • A member retiring at age 60 with approximately 20 years of service (the profile of the ‘average' retiree) will receive approximately 43% of their final average salary as a monthly pension and would not yet be eligible for Social Security or Medicare. So this retiree would likely need to rely on their personal savings as a supplement until they were eligible for those benefits.
  • If the same retiree worked until they were 65 or 67, they would find that not only would they receive a larger benefit from ASRS, they would also have additional income from Social Security immediately upon retiring, in addition to lower healthcare costs due to Medicare eligibility. This retiree would likely need a smaller amount in personal savings than they did in the previous example.

As you can see, understanding how your plan is designed, combined with a little planning, can ensure that you are best prepared when you get closer to retirement. 

To learn more on these topics, we recommend you visit these pages:

-  Estimate Your Benefits

-  Can I Afford To Retire?

-  Supplement Your Retirement 

It’s never too early to begin planning for your retirement, and our Route 1 and 2 are eLearnings available anytime on our website. Route 3: Destination in Sight marks the first educational opportunity offered as a live-streaming, interactive webinar led by ASRS Retirement Specialists, where you can ask questions and get real-time answers. Route 3 is designed for members within three years of retirement. 

Here's an overview of the information covered in Route 3: 

• • Defined Benefit Plan and Pension Formula. Learn about the type of plan you and your employer contribute to and how your monthly pension benefit will be calculated. 
  • Retirement Criteria. Learn about eligibility for retirement and the difference between early, normal, and late retirement. 
  • Annuity Options. This section covers your seven annuity options for how your monthly pension will be paid to you and how leaving funds for your beneficiaries factors into your choice. 
  • Can You Afford to Retire? Discover retirement expenses you may not have considered, such as health insurance, and how other sources of retirement income can augment your pension in your retirement years. 
  • Service Purchase. Learn the "how" and "why" of purchasing past service you may have had with qualifying employers. 
  • Retirement Timelines and Member Responsibilities. Finally, learn what to expect and how to plan for the year before your intended retirement. Find out when you can submit your retirement application and the timetable for when and how you will start receiving your first pension payment. You'll also learn about the many online resources available to help you, such as videos and publications, as well as the importance of your myASRS secure account. 

NOTE: While some members choose only to attend the Route 4 meeting (the final meeting in the series), the ASRS does not advise skipping Route 3. Route 3 is a prerequisite and provides a foundation for understanding what you will learn in Route 4. You will get much more out of your Route 4 experience if you have been through the preparation that Route 3 guides you through.

To see a list of upcoming meeting times and locations, visit our website's Member Education page. Meetings are typically scheduled two months out, with more meetings scheduled in high-volume retirement periods. Registration is required for both in-person meetings and webinars. You can register through your secure myASRS account. After logging in, select the "Communication & Education" dropdown from the left-hand navigation, click “Member Meetings,” and follow the prompts to register.  

Ready to continue your journey? Click here to launch the pre-recorded video version Route 3 or here to see the list of upcoming Route 3 meeting dates.  

If you were to pass before retiring, your contributions, your employer's contributions on your behalf, interest on contributions, plus any service purchase payments you may have made, would be paid out to your beneficiary as a 'survivor benefit.' This payment can either be in a one-time lump sum payment or a lifetime monthly annuity if the survivor benefit is calculated to be at least $100 a month. This is one reason why it’s so important to have a named beneficiary on file with the ASRS.

Should you pass away before retirement without a beneficiary on record, the ASRS must follow Arizona Revised Statute § 38-762 to determine who will receive survivor benefits in the following order:

1. Your surviving spouse
2. Your surviving natural or adopted children in equal shares
3. Your surviving parents in equal shares
4. Your estate. 

Following this order of priority process can take several months and require additional paperwork from the survivor(s) before the ASRS can properly pay out any survivor benefits. This can create unwanted hardship or frustration for your loved ones as they are trying to claim a survivor benefit. 

Also, remember that when your beneficiary is updated with your employer, it does not get updated with the ASRS. If you update your beneficiary with your employer, make sure to also update it directly with the ASRS.

You can easily assign or change your beneficiary(ies) in your myASRS secure account. Your beneficiary can be one or more individuals, your trust, an organization, or any combination of these options, with designated split percentages that must add up to 100%. If you are married, you are required to name your spouse for at least 50% of any survivor benefit unless your spouse consents to waive that right. To waive this requirement, your spouse must sign a notarized spousal consent form. If your spouse is your named beneficiary, but then you divorce, the divorce automatically terminates your ex-spouse as your beneficiary. To rename an ex-spouse – or anyone else – as a beneficiary, you must submit a new Beneficiary Form after the date of the divorce.

Please also be aware that it’s important for your surviving beneficiary to know how to contact the ASRS should you pass away. We provide the next steps on our Report a Death page, including how to contact us, what happens after we receive the report, and an explanation as to how much a beneficiary will receive in survivor benefits. 

It’s essential to keep your beneficiary information updated both with your employer and the ASRS. Should you pass away mid-career, ensure the money associated with your account goes where you want it to by assigning a beneficiary and keeping the information current.

As an ASRS member, there's a lot for you to know about your benefits and account. The ASRS Member Education team has created a “Road to Retirement” series to help you through each milestone of planning for your future as you navigate through your career. The series provides you all you need to know in a fun, straightforward manner! There are four distinct “Routes” for you to follow on your journey, ensuring you have the information you need when you need it. 

Last time we covered the first in this series, Route 1: Your Journey Begins, designed for new members. Now we'll take a look at Route 2: Map Your Progress, a self-paced, interactive eLearning that's especially beneficial for mid-career members with five or more years of service but are at least five years away from retiring.

Route 2 has four menu topics for you to learn about: Planning for Retirement, Life Events, Service Purchase, and the ASRS website. Here's a glimpse at what's in each section: 

In the “Planning for Retirement” section, we focus on your retirement goals, understanding your ASRS pension, how your pension is calculated, and things you should be considering now to supplement your pension during retirement. 

In “Life Events,” you will learn about our Long Term Disability program, survivor benefits, marital status information, and your options if you leave your current ASRS job.

In the “Service Purchase” section, you will learn about what past service may be eligible for purchase, and how to purchase past qualifying ASRS service, which could help you maximize your retirement benefit and/or help you qualify for an earlier retirement date. 

Finally, in the “Website” section, you will learn about the layout of AzASRS.gov, including the online resources available to you, such as videos and publications, as well as the importance of your myASRS secure account. 

As you can see, the eLearning Route 2: Map Your Progress has a wealth of information in it! It takes around 30 minutes to complete the entire course, but it doesn't have to be finished in one sitting. You can do one section at a time or come back for a refresher on any of the menu topics, anytime you like. It's available to return at any time at your convenience from the comfort of your own home. Even in your pajamas (we won't judge!)

Are you ready to continue your journey? Launch into Route 2!

NEXT MONTH: Route 3: Destination in Sight

by Benjamin Robinson, Strategic Communications

As an ASRS member, there sure is a lot for you to know about your benefits and account. The ASRS Member Education team has created a “Road to Retirement” series to help you through each milestone of planning your future as you navigate your career. The series provides you all you need to know in a fun, straightforward manner! There are four distinct “Routes” for you to follow on your journey, ensuring you have the information you need when you need it. 

The first in this series is Route 1: Your Journey Begins. This self-paced eLearning is especially beneficial to new members, but any member can take it and get something out of it. In the eLearning, you will learn about the many benefits you have that extend beyond your primary pension plan, as well as the importance of setting up and periodically reviewing your secure myASRS account. 

Route 1, along with links to all of our Member Education "Routes", plus dates and times for our live streaming webinars, are available 24/7 on the ASRS website. 

The Route 1 eLearning has four menu topics for you to learn about: Contributions, Your Pension, Beneficiaries, and Website & Secure Account. 

In the “Contributions” section, you will learn about the contributions withheld from your pay, how much is taken out, employer matching, and more. 

In the “Your Pension” section, you will learn about your monthly pension payment for the rest of your life upon retirement, how that pension is calculated, and what your criteria are for reaching “normal retirement.”

In the “Beneficiaries” section, you will learn about survivor benefits (who will receive your benefits after you pass away), who/what your beneficiaries can be, and how to update and change them. 

Finally, in the “Website & Secure Account” section, you will learn about the AzASRS.gov website and your myASRS secure account, including registering for an account and an overview of all the important things you can do in your account once created. 

>> View the Route 1 eLearning

Curious about the next step? Read about Route 2!

Updated October, 2025

For many, a new year often brings new goals and resolutions. Is one of your resolutions for 2021 to start saving money? While one of the most comforting features of a future ASRS pension is knowing you’ll have a steady, guaranteed income stream, your ASRS retirement benefit, by design, is not intended to replace your entire working income. Instead, it is designed to be one piece of the pie that makes up your retirement plan. The other pieces of that pie? Social Security and personal savings. Here are some tips to make getting started on a personal savings plan a tiny bit easier: 

It’s okay to start small! Don’t get discouraged or think “it’s not worth it” if you can only put away a few dollars a paycheck. The earlier you get started, the more time you give compound interest to do its thing and grow your money. Sometimes, it’s less about how much you’re saving and more about building the habit to save. Start with a comfortable, attainable goal that is easily repeatable! Increasing how much you’re saving can be a good “next step” goal.

Find ways to make it automatic. Think about having money directly deposited into your savings account, so you don’t have to manually transfer money. It removes the “decision” of saving money each month and instead lets you focus on managing the rest of your funds. Additionally, see if your bank has some version of a “round up” or “save your change” program, where the bank rounds your transactions up to the nearest dollar and then deposits the difference into a savings account for you. It can be a great way to start putting money away, a little at a time, without even feeling like you’re doing anything.

Set up a pre-tax savings account. An excellent way to make your money go further is to set up a savings account in which money is deducted from your paycheck before taxes are taken out. Why? It means you won’t pay taxes on that money until you withdraw it in retirement – so all that money you’re not paying in taxes right now is given years – potentially decades – to earn interest and grow.

To that end, the ASRS offers two types of supplemental savings plans that members may have access to through their employer; the Supplemental Retirement Savings Plan (SRSP) and the Supplemental Salary Deferral Plan (SSDP). Ask your employer if they offer either one. (To learn more about either plan, visit the ASRS Supplement Your Retirement webpage for descriptions of both the SSRP and SSDP)

Still in the planning phase? That’s OK too. Investor.gov has a Savings Goal Calculator and a Compound Interest Calculator that you can play with to see how long (and how much) it’ll take you to reach your goals and see just how much of an impact getting an early start can have.

Maintaining a proper work-life balance can be a struggle, and with the ability to work from home becoming more common, the lines between work and home have blurred more than ever before. Bedrooms, living rooms, and spare bedrooms have transformed into work spaces. Temporary offices have become permanent shared office spaces. Daily commuting to-and-from work that would traditionally serve as a mental transition period between work and home are gone, and with it, for some, the mental off-switch that would result from a drive home listening to the radio or favorite podcast.

Why does it matter? According to Mental Health America, an improper work-life balance can lead to increased stress levels, a decrease in productivity, or even impact your physical health, potentially weakening your immune system or exasperating symptoms of some medical conditions. While there’s no perfect answer for everyone in combatting the added stress and “always-on” mentality that often accompanies working from home, there are many small adjustments you can make that could help.

• • • Alarms. Set alarms for when it’s time to log in and start work and when it’s time to call it quits for the day. Don’t be afraid to set alarms for your breaks or lunch either. Without a typical workday structure, it’s easy to lose track of time and realize you haven’t had a break or even worked a longer-than-normal day. Over time, that could take a toll.
  • • Breaks. Don’t be afraid to take breaks. Take 5-10 minutes to stretch, freshen up your coffee, or get some fresh air on the back patio. If you have other family members working or attending school from home, perhaps you can coordinate breaks to happen at the same time. It’s likely that a typical day in the office would have involved some small breaks from work, whether it’s a quick chat with coworkers or a walk to the coffee shop. Maintain those short breathers!
  • • Put away your work stuff! If you work from a laptop, fold it and put it away when you’re done. Work papers? Gather them and put them in a desk drawer - especially if your workspace is in your bedroom, dining room, or any other room that you share your workspace with. Not thinking about work is much more difficult if you spend evenings and mornings staring at your work things!
  • • Unplug. Working from home may mean more computer time than most are used to in a typical workday. To compensate, consider reducing how much you stare at a screen outside of work, including your lunch breaks. Reading more, going on walks, or an extra round of fetch with Fido might help decompress.
  • • Set expectations with those living with you. Share your schedule so that if you have an important meeting to attend or a fast-approaching deadline, those living with you will be sure to respect additional privacy during this time and not disturb you.
  • • Talk to your friends, neighbors, or coworkers! For many, working from home can mean being a lot more isolated than what they’re used to. Take some time to reach out and chat with friends and coworkers. Working from home doesn’t have to mean not being social!

These are just a few things you can do to help combat stress and achieve a better work-life balance. While these may work better for some more than others, the important thing is to find what works best for you by trying to incorporate any or all of these into your daily routine while working from home.

• • • Update your personal information, including your address, phone number, and email
    • Name and/or update your beneficiaries
    • View estimates of your retirement, refund, survivor, and disability benefit amounts
    • Apply for retirement or refund
    • Purchase eligible service
    • Register for an educational webinar
    • View your service summary, and detailed service history for the most recent 10 years
    • View and print a member statement that contains current estimates of your benefit
    • Contact the ASRS via member secure messaging, which allows you to ask account-specific questions and submit documents to the ASRS

Another reason to be familiar with your secure myASRS account is that it stays with you after you retire, too! As a retiree, you’ll be able to make necessary updates to your personal information, check your benefit elections, review payment info, enroll in health coverage, and more.

You can always access your secure account from the homepage of our website, AzASRS.gov. Clicking the login button in the upper right corner of our homepage will take you to the Member Login and Online Registration page of your myASRS secure account. Once you’ve completed online enrollment and made your first contribution to the Arizona State Retirement System, you can set up your personal myASRS secure account. If this is your first visit, you’ll need to register for an account. Click the “First Time Registering?” link and follow the instructions to set up your account.

If you have additional questions about setting up your myASRS account, make sure to read our article, “How – and Why – to Make Sure You’re Enrolled with the ASRS.”

As a member of the Arizona State Retirement System, you make contributions with each of your paychecks. Both you and your employer contribute equal amounts, which are invested to generate revenue and build the ASRS trust fund, which in turn pays your guaranteed lifetime pension benefit upon retirement. These contributions, plus interest, combine to form your account balance. Many members think that the amount of money in their account determines what their pension will be and if they can afford to retire, and think that when that balance is depleted, their monthly pension payments will end. However, this is not the case. 

Your pension benefit is calculated using the “ASRS Defined Benefit Formula”, which is as follows:

Credited Service x Graded Multiplier (based on your years of service) x Average Monthly Compensation = Your Unreduced Lifetime Monthly Pension upon reaching normal retirement

On average, after you have been retired for 6-8 years, your contributions will have been paid back to you in full. With the cost-sharing model, this doesn’t mean your pension payments will stop. You will continue to be paid the same monthly pension for the rest of your life through the ASRS trust fund. 

While your account balance does tell you how much you and your employer have contributed towards your retirement, and how much interest has been earned on those contributions, there are two primary reasons to be interested in your account balance: first, if you should pass away before your contributions have been paid back to you (either while still employed or retired), they will be paid to your beneficiary. Second, if you refund your account and terminate your ASRS membership. At that time you could get your contributions refunded (which doesn’t include a percentage of your employer contributions unless your membership started prior to July 1, 2011). Doing this does have tax penalties as well. If you leave your ASRS employer, it is still highly recommended to keep your funds on account with us, because if you choose to withdraw your funds, you waive all rights to your ASRS membership benefits (including Long Term Disability, Survivor Benefit, Lifelong Monthly Pension, Retiree Health Insurance, and the Premium Benefit program). If you returned to work for an ASRS employer and didn’t refund, you could start contributing again and pick up where you left off. If you refunded, you would have to start all over, unless you bought back the years of service you refunded. You may also be eligible to transfer your ASRS service to another retirement plan. 

In conclusion, your account balance doesn’t matter as much as your years of service and average monthly salary in determining what your lifetime monthly pension benefit will be. So just keep on working and we’ll take care of your money, your future, and keep it secure for your lifetime! 

By Ben Robinson, Strategic Communications