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 29 | Mar 29 | Apr 30 |
| May 31 | Jun 28 | Jul 31 | Aug 30 |
| Sep 30 | Oct 31 | Nov 29 | Dec 31 |
2025 pension payment schedule
| Jan 31 | Feb 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 30 |
| May 30 | Jun 30 | Jul 31 | Aug 29 |
| Sep 30 | Oct 31 | Nov 28 | Dec 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
- Log into your online account.
- Select Benefit Summary from the menu.
- Under Retirement Details, select Download Pension Verification Letter.
- 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 benefit. If 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.
