Retirement Eligibility
You become eligible for retirement based on certain age and service requirements. Retirement benefits are based on meeting normal (full) retirement eligibility requirements. If you choose early retirement, your benefit will be permanently, actuarily reduced based on your age at retirement.
Below are the requirements for normal or early retirement for most OPERS members. Please note that termination of employment and proper notice is required to receive any benefit.
State & Local Government Employees
Normal Retirement Eligibility
If you became a member of OPERS before November 1, 2011:
- Age 62 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 62, with six* full years of full-time-equivalent employment; or
- 80 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when the sum of your age and years of service equals 80 if you became a member before July 1, 1992**; or
- 90 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when the sum of your age and years of service equals 90 if you became a member after June 30, 1992**.
If you became a member of OPERS on or after November 1, 2011:
- Age 65 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 65, with six* full years of full-time-equivalent employment; or
- 90 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least 60 years of age and the sum of your age and years of service equals 90**.
Early Retirement Eligibility
If you became a member of OPERS before November 1, 2011:
- You can begin receiving reduced retirement benefits once you have reached age 55 and have at least 10 years of participating service.
If you became a member of OPERS on or after November 1, 2011:
- You can begin receiving reduced retirement benefits once you have reached age 60 and have at least 10 years of participating service.
If you choose early retirement, you will receive a permanent actuarial reduction in your benefit based on your age at retirement.
Click here for early retirement reduction factors.
* In this scenario, a member only needs six full years of full-time-equivalent employment and must be actively employed with a participating OPERS employer at the applicable age to become eligible for normal retirement.
** Those who became members of OPERS after January 1, 1983, must have at least six complete years of full-time-equivalent employment to be eligible to retire.
Hazardous Duty Employees
Normal Retirement Eligibility
If you have 20 Years of Service:
- You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits with 20 full years of full-time equivalent employment in the hazardous duty plan.
If you became a member of OPERS before November 1, 2011:
- Age 62 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 62, with six* full years of full-time-equivalent employment; or
- 80 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when the sum of your age and years of service equals 80 if you became a member before July 1, 1992**; or
- 90 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when the sum of your age and years of service equals 90 if you became a member after June 30, 1992**.
If you became a member of OPERS on or after November 1, 2011:
- Age 65 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 65, with six* full years of full-time-equivalent employment; or
- 90 Points –https://www.opers.ok.gov/glossary/ You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least 60 years of age and the sum of your age and years of service equals 90**.
Early Retirement Eligibility
If you became a member of OPERS before November 1, 2011:
- You can begin receiving reduced retirement benefits once you have reached age 55 and have at least 10 years of participating service.
If you became a member of OPERS on or after November 1, 2011:
- You can begin receiving reduced retirement benefits once you have reached age 60 and have at least 10 years of participating service.
If you choose early retirement, you will receive a permanent actuarial reduction in your benefit based on your age at retirement.
Click here for early retirement reduction factors.
* In this scenario, a member only needs six full years of full-time-equivalent employment and must be actively employed with a participating OPERS employer at the applicable age to become eligible for normal retirement.
** Those who became members of OPERS after January 1, 1983, must have at least six complete years of full-time-equivalent employment to be eligible to retire.
Elected Officials
Normal Retirement Eligibility
If you were first elected before November 1, 2011:
- Age 60 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 60 with six* years of full-time-equivalent participation as an elected official; or
- 80 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when the sum of your age and years of service equals 80**.
If you were first elected on or after November 1, 2011:
- Age 62 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 62 with 10 years of full-time-equivalent participation as an elected official; or
- Age 65 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 65 with eight years of full-time equivalent participation as an elected official.
Early Retirement Eligibility
If you were first elected before November 1, 2011:
- You can begin receiving reduced retirement benefits once you have reached age 55 and have at least 10 years of participating service.
If you were first elected on or after November 1, 2011:
- You can begin receiving reduced retirement benefits once you have reached age 60 and have at least 10 years of participating elected service.
If you choose early retirement, you will receive a permanent actuarial reduction in your benefit based on your age at retirement.
The early retirement reduction factors are available in the Elected Official’s Member Handbook.
* In this scenario, a member only needs six full years of full-time-equivalent participation as an elected official and must be actively employed with a participating OPERS employer at the applicable age to become eligible for normal retirement.
** Those who became members of OPERS after January 1, 1983, must have at least six complete years of full-time-equivalent employment to be eligible to retire.
Uniform Retirement System for Justices & Judges (URSJJ)
Normal Retirement Eligibility
If you became a member of URSJJ before January 1, 2012:
- Age 60 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 60 with 10 years of service as a Justice or judge; or
- Age 65 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 65 with eight years of service as a Justice or judge; or
- 80 Points – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when the sum of your age and years of service equals 80.
If you became a member of URSJJ on or after January 1, 2012:
- Age 62 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 62 with 10 years of service as a Justice or judge; or
- Age 67 – You can begin receiving full, unreduced retirement benefits when you are at least age 67 with eight years of service as a Justice or judge.
You may elect a vested benefit, which means you have accumulated enough service credit to entitle you to a lifetime monthly retirement benefit in the future. To be eligible to vest you must have at least eight years of service (including six full years of full-time-equivalent employment).