NYSLRS Retirement Application Checklist: Documents, Forms, and RS6037

Form RS6037: The Core Application

The Application for Service Retirement — Form RS6037 — is the document that formally requests your retirement and establishes your official retirement date. You can submit it electronically through Retirement Online or on paper.

NYSLRS must receive your application between 15 and 90 days before your chosen retirement date. Outside that window, your selected date is invalid and you'll need to pick a new one.

Online filing through Retirement Online is faster and skips the notarization requirement. You upload supporting documents digitally, and the submission timestamp serves as your filing date.

Paper filing requires a Notary Public signature on the form. If you mail it, use Certified Mail with Return Receipt Requested — the postmark date becomes your official filing date. Standard mail relies on the date NYSLRS physically receives the envelope in Albany, and postal delays can push you outside the filing window.

Documents You Need

For yourself:

• Proof of birth date — acceptable documents include a birth certificate, New York State driver's license, U.S. passport, or naturalization papers
• Federal tax withholding election (W-4P equivalent)
• Direct deposit enrollment — bank account and routing numbers

For your beneficiary (if electing a Joint Allowance or Pop-Up option):

• Official proof of the beneficiary's birth date — same acceptable documents as above
• NYSLRS requires this before they can process a survivor option election

If applicable:

• Certified copy of any Domestic Relations Order (DRO) from a divorce, plus the certified Judgment of Divorce
• Partial Lump Sum (PLS) election form if you're eligible under a special plan
• Documentation for any pending service credit purchases

The 12-Month-Out Checklist

Retirement paperwork starts well before you file RS6037:

12 to 6 months before retirement:

• Log in to Retirement Online and request a benefit estimate
• Confirm your tier, plan code, total credited service, and vesting status
• Audit your service credit for any uncredited public service, military service, or transferable time
• Pay off any outstanding NYSLRS member loans (unpaid balances cause a permanent benefit reduction)
• Submit service credit purchase or transfer requests before retirement; pay any mandatory purchase balance in full before your retirement date

6 to 3 months before retirement:

• Schedule a consultation with a NYSLRS benefit counselor
• Meet with your employer's Health Benefits Administrator to verify NYSHIP retiree coverage eligibility
• Confirm your accumulated sick leave hours and decide whether to convert them to pension service credit or NYSHIP premium credit

90 to 15 days before retirement (the filing window):

• Submit Form RS6037 or apply through Retirement Online
• Provide all proof-of-age documents
• Complete your payout option election
• File tax withholding and direct deposit forms

After retirement:

• Review your option election — you have 30 days after the first day of the month following retirement to make changes
• Watch for your first estimated pension check at the end of the month following your first full month of retirement

Common Documentation Mistakes

The most frequent filing errors that delay processing:

1. Submitting a paper form without notarization
2. Missing the filing window — either filing too early (more than 90 days out) or too late (fewer than 15 days out)
3. Forgetting to include beneficiary proof of age when electing a Joint or Pop-Up option
4. Assuming your employer's HR department files the retirement application on your behalf — they don't
5. Having an undiscovered Domestic Relations Order that freezes processing

The NYSLRS Retirement Guide includes a printable document checklist and filing calendar you can use to track every deadline and requirement.

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