TRS Texas Retirement Application Process — Form TRS 31 and the 12-Month Timeline

The Application Is Form TRS 31

The official retirement application is Form TRS 31 (Application for Service Retirement). You can file it through MyTRS online or by mailing a paper copy to TRS in Austin. This single form carries your annuity option selection, PLSO election, retirement effective date, and beneficiary designation — all of the decisions that become irreversible once your first payment is issued.

TRS recommends filing 3 to 5 months before your intended retirement effective date. Filing earlier gives TRS time to process, and gives you time to correct any issues before your benefit starts.

Choosing Your Effective Date

TRS retirement benefits always take effect on the last day of a calendar month. You pick the month; TRS sets the effective date as the final day. Your effective date cannot be earlier than your last day of employment or the date TRS receives your completed application — whichever is later.

For educators on academic-year contracts, the most common effective dates are May 31, June 30, and August 31. The date you choose affects when your first check arrives (last business day of the following month), when your TRS-Care enrollment window opens, and when your one-month return-to-work break starts.

The 12-Month Countdown

Filing Form TRS 31 is the midpoint of a longer process. Here's what comes before and after:

12 to 10 months out: Log into MyTRS, review your Annual Statement, verify your tier, and audit your service credit record. Request an official retirement estimate via MyTRS or Form TRS 18.

9 to 6 months out: Attend a TRS retirement counseling session (virtual or in-person). Get cost letters for any service credit purchases and pay them in full. If you've been through a divorce, confirm that a TRS-compliant QDRO is on file.

5 to 3 months out: File Form TRS 31. Select your annuity option and PLSO election. Submit Form TRS 15 (beneficiary designation) and your federal tax withholding form.

2 to 1 month out: Coordinate with your employer's payroll office on Form TRS 7 (final payroll certification). Submit Form TRS 700 for TRS-Care enrollment within 31 days of your effective date. Set up direct deposit.

Month 0: Terminate all employment with TRS-covered employers. Begin your mandatory one-calendar-month break in service.

Companion Forms You'll Need

Form TRS 31 doesn't travel alone. Plan to file these alongside it or shortly after:

Form TRS 15 — Designation of Beneficiary. Names your primary and contingent beneficiaries consistent with the annuity option you selected.

Form W-4P or TRS equivalent — Sets federal income tax withholding for your monthly payments.

Direct deposit authorization — Routes your annuity to your bank account.

Form TRS 587 — Certification of Unused State Sick and Personal Leave. Your employer fills this out to certify leave for additional retirement credit under TRS rules.

Form TRS 7 — Your employer submits this after your final paycheck processes. It certifies your termination date and final salary.

What Happens After You File

TRS reviews your application, verifies your service credit and salary history, confirms your tier-specific eligibility, and calculates your benefit under the option you selected. If anything is missing or inconsistent — an outstanding service credit purchase, a missing beneficiary form, a pending QDRO — TRS contacts you for resolution.

Once everything clears, TRS issues your first annuity payment (and PLSO, if elected) on the last business day of the month following your effective date. Up until that first payment, you can still change your option selection or cancel your retirement entirely. After the first payment, every election on Form TRS 31 is permanent.

The Most Common Mistakes

Filing late — leaving less than 3 months before the intended effective date, which compresses every subsequent step.

Forgetting Form TRS 7 — your employer won't submit it until your final paycheck clears, and TRS can't finalize your benefit without it. Coordinate with payroll early.

Missing the TRS-Care window — the 31-day enrollment deadline runs from your effective date, not from when you receive your first payment.

The Texas TRS Retirement Guide covers each form line by line, maps the dependencies between them, and includes the exact questions to ask your payroll office and TRS counselor at each stage.

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