VRS Retirement Application: Timeline, Steps and What to File

The 120-to-60-Day Filing Window

VRS accepts retirement applications between 120 and 60 days before your effective retirement date. File too early and the system won't process it; file too late and your retirement date may need to shift. Your effective retirement date is always the first day of a calendar month following your last day of employment.

If you want to retire effective July 1, you'd file between roughly early March and early May. The exact calendar dates depend on how months fall — count backward from your target date to confirm.

Online Through myVRS vs. Paper VRS-5

Most general employees (Plan 1, Plan 2, and Hybrid) can file online through the myVRS portal. The digital application walks you through payout option selection, beneficiary designation, tax withholding, and direct deposit setup in a single session.

You must file a paper Form VRS-5 if any of these apply:

• You have an active Domestic Relations Order (DRO) on file
• You're retiring from a hazardous duty position (SPORS, VaLORS)
• You have judicial service
• You have a long-term disability record through VSDP
• You have an in-progress service credit purchase

Paper applicants whose election requires spousal acknowledgment must have that section notarized. Online applicants complete any required spousal consent digitally.

What to Complete Before Filing

The application itself takes 30-60 minutes, but the preparation should start months earlier:

6-12 months out: Audit your service credit in myVRS. Confirm all periods of employment are reflected. If you have prior service to purchase (military, refunded VRS, eligible out-of-state), initiate and complete all purchases now — you cannot buy service credit after your retirement effective date.

6 months out: Run benefit estimates in myVRS at several prospective retirement dates and across different payout options. Schedule a retirement counseling appointment through VRS or your employer's HR office.

120 days out: You're in the filing window. Before submitting, have these ready:

• Your payout option decision (Basic Benefit, Survivor Option, APO, or PLOP)
• Your beneficiary designation
• Your federal tax withholding election (W-4P equivalent)
• Your Virginia state tax withholding election
• Direct deposit bank routing and account numbers
• If applicable, Form VRS-45 for the Health Insurance Credit with proof of qualifying coverage
• For state employees: Form A10741 for State Retiree Health Benefits enrollment (due within 31 days of the retirement effective date)

The Mandatory Separation Period

After your last day of work, you must complete a bona fide break in service — at least one full calendar month where you would normally work. During this month, you cannot work for any VRS-participating employer in any capacity: not part-time, not as an independent contractor, not as a temporary worker. Violating the separation requirement voids your retirement application.

Summer breaks for 10-month school employees don't count as a bona fide break. A teacher must be separated for a full calendar month during a period they would normally work; time away during the regular summer break alone does not satisfy the requirement.

When Your First Check Arrives

VRS pays monthly benefits on the first business day of the month following the benefit month. Retire effective July 1, and your first deposit arrives on the first business day of August. Set up direct deposit through myVRS or Form VRS-57 to avoid paper check delays.

Once VRS disburses that first payment, your payout option election becomes permanent and irrevocable. The only exceptions are Survivor Option changes triggered by the named survivor's death, your divorce, or your marriage.

The Virginia VRS Retirement Guide includes a 12-month countdown checklist, the complete form inventory with filing deadlines, and a step-by-step walkthrough for both online and paper applications.

See more Virginia guides →