Payment of Benefits

STRS Ohio Issues “Partial” Benefit Payments

To apply for service retirement, complete and submit a Service Retirement Application through your Online Personal Account at least three months, but no more than 12 months, before your retirement date. To access the online application, log in to your Online Personal Account, select “Member Information” from the top menu and then select “Apply for Service Retirement” under Useful Links. To register for or log in to your online account, click here.

If your fully completed application is submitted to STRS Ohio at least 30 days before your retirement date, STRS Ohio may issue a benefit payment on your retirement date. If the actual benefit amount is not calculated by your retirement date and you are eligible for a benefit without additional purchased service credit, we may issue a “partial” payment based on current information available on your account.

Once exact information is available, any balance due will be retroactive to your effective date of retirement and paid as a catch-up payment, which is the difference paid to you after receiving partial payments and before your regular payments begin. Benefits are automatically deposited to your bank account on the first banking day of each month. Most members receive three or more partial payments.

If your fully completed application is not submitted at least 30 days before the retirement date, your partial payment will begin the first of the second month following receipt of your retirement application.

No partial payments or regular payments will be made if:

  • STRS Ohio is waiting for clarification of a court order that requires a member to provide a continuing benefit to a former spouse after the member’s death.
  • STRS Ohio is unable to determine service retirement eligibility before we have received information from your employer or another Ohio public retirement system (if you are combining your STRS Ohio service credit with credit in another system).
  • You need to purchase service credit to attain service retirement eligibility.