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Faculty Retirement Checklist

If you are a faculty member who is ready to retire, use this retirement checklist to help prepare for this life change and navigate important decisions about your health and financial benefits.

Confirm Your Eligibility & Identify the Correct Timing for Your Retirement

Prior to making the decision to retire, confirm your eligibility to qualify as an official university retiree and identify the correct timing for your retirement.

  • Discuss retirement with your department chair or dean as appropriate.

  • Sabbaticals may not be taken during the year preceding retirement.

  • Confirm your eligibility to participate in the Faculty Retirement Incentive Plan (FRIP). Contact Cristen Shinbashi in Faculty Affairs: cshinbashi@stanford.edu or 650-724-4864.

  • Eligibility for the Retiree Health Care Plan is based on whether or not you qualify as an official university retiree as defined for benefits purposes in Administrative Guide Memo 2.1.10. Review retiree health care benefits.

  • If you believe you may be recalled immediately after retiring, carefully consider the impact of the recall on your health benefits and retirement savings distribution payments. Review information about  benefits if you are recalled.

  • Review information about official university retiree status and privileges for faculty.

Action Steps Four Months Before Retirement

Now that you made the decision to retire, take these action steps at least four months before your retirement date.

  • Contact the University HR Service Team to request a retirement calculation.
    •  Call 650-736-2985.
    • This calculation determines if you are eligible for retiree health care benefits and what portion of the coverage cost you share with the university.
    • The University HR Service Team will complete your calculation and notify you of the outcome. The calculation takes four to eight weeks.
  • Notify your department chair or dean.
    • Submit a Notice of Intent to Retire, available on the Faculty Affairs website in the Retirement section. Visit the Faculty Affairs website, retirement section click on FRIP and locate the Notice of Intent to Retire application form. Your notice should indicate whether or not you intend to participate in the Faculty Retirement Incentive Program (FRIP).
    • Your chair and/or dean will sign your notice and forward it to the Provost’s Office. The Provost’s Office will prepare an acknowledgement letter about your retirement and forward copies to your school and to Stanford Benefits.

Action Steps Two Months Before Retirement

For faculty members who are eligible for the Faculty Retirement Incentive Program (FRIP), take these action steps two months before your retirement date.

  • If you are eligible to participate in the Faculty Retirement Incentive Program (FRIP), the Provost’s staff will prepare a FRIP Agreement & Release.
  • To process FRIP:
    • The FRIP documents will be sent to your home address.
    • Review the agreement, sign it and return the signed agreement to the Provost’s Office.
    • The Provost will sign the agreement and return a fully executed copy to you.
    • Following retirement, you are immediately recalled (rehired) to service at 50 percent FTE for one to two years. During this recall appointment you will receive payments equal to your full salary at retirement and continue on active employee medical coverage.
    • One month before this FRIP recall ends, continue with the next steps below.
      • There typically will be no further recalls after the initial FRIP recall period.
 

Action Steps One Month Before Retirement

As your retirement date approaches, take these action steps one month prior to your last day of work.

  • Select retiree health care coverage.

    • Attend a “Health Care Benefits in Retirement” workshop. If you are unable to attend or prefer to learn online, listen to the audio presentation "Your Health Care Benefits in Retirement.". Visit the University HR calendar for a workshop schedule or to view the online presentation.

    • Make your medical, dental and vision benefits elections.

      • Call the University HR Service Team at 650-736-2985. The team will have your completed retiree calculation and a specialist can take your elections over the phone.

    • By recording your health care elections in advance, your retiree medical benefits will be in place on the first day of the month following your last day of work. Your active benefits cover you until the end of the month in which you stop work.

    • If age 65 or over and enrolling in a Medicare Advantage Plan, complete the necessary documentation and return to Stanford Benefits by the 15th of the month before you want your benefits to start. For example, if you want benefits to start April 1, Stanford Benefits must have your completed form by March 15.

    • Look for your new medical plan ID card in the mail.

  • Enroll in Medicare if you are age 65 or over.
    • You must enroll in Medicare Parts A & B. Your Stanford retiree medical coverage will not begin unless you are enrolled in Medicare. Contact Medicare at www.medicare.gov or call 800-633-4227.
  • Apply for Social Security benefits.

    • To apply for benefits go to www.ssa.gov or call 800-772-1213.

  • Decide what to do with your retirement savings.

    • Talk to your accountant or a financial counselor about savings in your Stanford Contributory Retirement Plan (SCRP) and/or Staff Retirement Annuity Plan (SRAP) plans. You can leave your retirement savings in their current account(s) or request a distribution. For more information, visit the Retirement Savings section of our website.

      • To request a SRAP distribution, call the Stanford University Pension Center at 877-249-6648.

      • To request a SCRP distribution, contact your investment provider(s) directly: Fidelity at 888-793-8733 and/or TIAA at 800-842-2888.

  • Consider how your health and retirement savings benefits may change if you are recalled to a part-time or full-time appointment. Review this Benefits if Recalled webpage.