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Active Member

As an active Public School Employees’ Retirement System (PSERS) member, you are one of over a quarter of a million fellow public school employees employed in a Pennsylvania public school or by a PSERS reporting entity.  You’re contributing to your own personal PSERS retirement account which results in having a safe, secure, and guaranteed benefit payment(s) from one of the largest public pension plans in the nation.   

Information Available to Active Members  

As an active member, you’ll regularly receive quarterly newsletters to help keep you informed of legislation affecting both you and PSERS, pre-retirement Foundations for Your Future meeting schedules, PSERS Board actions and meetings, PSERS Board elections, explanation of benefits, and much more.  You can also check out the Active Member Handbook for more information on your membership with PSERS.

Statement of Account  

Active members and those who have left active employment but had reached a vested status (qualified for a retirement benefit but are deferring payment until a later date) receive a yearly Statement of Account.  Statements are usually sent in the late fall, but reflect your account balance as of the close (June 30) of the prior school year.  Statements also provide death benefit information and for those who have reached the requirements for vesting, a retirement benefit estimate will also appear.  If you terminated school service within the last two school years and have a balance in your retirement account, you will also receive a statement from PSERS. 

Reporting a Death  

If you are a family member or responsible for the estate of a deceased Pennsylvania public school employee and need to report their death, please:
  1. Contact your current Pennsylvania public school employer. 
  2. Send PSERS a copy of the death certificate. The death certificate must be sent to:
    PSERS
    5 N 5th Street
    Harrisburg PA 17101-1905
    FAX: 717.772.3860
The employer will report the information to PSERS and we, in turn, will send a request for a copy of the death certificate to the named beneficiary(ies), executor, or trustee.  

PSERS will not release any information regarding the value of the account and/or the names of the beneficiary(ies) by phone or email.    
 
After we receive a copy of the death certificate, additional forms and/or information pertaining to the payment of the death benefit will be sent to the named beneficiary(ies), executor, or trustee. 

For more information, refer to Let's Talk About PSERS Death Benefits Pamphlet.