Faculty Early Retirement Program - Getting Started

Notification of Intent to FERP

Written notification of an eligible tenured faculty member’s or tenured librarian’s intent to FERP must be submitted to the Office of Faculty Affairs and Success at least six months prior to the beginning of the academic year that FERP participation would begin. The Notification of Intent to FERP form (PDF) should be completed and sent to the college/unit AA/S for routing through Adobe Sign. Because the academic year generally begins in mid-August, the deadline for notification is the previous mid-February. This notification does not constitute application to CalPERS for retirement. Please see Retirement from CalPERS before Entering FERP, below.

Retirement from CalPERS before Entering FERP

Service retirement must begin concurrently with or prior to the beginning of the campus academic year in which FERP participation will begin. The faculty member must initiate the service retirement process by submitting a Service Retirement Election Application form (PDF) to CalPERS no more than 120 days before retirement date.

"A Guide to Completing your CalPERS Service Retirement Election Application” (PDF) may be downloaded from the CalPERS website or obtained from the campus Benefits Office. The notification of your intent to FERP does not constitute an application for retirement.

Completing the Service Retirement Election Application

CalPERS recommends that you begin the steps to retire from CalPERS at least a year before your retirement date. However, you should not submit your Service Retirement Application to CalPERS more than 120 days prior to your retirement date. You must have applied for your CalPERS Service Retirement prior to the first day of the academic year in which your participation in FERP begins. Contact the Office of Faculty Affairs and Success for the respective FERP notification deadline for the Academic Year you wish to begin FERP. If you have not already done so, please visit the CalPERS website for information on upcoming retirement workshops and the retirement process.

Choosing Your Separation & Retirement Effective Dates

After consulting with CalPERS and/or receiving a Retirement Estimation, choose a retirement date that works best for you. This date will need to be included on the Notice of Intent to FERP form.

Deciding the Number of Sick Leave Hours to Carry-Over into Retirement

At the time of service retirement and appointment in FERP, you may elect to carry a maximum of forty-eight hours of sick leave into FERP. This would reduce your accumulated sick leave by that amount for service retirement credit. Notify the campus Payroll department in writing if you wish to retain a sick leave balance at the time of your retirement. Including any sick leave carry over, FERP participants accrue sick leave for each qualifying pay period of FERP employment, up to a maximum of 160 hours. Any unused sick leave balance that exists at the end of FERP participation is lost. The Sick Leave Carryover form (PDF) for this purpose may be downloaded.

Submitting Your CalPERS Service Retirement Election Application

Submit your completed retirement application and the required documents to CalPERS. Your application can be submitted in person at a CalPERS Regional Office, by mail, or online using my|CalPERS. Be sure to keep a copy of all the documents submitted for your own record.

FERP Participant Employment Paperwork

As a FERP participant, you are a retiree in the CalPERS retirement system and, as such, have separated from CSU employment. (Please contact your department to find out more about the Separation Clearance process.) This means that prior to your first FERP teaching term, you must report in person to the Human Resources Service Center at Kendall 220 to complete paperwork as though you were a new employee. You will be required to provide documents that establish identity and documents that establish employment eligibility or a document that establishes both. You may call the Human Resources Service Center at 530-898-6771 for a list of acceptable documents. You will not be required to complete health and dental enrollment paperwork because, as a retiree, these benefits are provided to you by CalPERS.