Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System (OTRS) provides a defined lifetime income to participating members who become eligible for retirement. OTRS is administered by the State of Oklahoma and Oklahoma laws establish the rules and procedures governing OTRS.
Find more information by contacting OTRS.
All benefits-eligible university employees who have a .5 FTE appointment (20 hours or more per week), for six months or longer are eligible to participate (post-docs, scholars, and fellows are not eligible). Temporary employees including adjunct faculty (unless proof is provided that the adjunct faculty is contributing to OTRS at another institution) at the Norman campus are not eligible to participate in this benefit.
Participation and contributions begin the first of the month following Human Resources' receipt of the required forms from the employee. All salaried employees must submit the OTRS form to HR accepting or declining participation in OTRS. Hourly employees electing OTRS only need to submit the beneficiary form.
Members are vested in Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System when contributions are made for a set number of years determined by the time you joined. OTRS members whose contributions were received prior to November 1, 2017, will be vested after 5 full years of contributory service. OTRS members whose contributions were received after November 1, 2017, will be vested after 7 full years of contributory service. Once vested, employees may receive retirement benefits from OTRS when eligibility requirements are met.
If a member terminates employment after becoming vested, contributions can remain in OTRS until retirement benefits begin, or application can be made to withdraw all contributions four months after the last day of employment.
OTRS members who joined prior to July 1, 1992, can retire with full benefits from OTRS:
OTRS members who joined on or after July 1, 1992, can retire with full benefits from OTRS:
OTRS members who joined on or after November 1, 2011, can retire with full benefits from OTRS:
Members are eligible to apply for disability retirement benefits from OTRS at any age with at least 10 years of service credit. Members with at least 5 or 7 years of service credit (depending on date of first contribution received) may begin receiving a reduced retirement benefit when they reach age 55 or when they have 30 or more years of service, regardless of age.
To receive a detailed personalized calculation of your OTRS retirement benefit, contact the Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System at 405-521-2387.
OTRS will grant one year of service credit for any fiscal year that a full-time member worked and made contributions. OTRS makes the final determination of all service credit.
OTRS will allow members to purchase up to a maximum of 5 years out-of-state service if it qualifies as membership service in Oklahoma. The members must have two years of Oklahoma service for each year of out-of-state service purchased. OTRS will allow members to purchase up to 5 years credit for military service. The member must have two years of Oklahoma service for each year of military service purchased.
Have you ever wanted to purchase back years of benefits-eligible service credit from the Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System, but felt you just could not afford to? The Oklahoma Teachers’ Retirement System offers a tax-deferred installment plan for the purchase of years of service for OTRS. Perhaps you withdrew years of service in the past and would now like to make catch-up contributions for retirement. Tax-deferred installment payments will make member purchases more affordable, since the reduction in a member’s take home pay will be less than if the member made direct payments to OTRS in after-tax dollars.
If you are an active member of OTRS and interested in purchasing years of service credit, please contact OTRS at (405) 521-2387 to receive a billing statement. Members can use tax-deferred payroll deductions to purchase OTRS service by signing an irrevocable payroll deduction authorization. This payroll deduction will remain in effect until the purchase is paid in full up to a maximum of 60 months. In the event of a member’s death, their beneficiary can pay the amount owed or be entitled to a pro-rated amount for the contributions made. If a member terminates employment with the university, they may continue payments with after-tax dollars or receive credit at retirement for the time paid.
Your OTRS annual contribution is 7% of your total compensation package. Total compensation is the sum of base earnings, employer-paid insurance premiums (health, dental, life, and AD&D), and the amount the university contributes to your OU Contributory Retirement Plan, which is a 401(a) defined contribution plan.
Your OTRS annual contribution is 7% of your total compensation package. Total compensation is the sum of base earnings and employer-paid insurance premiums (health, dental, life, and AD&D).
OU contributes a required monthly fee for plan support. Fees stay with OTRS. Find the current employer contribution rate on the OTRS website.
Less than 20% of OU’s employees have protected their retirement savings by choosing a beneficiary in Fidelity NetBenefits online. Have you? Neglecting a beneficiary designation could have significant consequences for the people important to you. Here’s what you need to know.
If you don't have a beneficiary named in each of your retirement plans, your estate will automatically inherit your savings. If this happens, the courts are sometimes involved and your assets may not go to the people you would have intended. This could delay or prevent the distribution of your savings to the people you care about.
Your beneficiary will receive the value of your retirement savings in the case of your death.
You can also review your life insurance beneficiaries at your convenience in Employee Self-Service. It's a good idea to update all your beneficiaries after certain life events including marriage, divorce, death, or the birth of a child.
Note: For information about updating beneficiaries in your TIAA-CREF account, visit TIAA.org or call 1.866.843.5640.
Make your beneficiary wishes known:
Need help? Call Fidelity customer service at 1.800.343.0860.
All Campuses
Take control of your retirement by speaking with a representative at Fidelity.
Norman Campus
Meet with your Norman HR Retirement Representative.
OU Health Campus
Meet with your OUHC HR Retirement Representative.
TIAA Enrollees
If you had previous investment accounts with TIAA, you can schedule an appointment to meet with a TIAA representative at a nearby TIAA location. Book an appointment or call them at 1-800-842-2252.
