Leaving the University

Vacation Leave Payout
You will be paid for any Vacation Leave that has not yet been taken in your last paycheck up to a maximum of 176 hours.

Sick Leave Payout
You are not eligible for any payout of Sick Leave upon resignation or termination of your employment with Kansas State University. Should you return to the University or State of Kansas agency within 365 days of your termination date, your sick leave will be reinstated.

Compensatory Time Payout
You will be paid for any accumulated overtime and holiday compensatory time that has not yet been taken in your last paycheck.

Discretionary Time Payout
You are not eligible for any payout of Discretionary Time upon resignation or termination of your employment with Kansas State University.

Deferring Your Leave Payout
If you are eligible to receive a leave payout upon the end of your employment, you can tax defer this payment as a contribution into a voluntary savings account. By making a pre-tax deferral, employees can boost their retirement savings and reduce the amount of taxes withheld from this payment. The voluntary savings plans that are available to employees are the KPERS 457 deferred compensation plan and the Voluntary 403(b) Retirement Plan. It is important to note that the annual IRS limitations for contributions on these savings plans will apply. If you choose to defer some or all your leave payout into an Optional Savings Plan complete the PER-19 and return it to benefits@ksu.edu at least two weeks prior to leaving the University. We recommend that you talk with your Financial and/or Tax Advisor prior to your termination to help assist you in making decisions related to deferring your leave payout.

What happens to my accrued leave upon transferring my employment to another State of Kansas agency?
If you leave the university for employment at another state of Kansas agency, your leave (vacation and sick leave balances) will not be paid out but will be transferred, up to the maximum allowed by the new agency.

KBOR
Normal retirement age at Kansas State University is based on the retirement provisions of KBOR Mandatory Retirement Plan. Normal Retirement is the earlier of (a) Ages 55-59 with 10 Years of Service or Age 60 with no service requirement.

If you are eligible to retire, you need to complete Form PER-37 and return it to your manager. Once the form is received, your HR Specialist will complete a PER-39 form which initiates the retirement process within Human Resources.

Successful retirement planning will convert potentially complex decisions into a manageable process. Human Resources staff members provide information and confidential counsel throughout the retirement planning process. Employees can request a one-on-one retirement consultation with a Benefits Specialist by emailing benefits@ksu.edu.

Please visit the Pre-Retirement Planning page to help you plan for your retirement. This page includes items to consider from five years prior to retirement through the week of your retirement, providing a general guide in your retirement planning process from start to finish.

Important websites and phone numbers:

• TIAA 1-800-842-2252
• VOYA 1-855-00-343-0860
• Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR)
• Human Resources 785-532-6277

KPERS

KPERS Tier 1 members are eligible for:

Full retirement at:

• age 65 plus one year of covered service
• Age 62 plus 10 years of covered service
• 85 points (age plus covered service equals 85 or >)

Early Retirement (with a reduction in benefits) at:

• Age 55 plus 10 years of contributions

KPERS Tier 2 members are eligible for:

Full retirement at:

• age 65 plus 5 years of covered service
• Age 60 plus 30 years of covered service

Early Retirement (with a reduction in benefits) at:

• Age 55 plus 10 years of contributions

KPERS Tier 3 members are eligible for:

Full retirement at:

• age 65 plus 5 years of covered service
• Age 60 plus 30 years of covered service

Early Retirement (with a reduction in benefits) at:

• Age 55 plus 10 years of contributions

If you have 5 years of KPERS covered service, then you are vested in the retirement system. Vested means you are guaranteed a retirement benefit.

We encourage all KPERS members to create an online account with KPERS to track their membership and contributions, plan for retirement, and more. Instructions on how to create this account can be found here.

If you are vested:
You are guaranteed a monthly retirement benefit for the rest of your life if you leave your contributions in your account. Often, if you have a significant amount of service, your benefit is more valuable than your actual contributions. If you keep your contributions with the Retirement System, you can apply for retirement benefits when you become eligible. They will continue to earn interest and you can withdraw at any time if you change your mind.

If you do not withdraw, and you return to KPERS covered employment, you will immediately become an active member again and keep your service credit.

If you are not vested:
You are not guaranteed a retirement benefit. You have 5 years to withdraw your account balance. You will continue to accrue interest for 5 years for KPERS Tier 1 and Tier 2, and 2 years for Tier 3. After 5 years, you forfeit your service credit.

If you do not withdraw or retire and you return to employment in a KPERS covered position within five years, you will immediately become an active member again and keep your service credit.

Withdrawing your contributions
There is a 31-day waiting period after you end employment before you can withdraw. When it is time, submit the withdrawal form (pdf) and KPERS will send your refund within 4-6 weeks. The form tells you about your options on how to receive your money.

You can receive your contributions and interest as a direct payment to you or roll over the amount into an eligible retirement plan. The decision to withdraw could affect your financial future, especially if you have many years of public service and accumulated contributions. Seek professional tax advice before withdrawing.

To withdraw your KPERS contributions you must complete the Application for Withdrawal of Contributions (pdf) form and submit directly to KPERS.

Can I return to work after I have retired from KSU?
As a KPERS retiree, there are certain rules and limitations if you return to work for a KPERS covered employer after you retire. These rules and limitations do not apply if you work for an employer that is not a KPERS covered employer.

The State of Kansas is considered one employer. State agencies, boards, commissions, and Board of Regents institutions are all part of the State of Kansas. Going from one to another is not considered changing employers.

Any rehire of a retiree is subject to normal university recruitment approval process. In addition, Human Resources Benefits must approve the rehire of all retirees. You can find more information on the KPERS website.

No Prearrangements
KPERS retirees cannot make prearrangements to return to work for any KPERS covered employer. That means no communication in any way about an intent to return to work. This includes both before retirement and during the waiting period discussed below.

Waiting Period
Note: Keep in mind, KPERS is the retirement system for many public employees in Kansas. If you are leaving KSU to work for another agency in a KPERS covered position, then your retirement benefits will transfer with you to your new position. A list of all KPERS affiliated employers can be found here.

More information on how leaving employment affects your KPERS retirement benefit can be found on the KPERS website.

What happens when I terminate?
Because you are 100% vested in the entire account balance in the KBOR Mandatory Retirement Plan, you are now responsible for determining not only the investment choices but when you want to make withdrawals from this plan. Keep in mind that you should meet with not only your Investment Provider but also a Financial Advisor if applicable. This will enable you to determine what the tax consequences will be once you start withdrawing from your retirement account or rolling this retirement account to another program. Each cash withdrawal will be taxable to you as income and if you are under Age 59 ½, there will be an additional IRS penalty of 10%. If you are older than 70 ½, you are required by the IRS to begin taking a Required Minimum Distribution. For tax reporting purposes, keep in mind that because you are a State of Kansas Employee, there will be no State of Kansas taxes required to be paid as long as you reside in Kansas. If you are planning on moving to another state, you may want to see how distributions from this retirement plan will be handled per their state tax laws.

Am I vested in the KBOR Mandatory Retirement Plan?
While you worked at Kansas State University, you were enrolled in the KBOR Mandatory Retirement Planand employee pre-tax contributions were required. The University was also required to make employer contributions into this retirement program. You are 100% vested, which means that when you leave the University, the retirement account is yours. This retirement plan is a 403(b) Plan, which the IRS allows for the employee contributions to be made with pre- tax dollars. When you begin taking distributions, they will be taxed to you as income and some distributions may have an additional penalty assessed by the IRS. You might want to consider other distribution alternatives such as rolling the account into another qualified retirement program.

Do I need to take a distribution from the KBOR Mandatory Retirement Plan if I am terminating or retiring?

Once you have made the decision to leave KSU, you will need to notify your manager and provide them with your last day. The termination date will be sent to your investment provider via an updated payroll file. You should reach out to your Investment Provider and talk about what the next steps are for your retirement account. Should you keep the account? Should you transfer it to another 403(b)-retirement program or an IRA? Or should you liquidate the account. If you withdraw money, it will be taxable to you as income and there may be some IRS penalties. Keep in mind that the more you save for retirement, the more you will have available to you once you retire.

Keep in Mind:Due to privacy rules, Kansas State University will not have the ability to see or access your account information once you leave the University.

In most cases, your last paycheck will be issued consistent with the regular payroll cycle.

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