- PERSI does not run Social Security and cannot answer Social Security questions. Your PERSI benefit and Social Security are separate sources of retirement income.Member Handbook (2019), pp. 26, 55, 58
- PERSI's Options 3, 4a and 4b use your Social Security estimate to pay you more before your Social Security full retirement age. They do not change your Social Security benefit.Member Handbook (2019), PDF page 29
PERSI does not administer Social Security and cannot answer Social Security questions. School employees' PERSI Base Plan and Social Security are separate 'legs' of retirement income. Options 3, 4a and 4b use your Social Security estimate. You pay Social Security tax on Choice Plan contributions. Member Handbook (2019), pp. 15, 26, 55, 58
Getting the Social Security estimate PERSI needs
- To have Options 3, 4a or 4b figured, PERSI needs a Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement (PEBES) from the Social Security Administration, based on the date you leave your PERSI job and showing zero future earnings after it. The yearly statement SSA mails you can't be used.Member Handbook (2019), PDF page 29, Option 3 - Social Security Adjustments; Member Handbook (2019), p. 54
- Once PERSI sets the extra amount it pays you before your Social Security full retirement age, that amount doesn't change (except for cost-of-living adjustments), even if your actual Social Security benefit turns out different from the estimate.Member Handbook (2019), PDF page 29, Option 3 - Social Security Adjustments
Social Security and Medicare on your retirement checklist
- PERSI's retirement checklist says to contact the Social Security Administration one to two years before you retire: check your work history, get an estimate for your retirement date, and learn how to apply and enroll in Medicare. You have 3 months before and 3 months after your 65th birthday to enroll in Medicare, or you may face a lifetime penalty.Member Handbook (2019), p. 52, Retirement Checklist
- If you're 62 or older, the checklist says to tell the Social Security Administration about your retirement plans about six months ahead, and to visit your local Social Security office with your spouse.Member Handbook (2019), p. 53, Retirement Checklist
- School and state employees who keep the group medical plan in retirement and have Medicare send PERSI a copy of their Medicare card with the application.Member Handbook (2019), pp. 53-54
What the PERSI sources don't cover: how your Social Security amount is figured, or how recent federal Social Security law changes affect you. Those answers come from the Social Security Administration. How each benefit is taxed is on the taxes page.
The full retirement age PERSI uses
| Born | Full retirement age |
|---|---|
| 1937 or earlier | 65 |
| 1938 | 65 and 2 months |
| 1939 | 65 and 4 months |
| 1940 | 65 and 6 months |
| 1941 | 65 and 8 months |
| 1942 | 65 and 10 months |
| 1943 to 1954 | 66 |
| 1955 | 66 and 2 months |
| 1956 | 66 and 4 months |
| 1957 | 66 and 6 months |
| 1958 | 66 and 8 months |
| 1959 | 66 and 10 months |
| 1960 or later | 67 |
See how Options 3, 4a and 4b work in Payment options.
Questions
Do Idaho teachers get Social Security?
PERSI's handbook describes your PERSI pension and Social Security as separate sources of retirement income. PERSI doesn't run Social Security; ask the Social Security Administration about your benefit.
What is PERSI's Social Security option?
Options 3, 4a and 4b pay more from PERSI before your Social Security full retirement age and less after, using your Social Security estimate. They don't change your Social Security benefit.
Source: PERSI Member Handbook, Handbook revision July 2019, pp. 15, 26, 52, 53-54, 55, 58. Last reviewed .