Member Resources
Are You Eligible for PERS Membership?
PERS is the retirement system for eligible Mississippi public employees who work as regular employees for state agencies, universities, community colleges, and public schools, as well as counties, cities, and other political subdivisions that have entered into Joinder Agreements with PERS to provide retirement coverage to eligible employees.
The PERS Membership Eligibility Overview may help you in determining whether your position is covered. You should also talk with your employer or reference PERS Board of Trustee Regulations for more information.
Change Your Account Information
Keeping PERS up to date with changes to your name, address, and/or spouse and beneficiary information, will allow us to provide you with the most efficient service possible, including timely delivery of any mail out from your retirement system. For your protection, PERS does not accept a change of name, address, or beneficiary information over the telephone. To make a change to your account, submit a completed Form 1C, Change of Information, to your employer for submission to PERS.
Monthly Service Credit Overview
This guide provides a general overview of how PERS awards service credit on a monthly basis.
Request Your Contribution Balance
You may request a balance of your account by contacting PERS Customer Service. You may call in your request at 800-444-7377 or 601-359-3589, or you may fax your request to 601-359-6707 with the following information:
- Name
- Retirement Plan (PERS, SLRP, MHSPRS, or MRS)
- Last Four Digits of Social Security Number
- Current Address
- Contact Telephone Number
- Signature
Eligible and Thinking about Retirement?
Once you become eligible to retire, filing a Form 16, Advanced Application, allows you to pre-select any benefit option for which you are eligible and designate beneficiaries so that, should you die before you retire, benefits will be paid in accordance with your desires. Before filing an Advanced Application, contact us to receive a current Estimate of Benefits to help you choose the right benefit option for the beneficiary you may want to designate.
Learn More about PERS and Your Account
Whether you need a general overview about PERS or in-depth information about your account, PERS can accommodate you. Have a question or need to schedule a one-on-one appointment? Call 800-444-7377 or 601-359-3589, or e-mail us at customerservice@pers.ms.gov. To learn more about our classroom-setting learning opportunities, click here.
The PERS New Member Guide, Welcome to PERS, provides a basic overview of retirement planning and a general explanation of PERS membership for those new to the system.
The PERS Pre-Retirement Guide provides a retirement-planning overview for mid-career and retirement-eligible PERS members. The guide gives information about asking for account audits, seeking eligible service credit, deciding how many years to work before retiring, staying informed, submitting an Advanced Application, and participating in Mississippi Deferred Compensation.
The PERS Member Handbook provides a broad overview of what being a member of PERS means. This resource is helpful for all members of PERS, whether they are new hires or are ready to retire. Important information in the handbook includes: requirements for retirement, service credit information, beneficiary information, how to calculate your benefits, retirement tier information, benefit options, return-to-work information, insurance information, and other general quick-reference facts about being a part of PERS.
Ready to Retire?
The PERS Service Retirement Guide outlines the retirement application process and lists roles and responsibilities for the applicant, the employer, and the PERS benefit analyst. The guide also details each form used in the retirement application process and gives an overview of what to expect after you complete the process.
For even more information as you plan for retirement, visit our Retirement Education page.
Annual Member Statements
PERS mails Annual Member Statements to active and inactive members each fall. These unaudited statements list years of service, total contributions, and other account information, as well as information about a member’s beneficiaries and, if a member is within four years of service retirement eligibility, an estimate of benefits.