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Working for the MTA after retirement


EVA-01

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Hello everyone. Just looking to get some information.

I currently work for a uniformed city agency. When I retire, I’ll be too young to really “retire”. I’ve been thinking long and hard on this and thought working for the MTA would be an easy transition for me. I’m thinking of taking the test for Bus Operator (NYC Transit Authority) when I’m close to retirement from my current city job.

Here’s now where it gets complicated; am I allowed to work for the MTA after I retire from a city job? I can’t find an answer to this question anywhere.

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4 hours ago, EVA-01 said:

Hello everyone. Just looking to get some information.

I currently work for a uniformed city agency. When I retire, I’ll be too young to really “retire”. I’ve been thinking long and hard on this and thought working for the MTA would be an easy transition for me. I’m thinking of taking the test for Bus Operator (NYC Transit Authority) when I’m close to retirement from my current city job.

Here’s now where it gets complicated; am I allowed to work for the MTA after I retire from a city job? I can’t find an answer to this question anywhere.

There's a retired Cop whos a TO i believe you have to freeze your pension though...

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7 hours ago, EVA-01 said:

Hello everyone. Just looking to get some information.

I currently work for a uniformed city agency. When I retire, I’ll be too young to really “retire”. I’ve been thinking long and hard on this and thought working for the MTA would be an easy transition for me. I’m thinking of taking the test for Bus Operator (NYC Transit Authority) when I’m close to retirement from my current city job.

Here’s now where it gets complicated; am I allowed to work for the MTA after I retire from a city job? I can’t find an answer to this question anywhere.

I have checked out this issue as I am retired and receive a NY State pension.  You can be retired from a NYS job and can work at another NYS job (including a NYC job) and continue to receive your pension if you do not exceed the $35,000 cap at your new NYS or NYC job.  If you exceed the $35,000 cap at your new job your original pension will be reduced by the amount that exceeds the $35,000 cap.  However,  once you reach age 65 you can work and earn as much as you want with no penalty.  Check out section 212/213 of the Retirement and social security law which governs NYS public employment by public service retirees under age 65.

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3 hours ago, vance said:

I have checked out this issue as I am retired and receive a NY State pension.  You can be retired from a NYS job and can work at another NYS job (including a NYC job) and continue to receive your pension if you do not exceed the $35,000 cap at your new NYS or NYC job.  If you exceed the $35,000 cap at your new job your original pension will be reduced by the amount that exceeds the $35,000 cap.  However,  once you reach age 65 you can work and earn as much as you want with no penalty.  Check out section 212/213 of the Retirement and social security law which governs NYS public employment by public service retirees under age 65.

Additionally,  you can work anywhere else without worrying about your pension being affected.  You can work at a federal job or any other civil service job outside of NY without penalty or any restrictions.  For instance US Postal,  NJ transit or any private employer.  

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7 hours ago, vance said:

I have checked out this issue as I am retired and receive a NY State pension.  You can be retired from a NYS job and can work at another NYS job (including a NYC job) and continue to receive your pension if you do not exceed the $35,000 cap at your new NYS or NYC job.  If you exceed the $35,000 cap at your new job your original pension will be reduced by the amount that exceeds the $35,000 cap.  However,  once you reach age 65 you can work and earn as much as you want with no penalty.  Check out section 212/213 of the Retirement and social security law which governs NYS public employment by public service retirees under age 65.

Thank you for your insight. I’ll be under the age of 65 when I retire and I do not plan on rejoining NYCERS after getting hired with the NYC Transit Authority. I don’t want to suspend my pension because I’m returning to work. My plan is to collect my pension while also collecting a paycheck as a Bus Operator.

958.pdf?1715093445

There’s an interesting paragraph that falls under NYS Retirement and Social Security Law 212: “There are no earnings limitations if you return to work at a public benefit corporation (such as NYC Health + Hospitals and the NYC Transit Authority, etc.). However, each agency has its own policy about re-employing service retirees so you should contact the agency directly for more information. For a full list of public benefit corporations, visit NYCERS’ website at www.nycers.org/glossary#pbc.”

Just based on this paragraph alone, doesn’t this mean that my plan of joining the NYC Transit Authority as a Bus Operator is perfect? I won’t be restricted to the $35,000 annual salary limit, no?

 

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10 hours ago, RTOMan said:

There's a retired Cop whos a TO i believe you have to freeze your pension though...

I don’t want to have my pension frozen just because I want to continue working after retirement. Do you know if that individual decided to join NYCERS after getting hired as a Train Operator? That may have something to do with their pension being suspended while being employed by the NYC Transit Authority.

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I inquired several years ago after retiring from the NYS Police and Firemans retirement system which is a different retirement system than what you are in.  NYC employees have their own retirement system which differs from the NYS system.  I was employed by a county police dept (I do not wish to identify which dept) and was told that my pension would be affected if I took the TO job at that time.  Either way,  you are wise to protect your pension as you have worked too hard to have them mess with it. Perhaps things have changed since I retired.  Let me know as I have also taken the TO test but now I worry I might be too old by the time they get to me!

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7 hours ago, EVA-01 said:

I don’t want to have my pension frozen just because I want to continue working after retirement. Do you know if that individual decided to join NYCERS after getting hired as a Train Operator? That may have something to do with their pension being suspended while being employed by the NYC Transit Authority.

Why would you want to work if you retired? Let other people get the job who TRULY need it! Go out and enjoy your life!

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42 minutes ago, vance said:

I inquired several years ago after retiring from the NYS Police and Firemans retirement system which is a different retirement system than what you are in.  NYC employees have their own retirement system which differs from the NYS system.  I was employed by a county police dept (I do not wish to identify which dept) and was told that my pension would be affected if I took the TO job at that time.  Either way,  you are wise to protect your pension as you have worked too hard to have them mess with it. Perhaps things have changed since I retired.  Let me know as I have also taken the TO test but now I worry I might be too old by the time they get to me!

It would be so much easier if the MTA/NYC Transit Authority had people you can speak with on the phone who can answer questions like these.

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42 minutes ago, train1290 said:

Why would you want to work if you retired? Let other people get the job who TRULY need it! Go out and enjoy your life!

As I stated in the very beginning, I will be too young to really retire. Collecting a pension means nothing if your affairs aren’t settled. The cost of living in this city is astronomical so I plan on continuing to work while collecting my pension every month.

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