Benefits Human Resources

To be eligible to retire from the University and have retiree benefits, faculty and staff must meet the University’s eligibility criteria.  See Policy 5-112: Retirement for information.

Policy 5-112: Retirement

Minimum Requirements:

1. You must be at least age 60 or have 30 or more years of service with the University (20 or more years of service with the University working in a position that qualifies for participation in the URS Public Safety Retirement Plan); and
2. You must have completed five years of continuous benefit-eligible service for the University immediately prior to retirement.

Benefits:

1. You may enroll in one of the group Medicare Advantage Plans or a Medicare Supplement Plan.
2. You may enroll in dental coverage for up to 18 months from your date of retirement by paying the full cost.
3. A retiree ID card will be available entitling the retired member and spouse to all applicable benefits.
4. See the Retiree Benefits web page for additional information

The University of Utah Policy also provides for early retirement and phased retirement. These options are only available to those who qualify and receive approval from their departments.  Because there are additional departmental costs with both of these types of retirement, to maintain the efficiency and financial integrity of the department, these options are subject to departmental and dean/cognizant vice president approval. Participation is not guaranteed.  Talk with your supervisor if you are interested in early or phased retirement.

• Guide for Early Retirement Incentive Program
• Guide for Phased Retirement

Are you wondering if you are ready?  Please visit the following to learn more:

• Retirement Checklist
• Retiree Healthcare FAQs - Medicare Eligible
• Retiree Healthcare FAQs - Pre-65
• Medicare 101

You will be eligible to withdraw from your University 401(a) and 457(b) retirement plans after you have been retired for 32 days or longer.  If you contributed to a 403(b) Plan, you may withdraw from that plan any time after you reach age 59½.  You will want to make sure you have sufficient funds to cover your expenses until you are able to withdraw from your retirement plans.

If you are enrolled in a Utah Retirement Systems retirement plan, you should begin working with URS at least one month prior to retirement, so your benefit payments can begin when you retire.

If you are enrolled in the 401(a) retirement savings plan and/or supplemental retirement savings plan, you should meet with a licensed representative for a one-on-one consultation to help you create a plan for finances in retirement.

• Schedule an appointment with TIAA Financial Consultants at TIAA
  • TIAA flyer
• Schedule an appointment with Fidelity Financial Consultants at Fidelity

• If you plan to retire, please contact a UHRM retirement counselor at least two to three months before your retirement. The counselor will provide resources and information regarding Medicare and benefits upon retirement.
• Retirement counselors are available by appointment virtually or in-person (Tuesdays) when they are in the office.

Retirement Counselor for Faculty:

Ephraim Burrell - retiree@utah.edu

Retirement Counselor for Staff:

Tayler Preece - retiree@utah.edu

Making a planned gift is a wonderful way to show your support and appreciation for the University of Utah and its mission, while accommodating your own personal, financial, estate-planning, and philanthropic goals. With smart planning, you may actually increase the size of your estate and/or reduce the tax burden on your heirs. Just as important, you will know that you have made a meaningful contribution to the University of Utah.

Utah Gifting

Announcing a new University of Utah Osher Lifelong Learning class designed for University employees: Transitioning from Employee into Retirement, with instructors David Derezotes and Linda Dunn! Click here for a video introduction to this class.

Class Purpose & Instructions

The purpose of our class is to provide an inclusive and welcoming learning environment in which current and former University of Utah employees have an opportunity to explore the key challenges and opportunities of the retirement transition.

Both instructors have an extensive background in teaching, dialogue facilitation, and human development, and share a fascination with the topics of aging and retirement. Linda Dunn was Director of the University Bennion Center. Dr. Dave Derezotes was Professor in Social Work and Director of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program in Humanities.

In this six week Osher class, participants will have the opportunity to help co-create a Learning Community in which we explore together the topics outlined below. Each class will include a didactic presentation, followed by a class dialogue. The topics below may be revised, based upon the requests of participants in each class. Week two may be co-taught by an expert employee from University Human Relations.

Class Topics

We human beings are multi-dimensional, "ecobiopsychosocialspiritual" beings who respond to major vocational life transitions in our own unique ways. We will explore all of these developmental dimensions together in the class, as illustrated in the chart below:

Fall 2025

Asking Questions & Signing-Up

Please feel free to contact David Derezotes with any questions about the class at dderezotes@socwk.utah.edu.

You can also contact the University of Utah Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for information on how to sign up for the class, at https://continue.utah.edu/osher