Retirement Benefits

Benefits Overview

The information below provides an overview of retirement benefits. For more details, please contact the numbers provided below, or benefits by email at benefits@ku.edu or by phone at 785-864-7402.

When Can I Retire?

• Please refer to KPERS Retirement Plan for details on when you can retire.
• Please refer to the KBOR Retirement Plan for details on when you can retire.

Retirement Notification

• Faculty & Academic Staff should submit a letter to their supervisor with their retirement date as soon as the date is finalized.  (Please see KU's policy on resignation and retirement dates for academic year faculty.)
• Unclassified professional staff and university support staff should submit a letter to their supervisor with their retirement date as soon as the date is finalized.

Health Insurance

When you retire from the University of Kansas, you have the right to remain in the state's group health insurance program by paying the premium. Your spouse and qualified dependents can also remain on the health insurance contract.  If you return to work at KU, in any capacity, depending on your rehire date and FTE, you may be eligible to rejoin the active employee health plan for a period of time, thus saving yourself hundreds of dollars in premiums.  The Benefits Office will work with you to determine your eligibility.  If you are eligible for the active employee health plan, the SEHP’s rules are that you cannot continue in the retiree direct bill plan with a Medicare-supplemental plan as that would violate Medicare’s Secondary Payer rules.

Death Benefit

If you receive KPERS retirement benefits, you may be qualified to a $4,000 death benefit that will be paid to the named beneficiary.

Accumulated Vacation and/or Sick Leave

When you retire, a lump sum payment will be made for your accumulated vacation and/or sick leave hours.

​Vacation Leave - 

Vacation leave of up to 176 hours will be paid at termination of employment, and up to 240 hours at retirement or, if you are retirement eligible, upon termination of employment.

Sick Leave -

Sick leave will be paid, only at retirement or, if you are retirement eligible, upon termination of employment, based upon years of service and accumulation as follows:

You can learn more about vacation and sick leave accruals, payouts, and conditions by reviewing the Vacation Leave Policy  and Sick Leave Policy.

Emeritus/Emerita Status

To learn about emeritus/emerita conditions and procedures, please refer to the Emeritus Status Policy.  To learn how faculty who are granted emeritus/emerita status upon retirement may continue to participate in graduate education, refer to this Graduate Studies policy.  

Working At KU After Retirement

The University has a policy regarding reemployment of KU Retirees based on IRS Guidelines and the Retiree Rehire Policy. There are also special Working After Retirement rules that impact KPERS retirees, regardless of the entity from which the KPERS retiree retired (e.g., school district, city, county, state of Kansas agency).  For more information see the Working at KU After Retirement information.

Additional Information

• Please review the State Employee Health Plan (SEHP) Retiree Health Insurance for more information.
• Please review Information for University Retirees and Phased/ Prospective Retirees Document .
• The Kansas Department of Revenue has ruled that income derived from any approved Kansas board of regents 403(b) plan is exempt from Kansas State income tax.  The Kansas Individual Income Tax and Food Sales Refund booklet provides information on Schedule S Line by Line instructions. Part A addresses modifications to Federal Adjusted Gross Income and Subtractions from Federal Adjusted Gross Income include “Line A10– Exempt Retirement Benefits” which includes the Kansas Board of Regents plan as well as other listed “Kansas Pension Plans”.  For more information, please review the Kansas Income Tax Treatment of Certain Payments Received from the Regents Retirement Plan Notice 05-05 (pdf)and Notice 07-05 (pdf).