Withdrawing your MTRS account
About your MTRS annuity savings account

As a member of the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System, you have an annuity savings account that is maintained on your behalf by the MTRS for your retirement. To find out how much money you have in your annuity savings account, either:

• refer to your MTRS annuity savings account annual statement, which we mail in the spring to all members who have a balance in their accounts; or,
• contact our main office, at 617-679-MTRS, to request a statement of your account balance at any time during the year.

While you are an active member of the MTRS, you are not eligible to withdraw any portion of your account balance. Likewise, you may not borrow money from your account or assign your account nor may your account be attached by a lien, except by the Internal Revenue Service or the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

If, however, you leave Massachusetts teaching service temporarily or permanently, don’t forget about your annuity savings account. You will need to decide what to do with your account, and, depending on your eligibility, you may have three choices:

• withdraw your account (also known as “taking a refund”);
• leave your funds on account with the MTRS until you:
  • return to Massachusetts public service;
  • decide to take a refund, subject to interest limitations; or,
  • become eligible for a retirement allowance; or,
• apply for a retirement allowance.

To find out if you are eligible to take a refund, please click on “Determine my eligibility to withdraw my account.”