Eligibility

Faculty considering retirement should also refer to the Office of the Dean of Faculty website.

To be eligible for retirement benefits, employees must meet one of the following conditions, based on their most recent date of hire, date of rehire, and/or the date they became newly eligible for benefits.

1. Hired as a benefits-eligible employee on or before December 31, 2002, and are age 55 or older and have at least 10 years of benefits-eligible service
2. Hired or rehired or became newly eligible for benefits, on or after January 1, 2003, and are age 55 or older and have at least 10 years of benefits-eligible service and meet the “Rule of 75” where age plus service equals 75.
3. Hired or rehired or become newly eligible for benefits on or after January 1, 2019. In addition to meeting rule #2 above, eligibility to retire is governed by the break-in-service rules that govern the Princeton University Retirement Plan (PURP). If there is a break in benefits-eligible service of more than five years, prior service does not count. 

Princeton University retirees who are rehired as active benefits-eligible employees are returned to retiree status when they terminate their active employment with Princeton. They are not required to meet the 75 points rule.

Enrollment

Employees have a one-time opportunity to enroll in a retiree medical plan when they retire. If they do not elect coverage then, they may not, under Plan rules, elect coverage at a future date.

Enrollment is easy. Employees complete and give a Princeton Healthcare Election Form to the Benefits Team before or within 30 days of retiring from the University. If the employee, spouse and/or any dependents are Medicare-eligible, they must enroll in Medicare Parts A and B. No dependents, other than one’s certified spouse and/or children at the time of retirement, may be added after retirement.

If a retiree terminates retiree medical coverage at any time for any reason, the retiree cannot elect coverage again at a future date. Permitted exceptions are:

1. If the retiree’s spouse is working and has medical coverage through the spouse’s employer or children have other coverage, employees can delay enrolling one’s spouse and/or children for up to five years from one’s Princeton retirement date. To be eligible for coverage in the future, the spouse or children must be dependent certified by HR at the time of retirement to be eligible for future coverage.