How to Complete TRS Forms: Retirement, Refund, Beneficiary, and Disability

Completing Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) forms correctly comes down to three things: picking the right numbered form for the action you’re taking, following that form’s specific requirements (notarization, equal beneficiary shares, deadlines, voided checks), and submitting it through a channel that gives you proof of delivery. This guide walks through how to complete the TRS forms members use most — beneficiary designation, refund, service retirement, direct deposit, disability, and divorce — and how to get them to TRS without stalling your benefits.

Which TRS Form You Need

TRS uses a numbered form for almost every member action. Match the form to what you’re trying to do:

TRS 15 — Designation of Beneficiary. Names who receives your benefits if you die, whether you’re an active member or retiree.¹
TRS 6 — Application for Refund. Withdraws your accumulated contributions after you permanently leave TRS-covered employment.²
TRS 30 — Application for Service Retirement. Starts your lifetime monthly annuity.³
TRS 278 — Direct Deposit Request. Routes your TRS payments to a bank account.
TRS 59A and TRS 58 — the member’s statement and the attending physician’s statement that begin a disability retirement claim.⁴
TRS 18 — Request for a written benefit estimate (Form TRS 25), which you’ll want in hand before you lock in a retirement plan choice.
TRS 629 — Submitted with a Domestic Relations Order in a divorce.

You can download any form from the TRS website, request one by mail through the TRS Automated Telephone System at 1-800-223-8778, or complete some actions directly in the MyTRS member portal.⁵

How to Complete the TRS 15 (Beneficiary Designation)

Before you start, gather each beneficiary’s full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, and relationship to you. You’ll list primary beneficiaries and can also name alternates who receive benefits only if none of your primary beneficiaries survive you.⁶

Here is where members most often go wrong. If you name more than one primary beneficiary, they share equally. TRS states explicitly: “Do not stipulate unequal portions to joint beneficiaries.” Surviving co-beneficiaries are paid in equal shares, and if one dies before you, the remainder split evenly. TRS will not honor percentage splits, conditional language, or custom instructions written on the form; benefits are paid according to applicable law.¹ If you need an unequal distribution, that generally has to be accomplished through other estate planning instruments.

You can update the TRS 15 at any time, either through MyTRS or on paper.⁶

How to Complete the TRS 6 (Refund Application)

Use the TRS 6 when you have permanently left TRS-covered employment and want to withdraw your accumulated contributions. Filing it terminates your TRS membership and erases all your service credit, though you can later buy that credit back if you rejoin.

To be eligible, you must have terminated all employment with TRS-covered employers and must not have applied for or been promised future employment with one.⁷ Download the form from the TRS website, request it by phone at 1-800-223-8778, or submit the refund request through MyTRS.²

After you complete and sign the form, you must have it notarized. The notarization certifies that you have in fact terminated employment and have not lined up another TRS-covered job.² A Texas notary can charge up to $10 for the first signature acknowledgment.⁸ Many banks and shipping stores offer notary services.

TRS sends a Special Tax Notice Regarding Rollover Options along with the refund paperwork. Read it before you decide between a cash refund and a rollover. A refund is a taxable distribution, and the IRS adds a 10% penalty on distributions taken before age 59½, with limited exceptions.⁹ Rolling the funds directly into a traditional IRA or another eligible retirement plan avoids both the ordinary income tax at the moment of transfer and the penalty.

How to Complete the TRS 30 (Service Retirement Application)

The TRS 30 is the document that actually starts your retirement. Filing it sets your retirement date, locks in your annuity plan choice, and names your retirement beneficiary. State law requires a written application to set a retirement date, and the TRS 30 is that application.¹⁰

The Filing Deadline

TRS must receive your completed TRS 30 by the last day of the second calendar month following the month you want retirement to be effective. If you want a September 1 retirement date, TRS needs the form by November 30.³ Send the TRS 30 in even if you haven’t yet completed the other packet documents. The application date is what matters.

Choosing an Annuity Plan

You select one annuity plan on the form, and the choice is permanent. Review your written retirement estimate (Form TRS 25, which TRS sends after you submit Form TRS 18) before checking any box, because that estimate shows your projected gross monthly payment under each option.¹¹ The options are:

Standard Annuity. The maximum monthly payment for your lifetime. Payments stop when you die; nothing continues to a beneficiary.
Option 1 (100% Joint Life). A reduced lifetime payment, with the same amount continuing to your beneficiary for their lifetime after you die.
Option 2 (50% Joint Life). A reduced lifetime payment, with half continuing to your beneficiary for life.
Option 3 (60-Month Guarantee). Lifetime payments; if you die within 60 months of retirement, your beneficiary receives the remaining payments out of that window.
Option 4 (120-Month Guarantee). The same concept with a 120-month guarantee period.
Option 5 (75% Joint Life). A reduced lifetime payment, with three-quarters continuing to your beneficiary for life.¹¹

The joint life options (1, 2, and 5) reduce your monthly payment more because TRS is guaranteeing a longer payout. This is the most consequential financial decision in the retirement process, and it cannot be changed after the fact.

The Rest of the Retirement Packet

The TRS 30 does not travel alone. When you request a retirement packet, it includes a checklist (Form TRS 31) and the other documents you’ll need to complete:¹⁰

TRS 30 — Application for Service Retirement.
TRS 15 — Designation of Beneficiary for death benefits after retirement.
TRS 278 — Direct Deposit Request.
IRS Form W-4P — Federal income tax withholding on pension payments.
TRS 30P — Partial Lump-Sum Option (PLSO) Election, if you’re eligible and want a one-time lump-sum payment at retirement in exchange for a reduced monthly annuity.
Proof of age — a driver’s license or birth certificate, with acceptable documents listed on Form TRS 13.

How to Complete the TRS 278 (Direct Deposit)

Whether you’re retiring or receiving a refund, TRS needs banking information to send your payments. The TRS 278 asks for your financial institution’s name, the account type (checking or savings), the nine-digit routing number, and your account number (up to 17 digits).¹²

Tape a voided check to the back of the form. Not stapled, not paper-clipped. Tape. That lets TRS staff visually verify your routing and account numbers. Payments can only go into an account where you have an ownership interest; you cannot direct deposits to someone else’s account.¹²

If payments will be forwarded to a financial institution outside the United States, answer yes to that question on the form and complete the ACH Payment Destination Confirmation section on page 2, declaring the country and the percentage of funds going abroad.

How to Complete the Disability Forms (TRS 59A and TRS 58)

Members who become mentally or physically unable to perform their job duties, with a disability likely to be permanent, may qualify for disability retirement. The TRS Medical Board makes that determination from clinical evidence including medical history, diagnostic tests, and lab results.⁴

Two forms open the process, and they go to TRS for medical review before any retirement packet is issued:

TRS 59A — Statement of Member in Claim for Disability Retirement. Your account of the disability and how it affects your work.
TRS 58 — Statement of Attending Physician. Your doctor’s clinical assessment supporting the claim.

If the Medical Board certifies your disability, TRS sends a packet containing Form TRS 59 (Application for Disability Retirement), a TRS 30 (as a backup service retirement application in case the disability claim is denied), a TRS 278, and IRS Form W-4P.⁴

Divorce: The DRO and TRS 629

If your TRS benefits are part of a divorce property division, the court must issue a Domestic Relations Order (DRO), and TRS must review it and determine it is “qualified” before anything can be paid directly to your former spouse. Even a divorce decree awarding your ex a share of your retirement does not reach TRS without a qualified DRO.¹³

TRS publishes model DRO language for active members and for retirees; using the correct model drastically reduces the chance of rejection. Along with the DRO, both parties must submit Form TRS 629, which verifies Social Security numbers for qualification purposes.¹³ Ask your divorce attorney to request the model forms early. Going back to court to fix a rejected DRO is costly and slow.

How to Submit TRS Forms

TRS accepts completed forms three ways.

Online Upload

The TRS upload portal accepts PDF, PNG, JPEG, and JPG files up to 6 MB each. You’ll enter your name, email, phone number, and either your Participant ID or Social Security number. After you click Submit, wait for the on-screen confirmation before navigating away; that confirmation is your proof the upload went through.¹⁴

Mail and Courier

The address depends on the carrier:¹⁵

Via USPS: Teacher Retirement System of Texas, P.O. Box 149676, Austin, TX 78714.
Via UPS or FedEx: Teacher Retirement System of Texas, 4655 Mueller Blvd., Austin, TX 78723.

Certified mail gives you a tracking number that serves as proof of delivery. That’s worth doing for any retirement application, because the filing date determines your retirement effective date.

Processing Times and What Happens If Something Is Wrong

TRS processes retirement applications within 31 days after receiving all required forms, documents, and contributions and posting the final deposit to your account. You’ll receive a Retirement Application Acknowledgment (Form TRS 32) confirming receipt.¹⁶ Uploaded forms generally get a response within two to three business days.¹⁵

Monitor your account through MyTRS, where you can also update beneficiaries and upload documents.¹⁷ Keep your mailing address current, because TRS sends confidential items including your 1099-R, annual statements, and any payments owed to you to the address on record.¹⁸

If TRS finds errors or missing information, expect a notice asking for corrections. Respond promptly. A delayed response can push back your benefit start date, and in some cases can cause your application to be dismissed. For questions about a pending filing, call TRS at 1-800-223-8778.

1
Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Designation of Beneficiary TRS15
2
Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Refunding Your Member Account
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Teacher Retirement System of Texas Service Retirement Packet
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Disability Retirement
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. TRS Forms
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Name a Beneficiary
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Application for Refund
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Texas Secretary of State. Notary Public Educational Information
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Internal Revenue Service. Retirement Topics – Exceptions to Tax on Early Distributions
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. TRS 31 – Instructions for Service Retirement Packet Checklist
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Annuity Payment Options
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Direct Deposit Request (TRS 278)
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Divorce and Domestic Relations Order (DRO)
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Upload Member Forms and Documents
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Contact TRS
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Steps to Retirement Timeline
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Teacher Retirement System of Texas
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Teacher Retirement System of Texas. Keep Your Information Current