Prospective & Current Retirees
Thinking about retiring? Prior to retiring, you may need to prepare in the following ways:
Evaluate retirement income options
- Review sources including Social Security and your retirement savings plan at Northwestern at least one year prior to retirement.
- Meet with the Social Security Office several months before retirement.
- Contact your investment company, Fidelity or TIAA, to make arrangements for retirement payments.
- Review the steps to take prior to retiring and review the booklet for 2025 and 2026 located on the retiree benefits webpage.
Give notice of retirement to your department
- A faculty member who wishes to resign is expected to notify the dean of the school no later than May 1 of the academic year prior to the year in which the resignation would take effect or 30 days after receiving notification of the terms of continued appointment for the academic year in which the resignation will occur, whichever is later. Faculty members who are contemplating retirement should consult with the dean of their school or the Office of the Provost.
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Non-exempt staff must provide a minimum of two weeks of working notice to leave the University in good standing. Exempt staff is expected to provide enough working notice to provide for the transition of responsibilities (generally one month). See Staff Handbook for more details regarding working notice requirements.
Elect health & wellness benefits
- Meet with a Benefits Counselor two or three months prior to retirement to discuss available benefit options. You can also review the health, dental and vision insurance benefits available on the Benefits for Retirees webpage.
- Confirm that your mailing address and contact information are accurate in myHR Self Service.
- For those 65 and older, review Medicare benefits online or contact Medicare directly.
- For those 65 and older, contact United Healthcare for information about Northwestern's Group Medicare Advantage Plan.
- For pre-65 retirees, submit the retiree medical, dental and vision enrollment form to the Benefits Division within 31-days of retirement.
- To convert or port the Basic or the Supplemental Life Insurance plan with MetLife.
- To continue your Wildcard, submit the: