Home < Human
Resources and Benefits Briefing < April
2007
Q: I’m thinking of retiring soon. What should I do and when?
A. About three months before you wish to retire, call your Benefits Office to request a Personal Retirement Profile. Benefits Office phone numbers and links to their websites are available on At Your Service
If you will be 65 or older on your retirement date, you will need to contact the Social Security Administration and inquire about your Medicare eligibility and the enrollment process you may need to complete.
At least two months before you wish to retire, call your Benefits Office to schedule an election interview. (If you are receiving UCRP disability income, your election interview will be performed over the phone with a UC Customer Service Center representative.)
During your interview, your Benefits Representative will enter your decisions online and produce a personalized benefits election form. After you review the form, you should sign it and submit it to UC Retirement Administration along with any required forms or documents.
In order to receive your first benefit check at the end of the month in which you retire, you should submit your election form to UC six to eight weeks before your retirement or cashout date.
For detailed information about the retirement election process, please read UC’s Retirement Handbook.
Q: Is UC’s contribution to my domestic partner’s medical coverage subject to imputed income?
A. Under current Internal Revenue provisions, the University’s contribution toward medical coverage for anyone who is not your tax dependent (might include domestic partner, their children/grandchildren, and your own children) is considered imputed income and is subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) tax, federal income taxes, and any other required payroll tax. Additionally, your premium contribution for your non-tax dependent must be paid on an after-tax basis.
However, if you and your domestic partner are registered with the State of California and you have submitted form UPAY 850 indicating you and your partner are registered and the filing date, you will not have imputed income for California income tax purposes. Any out-of-pocket premium cost for medical coverage of your partner (and/or your partner's child/grandchild) will be deducted from your pay on a pretax basis for California income tax purposes.
If you claim your domestic partner and/or your partner's child or grandchild as your tax dependent, you should not have imputed income.
