Change Status
It is important to keep your information up to date with Seattle City Employees' Retirement System.
Personal information entered on forms is subject to the Washington Public Records Act, and may be subject to disclosure to a third-party requestor. At the City of Seattle, we are committed to protecting your privacy and will ensure that any disclosures are done according to law. To learn more about how this information is managed, please see our Privacy Statement.
Forms may be submitted as follows:
| Document Name | Fax | Drop Box | Secure Message via MSS Portal | ||
| Beneficiary Designation Form | X | X | X | ||
| Change Form - Name, Mailing Address, Email, Phone | X | X | X | X | |
| Direct Deposit | X | X | X | ||
| Tax Withholding (IRS Form W-4P) | X | X | X | X | |
| Withdrawal of Contributions - Beneficiary Application | X | X |
- Fax Change Form or Form W-4P to (206) 386-1506
- Mail to SCERS, 720 3rd Avenue, Suite 900, Seattle WA 98104 or come by our offices to drop them off. Our customer service window is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays Please call the building security guard at (206) 276-5782 to be let in the building if the front doors are locked.
- Send the document via secure message on your Member Self-Service account
Please feel free to contact us at (206) 386-1293 if you have questions.
If you have a spouse or registered domestic partner, this person is automatically designated as your beneficiary in accordance with the Seattle Municipal Code. If you are not married, even if you are in a domestic partnership, you can designate and change your beneficiary at will. If you are married, your spouse will have to give signed consent, called "spousal waiver," for you to designate someone other than your spouse as your beneficiary.
If you wish to change your beneficiary, we need to receive your request in writing using the Change of Beneficiary form. You must name at least one primary beneficiary. Your form must be notarized.
Your annual statement and other Retirement System information will be mailed to the address SCERS's has on file. Current City of Seattle employees should make any address changes through Employee Self-Service. If you are a vested member, please use the Change form.
Submit a Change form with Seattle City Employees' Retirement System if you have changed your legal name for any reason. Please note that the notification must be accompanied by the court order or other legal documentation that shows your name has been changed.
Your retirement benefits are considered marital property that must be taken into account when property is divided in a marital dissolution. Our document Questions and Answers About Qualified Domestic Relations Orders explains the rules and offers sample language for these orders. Feel free to contact a Seattle City Employees' Retirement System retirement specialist for additional help.
Fill out a Direct Deposit Authorization form to have your monthly benefit payments deposited electronically directly into your bank account. Direct deposits will begin the month after you make this application. Direct deposit forms must be notarized.
To change income tax withholding on your benefit payments, file Internal Revenue Service Form W-4P, Withholding Certificate for Pension or Annuity Payments. Follow the instructions and use the worksheet on the form. Submit the form to the Seattle City Employees' Retirement System office.
To report the death of a retired member, please contact us. We are here to help ensure that beneficiaries receive their benefits. We will need a copy of a death certificate in order to process any benefits.
If you are a beneficiary of a deceased retired member and wish to withdraw the deceased member's contributions from the Retirement System, please inform us in writing using the Beneficiary Application for Withdrawal of Contributions.
Withdrawing contributions has income tax implications. For more information, see the Special Tax Notice Regarding Plan Payments (IRS Safe Harbor Notice).