Updated October 8, 2026. Quick answer: A Bristol County Retirement System member retiring under Chapter 32 chooses Option A, B or C, and the choice cannot be changed once the retirement is effective. Option B pays approximately 1% to 5% less than Option A and can leave unspent contributions to a beneficiary. Option C pays approximately 7% to 15% less and continues two-thirds of the allowance to one named person for life. A member who makes no choice is retired under Option B. Taking a refund after leaving ends membership, and 20% of the taxable part is withheld unless it is rolled over.
What this page covers and what it does not
This page works from the Bristol County Retirement System (BCRS) Members page, FAQ, refund application, tax notice and beneficiary forms, read on October 8, 2026, and the guide for members on or after April 2, 2012 from the state Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), which BCRS lists. The figures cover Groups 1, 2 and 4 with membership beginning on or after April 2, 2012; earlier members are noted briefly. The FAQ says “Group 3 is made up of state police officers”, so Group 3 is outside this page, and disability retirement is not covered. Neighboring systems are on Boston Retirement System retirement decisions and Massachusetts state retirement decisions.
When a pension can start
The BCRS Members page says “At age 60 or older if you have at least 10 years of credible service for Group 1”, and “At age 55 or older if you have at least 10 years of credible service for Group 2 and Group 4”, provided “you must have performed the duties of the Group 2 or Group 4 position for at least 12 months immediately prior to your termination or retirement”.
| Group | Service requirement | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | At least ten years of creditable service | 60 |
| Group 2 | At least ten years of creditable service, and 12 months in a Group 2 position immediately before retirement | 55 |
| Group 4 | Website: at least ten years; guide: no minimum service stated; 12 months in a Group 4 position immediately before retirement | 55 |
For members before April 2, 2012, the website says “At age 55 or older if you have at least 10 years of credible service” or “At any age if you have 20 years of credible service”.
How the allowance is calculated
The guide gives one formula: “Your Benefit Rate x Your Highest Five Year Average Annual Rate of Regular Compensation x Your Creditable Service = Retirement Allowance”. Age and group set the rate, and only regular compensation counts: the guide’s exclusions include “overtime” and “payment for termination, severance, dismissal”. The Members page also describes an anti-spiking rule: “if salary increases more than 10% in 2 preceding years, those additional earnings are not included”.
| Group 1 age | Group 2 age | Group 4 age | Rate, under 30 years of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| 67 or older | 62 or older | 57 or older | 2.50 |
| 65 | 60 | 55 | 2.20 |
| 62 | 57 | 52 | 1.75 |
| 60 | 55 | 50 | 1.45 |
A computed example from assumed inputs, not a BCRS figure: a Group 1 member retires at 60 with 20 years of creditable service and an assumed $60,000 five-year average. At the printed rate of 1.45 for age 60, applied for each of 20 years to the $60,000 average, the allowance is a computed $17,400 a year, or a computed $1,450 a month before any option reduction. Longer careers use another chart: “If you have more than 30 years of creditable service, a slightly different benefit chart will be utilized”.
The election: Option A, B or C
Every retiring member picks one of three options, which decide what a survivor receives.
| Option | What the member receives | What a survivor receives |
|---|---|---|
| Option A | The highest monthly allowance | No monthly survivor benefit; all payments stop at the member’s death |
| Option B | Approximately 1% to 5% less than Option A | A potential benefit for the beneficiaries named, funded from the annuity portion |
| Option C | Approximately 7% to 15% less than Option A | Two-thirds of the allowance continues for life to one named beneficiary; pop-up to the Option A amount if that person dies first |
On Option B the guide says “Option B provides you with a lifetime allowance which is approximately 1% to 5% less per month than Option A”, because “The annuity portion of your allowance is reduced to allow a potential benefit for your beneficiary(ies)”. It warns that “your deductions are used up within eight to twelve years of your retirement, depending upon your age at retirement”.
Option C is the joint and last survivor option. The guide says “Selecting this option means that the allowance payments that you would receive during your lifetime would be approximately 7% to 15% less than those you would receive under Option A”, and “That allowance will be equal to two-thirds of the allowance which was being paid to you at the time of your death”. “The monthly allowance you receive under Option C depends upon life expectancy factors for both you and your designated beneficiary”. Eligible beneficiaries are a spouse, an unremarried former spouse, a child, a parent or a sibling, and “You may not change your Option C beneficiary after your retirement becomes effective”.
A computed example from an assumed $2,000 monthly Option A allowance, not a BCRS figure: Option B at 1% to 5% less would pay between a computed $1,900 and $1,980 a month. Option C at 7% to 15% less would pay between a computed $1,700 and $1,860 a month, and the beneficiary would receive two-thirds of the allowance being paid at the member’s death, between a computed $1,133.33 and $1,240.00 a month. The real reduction depends on the ages involved, so the board’s estimate decides. The trade-off in general is at single-life versus joint-and-survivor pension.
What is irrevocable and the deadline
The guide says “You are not permitted under any circumstances to change your option selection after your retirement becomes effective”. If the Option C beneficiary dies first, the guide says “If your Option C beneficiary dies before you die, you will thereafter be paid the full retirement allowance you would have received had you elected Option A at the time your retirement allowance became effective”, but “You cannot select a new Option C beneficiary or a different option”. Failing to choose is itself a choice: “If you refuse or fail to select an option before the date your retirement becomes effective, the law provides that you shall be retired under Option B”.
For a married member, “A married member’s Choice of Retirement Option Form at Retirement must be signed by the member’s spouse to acknowledge the spouse understands the option chosen”. The board then acts: “the retirement board is required to notify the member’s spouse of the option selected within fifteen days by registered mail”, and “Thirty days after the member’s spouse has been notified as provided above, the option will take effect”. See spousal consent to waive a joint and survivor annuity.
On timing, the Members page tells a member in service that “you can apply to the Retirement Board no earlier than four months before your intended date of retirement”.
Lump sums: what the documents describe
In the documents read, a lump sum appears only as the refund after leaving service and as the death-before-retirement payout described below. The pages read do not describe a lump-sum retirement option, a partial lump sum or a deferred retirement option plan (DROP). The pension-or-cash decision for someone who has left is the refund decision below, framed generally at pension lump sum versus monthly annuity break-even.
Leaving before retirement: leave the money or take a refund
The FAQ says “You are vested in the Bristol County Retirement System once you have accumulated the equivalent of 10 years of full-time service”. Below that, the guide says “If you terminate your employment prior to completing ten years of creditable service, eligibility for benefits is limited to a refund of your accumulated deductions plus regular interest established by statute”. A member may leave the account in place: “You may choose to leave your account in the Retirement System to retain your rights in the event you again become a public employee and a member of a retirement system”, and “Your accumulated deductions will continue to earn interest after you resign”. Interest is capped, though: “The interest that may be paid to you, if you later seek a refund, is limited to that which accrues during the first two years following your resignation”. See pension refund versus leaving it.
On a refund, the guide says “If you voluntarily terminate your public service with at least ten years of creditable service, or if you are involuntarily terminated, you will receive 100% of the regular interest that has accrued to your Annuity Savings Account”, while “If you voluntarily terminate your public service with less than ten years of service, you will receive interest on your Annuity Savings Account at the annual rate of 3%”. The guide advises: “You should always seek counseling prior to withdrawing your funds.”
A refund ends membership. In the application’s wording, a member agrees that “In consideration of the return of my accumulated total deductions, my membership in the Retirement System shall terminate” and states “I am electing to receive a return of my accumulated total deductions as provided herein instead of any retirement allowance to which I may be, or to which I may become entitled”. On a later return, the guide says “When you return to public service, you are not required to pay back any contributions that you withdrew”, and the form adds “I will need to repay the amounts withdrawn by me, with interest, if I wish to be credited with the service associated with this withdrawal”.
Who can take a refund, and the paperwork
The FAQ says “You may receive a refund of your total contributions if you have officially resigned your position and it is not your intent to accept another position of employment that requires membership in another Massachusetts contributory retirement system”. The application adds that “Your retirement board will determine if you are eligible for a refund of your accumulated total deductions”. The guide says “the law says you shall receive your refund within 60 days after filing a written request on a prescribed form with your retirement board”.
How a refund is taxed and paid
The BCRS FAQ says “if you receive a refund of your retirement contributions, we are required to withhold 20% for your federal tax liability”, and names a rollover into a tax-qualified IRA as the alternative. The refund application offers a direct rollover, payment to the member with 20% withheld, or a partial direct rollover. The special tax notice says “You will be taxed on a payment from the Retirement System if you do not roll it over”, and “If you are under age 59½ and do not do a rollover, you will also have to pay a 10% additional income tax on early distributions (unless an exception applies)”.
A computed example from an assumed $10,000 taxable refund paid to the member, not a BCRS figure: 20% of $10,000 is a computed $2,000 withheld for federal tax, leaving a computed $8,000 in cash before any further tax or penalty. See 20% withholding on a pension lump sum. State treatment is at Massachusetts retirement taxes and does Massachusetts tax pensions. For the pension itself, the FAQ says “Retirement allowances from a Massachusetts retirement system are not subject to the Massachusetts state income tax laws”.
Buying service credit
For military service the FAQ says “Veterans are allowed to purchase up to four years of creditable service corresponding to their military service”, at a cost where “For each year of military service sought, an eligible member is required to pay ten percent of the regular annual compensation that he or she was being paid upon entering the retirement system”. The notice says “You may make this purchase at anytime up to one year after you vest in the retirement system”.
To buy back refunded service, the guide describes the interest: “If you purchase the service within one year of reinstatement or re-entry into service, the interest rate will be buyback interest (one half of the assumed actuarial interest rate for the System)”, whereas “If the payment is not made within that time, the interest rate will be the full amount of the System’s assumed actuarial interest”. BCRS’s own rate is not stated in the pages read. See the pension buyback calculator to set up the break-even.
Death before retirement
Two forms are on the BCRS member forms page. The lump-sum form says “Any person or entity may be designated as your Refund of Accumulated Deductions beneficiary under Section 11(2)(c)” and “This form becomes void upon your retirement”. The Option D form provides “a benefit equal to the Option C retirement allowance which would otherwise have been payable to me, in the event that I die before being retired”. “You may name only one person as the Option D beneficiary”. The form notes the designation can be superseded if, at death, the member has “at least two years of creditable service and leave a spouse to whom I have been married for over one year and with whom I am living on the date of my death, or if living apart, doing so for justifiable cause as determined by the Retirement Board”.
Cost-of-living adjustments
The guide says “Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs) are not automatic”; “The retirement boards then can grant a COLA, but not over 3%”. The pages read do not state whether BCRS has granted a COLA in any year, so a retiree should ask the board.
What the IRS adds on tax
A refund or lump sum from a public pension is a distribution, so the IRS rules apply on top of BCRS’s own. On withholding, the IRS says that a taxable eligible rollover distribution paid to you “is subject to mandatory income tax withholding (generally at a rate of 20%), even if you intend to roll it over later”, and that if you roll it over yourself “you’ll have to add funds from other sources equal to the amount withheld”. BCRS’s refund application describes the same 20% withholding on a direct payment and offers a direct rollover as the alternative. The rollover clock, if the money is paid to you: “you have 60 days from the date you receive it to roll it over to another eligible retirement plan”.
On early distributions the IRS says “the law imposes a 10% additional tax on certain early distributions from certain retirement plans”. Its list of exceptions includes “Distributions made to you after you separated from service with your employer after attainment of age 55” and “Distributions made to a qualified public safety employee from a governmental plan” if the employee separated from service during or after the year they attained age 50 or 25 years of service under the plan, whichever is earlier. Whether an exception fits a particular refund depends on your own plan and facts, so confirm it with a tax preparer before you take one.
Where the sources disagree
First, ten years in Group 4. The Members page says “At age 55 or older if you have at least 10 years of credible service for Group 2 and Group 4”, while the guide says “There are no minimum vesting requirements for individuals in Group 4”. The board should confirm which applies to a Group 4 member.
Second, the 80% ceiling. The guide’s restrictions section says “The superannuation retirement allowance of any member may not exceed 80% of his or her three-year average annual rate of regular compensation”, although its formula uses a five-year average and the Members page describes a five-year average for newer members.
What this page could not settle
- The pages read do not state how much Option B or Option C reduces a particular member’s allowance; the guide gives approximate ranges, and the Option C amount depends on both ages.
- The pages read do not describe a lump-sum retirement option, a partial lump sum or a DROP.
- The pages read do not state BCRS’s own assumed actuarial interest rate, the regular interest rate credited to accounts, or whether BCRS has granted a COLA.
- BCRS’s own Choice of Option form was not among the documents read; the option descriptions come from the PERAC guide.
- The PERAC guide copy read carries no edition date and was downloaded from another Massachusetts retirement board’s website, because the PERAC page on mass.gov that BCRS links would not load; the board should confirm its current edition.
- The retirement percentage charts on the BCRS website were scanned images without readable text and were not used; the guide’s 30-year rate chart prints 2.357 at the Group 1 age 66 line, out of step with the rest of its column, and the board should confirm the rate it applies.
- The pre-2012 age factor tables, disability retirement, working after retirement, the Social Security interaction and retiree health insurance were not examined in depth.
- M.G.L. c. 32 was seen only through these documents.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a choice can be revisited after the retirement date; the guide says no change is permitted once the retirement is effective.
- Naming an Option C beneficiary and expecting to replace that person later; only the pop-up is available if the beneficiary dies first.
- Taking a refund without weighing that membership and the right to a pension end, and that a return later makes the member new.
- Expecting the full refund check; 20% of the taxable portion is withheld unless rolled over.
Related on this site: Boston Retirement System retirement decisions, Massachusetts state retirement decisions, Massachusetts retirement taxes, does Massachusetts tax pensions, pension refund versus leaving it, single-life versus joint-and-survivor pension, pension buyback calculator, 20% withholding on a pension lump sum and public pension retirement decisions by system.
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Answer againSources
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Members (web page, read October 8, 2026): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/1195/Members
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Frequently Asked Questions (web page, read October 8, 2026): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/Faq.aspx
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Application for Withdrawal of Accumulated Total Deductions (PERAC form last revised February 2020): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/DocumentCenter/View/502
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Special Tax Notice Regarding Your Rollover Options (form last revised February 2020): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/DocumentCenter/View/506
- Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC), Massachusetts Public Employee Retirement Guide for Those Becoming Members On or After April 2, 2012 (undated printing): https://middlesexretirement.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/PERAC-Retirement-Guide-POST-Apr-2-2012.pdf
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Beneficiary Selection Form for Refund of Accumulated Deductions (form last revised February 2020): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/DocumentCenter/View/503
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Beneficiary Selection Form for Option D (form last revised February 2020): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/DocumentCenter/View/504
- Bristol County Retirement Board, Notice of Potential Veterans’ Benefits (form last revised August 2024): https://www.bristolcountyretirement.org/DocumentCenter/View/500
- IRS, Topic no. 413, Rollovers from retirement plans (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc413
- IRS, Topic no. 558, Additional tax on early distributions from retirement plans other than IRAs (irs.gov): https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc558
Sources: the primary documents linked above, read on October 8, 2026. General information from each system’s own published materials, not legal, tax or financial advice. Your own member statement and the system’s current rules decide your benefit, and a pension counsellor at the system or a fee-only adviser is the right place to confirm anything consequential.