Retiring From a Florida Public School: Your FRS and DROP Checklist

If you are a teacher, administrator, bus driver, paraprofessional, cafeteria, custodial, or office staff member at any Florida school district or charter school, your retirement benefits most likely come through the Florida Retirement System (FRS). Florida Pension Planners is based in DeBary and works with school employees from any district who want a clear picture of their options before they file paperwork. This page walks through the main steps in order.

Step 1: Know which FRS plan you are in

Florida’s school districts are FRS employers, so you are in either the FRS Pension Plan or the FRS Investment Plan. Your plan decides almost everything that follows. DROP, for example, is only available to Pension Plan members. If you are not sure which plan you are in, log in to MyFRS or check your FRS statement. For a comparison, see FRS Pension Plan vs. Investment Plan.

Step 2: Find your normal retirement date

In the Pension Plan, your normal retirement date depends on your membership class and when you were first enrolled. Many Regular Class school employees enrolled on or after July 1, 2011 reach normal retirement at age 65 with 8 years of service, or at 33 years of service. Employees enrolled earlier have different rules. Request a benefit estimate from FRS so you are working from your own numbers, not a coworker’s.

Step 3: Decide whether DROP fits you

DROP lets Pension Plan members who have reached normal retirement keep working while their monthly benefit builds in a DROP account. Under current law, most members can stay in DROP for up to 96 months.

School employees have a special option. Eligible K-12 instructional personnel employed by a district school board, a charter school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, or a developmental research school may extend DROP by up to 24 more months, for a total of up to 120 months. That takes authorization from the district and FRS approval, and your extended DROP must end on the last day of the school year. Certain K-12 administrators may be authorized to extend only through the last day of the school year in which their original DROP end date falls. Your completed Form DP-EXT, with your employer’s authorization, must reach the Division of Retirement before your original 96 months end. Under current law, this extension provision expires on June 30, 2029. Ask your district’s benefits or HR office how they handle extension requests and how early to apply.

Learn the basics in our guide: What Is DROP?

Step 4: Plan around the school calendar

For teachers, timing matters. Your DROP termination date, your last contract day, summer pay, and your health coverage end date may not line up the way you expect. Before you pick dates, ask:

• What is my last working day, and how does it match my DROP end date?
• When does my district health coverage end?
• How will summer pay be handled in my final year?
• When are district resignation paperwork deadlines?

Each district handles these details a little differently, so get answers from your own district’s HR or benefits office in writing.

Note: the 24-month extension covers instructional (and certain administrative) positions as defined in section 1012.01(2), Florida Statutes, such as classroom teachers, counselors and other student services staff, and librarians or media specialists. Support positions such as bus drivers, food service, custodial, or clerical staff are not listed, so they generally follow the standard 96-month limit. You must hold an eligible position when your 96 months end and for the whole extension. Confirm your position’s eligibility with your district.

Step 5: Choose how to take your DROP balance

When DROP ends, you choose a lump sum, a rollover, or a mix. A lump sum is taxable and federal withholding applies. A rollover to an eligible account can defer taxes, but where the money goes and what it costs matter a great deal. Watch the election deadlines in your termination paperwork. Missing one can lead to a default payout.

Step 6: Line up health insurance and Social Security

Retirement from the district raises a group of related decisions:

• Whether to continue district retiree health coverage, and what it costs
• The FRS Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS), which you apply for separately
• Medicare enrollment if you are 65 or close to it
• When to claim Social Security

These decisions interact, so it is worth looking at them together.

Step 7: Know the reemployment rules before you say yes

Many retired teachers are asked to come back as substitutes or part-time staff. FRS has rules about returning to work for an FRS employer after retirement, and breaking them can mean repaying benefits. Check the current rules with FRS before accepting any offer.

One-on-one help, wherever you teach

We are in DeBary and meet with school employees in person, by phone, or on Zoom, so your district doesn’t have to be nearby. A review is a chance to go through your dates, your DROP choices, and your questions, with no pressure to buy anything.

Areas we serve

We meet with FRS members across Central Florida, in person in DeBary, by phone, or on Zoom: Volusia · Seminole · Orange · Flagler · Lake · Osceola · Marion · Brevard · Putnam

Related guides: What Is DROP? · FRS Pension Plan vs. Investment Plan · Contact us

Also see: FRS Retirement for Government Employees · FRS Special Risk Retirement

Why the details matter

Many FRS decisions are final once they are processed. These are real examples from FRS’s own materials:

• Your benefit option is permanent. You pick one of four payment options before you retire or enter DROP. Once you cash or deposit any benefit payment, or the first payment is credited to DROP, you can’t change that option, add service credit, change your type of retirement, or cancel your retirement.¹²
• DROP can’t be cancelled once it starts. After your DROP application is final and your first month of participation passes, you can’t cancel DROP.³ You may be able to move your DROP end date within the maximum allowed, but only with a revised Form DP-ELE filed before your current end date and approved by your employer and the Division.⁴
• Working too soon can void your retirement. For the first six calendar months after your DROP end date (or retirement date), you can’t work for or provide services to any FRS employer, paid or unpaid, even as a contractor. If you do, your retirement can be voided, and you and the employer can be held liable for repaying benefits, including your DROP payout. FRS says there are no exceptions.³⁵
• Miss the DROP payout deadline and FRS chooses for you. If Form DP-PAYT isn’t received within 60 days of your DROP termination date, FRS is required by law to pay your DROP balance as a lump sum with 20% federal tax withheld, which can mean a large, unplanned tax bill.⁶
• You get only one second election. During your active FRS career you get one chance to switch between the Pension Plan and the Investment Plan, and it isn’t available after you retire, enter DROP, or leave FRS-covered employment.⁷

We help you avoid these mistakes by checking every form and every date with you before anything is filed. Final decisions on your benefits are made by FRS, so always confirm your own dates with the Division of Retirement or MyFRS.

Book your free review

With FRS, timing is everything. One wrong form, or the right form filed at the wrong time, can lock in a result that can’t be reversed. Book a free, one-on-one review and we’ll go through your dates, your forms, and your deadlines with you, so you know exactly what to file and when. It usually takes about 30 minutes, and there is no pressure. If you need help beyond the FRS process, such as investment or tax decisions, we can connect you with a licensed professional.

Book your free review · Call (850) 296-8828 · Email frshelp@floridapensionplanners.com

Disclaimer: Florida Pension Planners is an independent educational service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Florida Retirement System, the State Board of Administration, the Division of Retirement, or any school district. This page is general education, not individual tax, legal, or investment advice. FRS rules change; confirm your own benefits and deadlines with the FRS Division of Retirement (frs.fl.gov) or MyFRS (myfrs.com) before making decisions. Rollover and investment choices carry risk, and no outcome or return is promised. Florida Pension Planners provides educational guidance and referrals. We do not provide investment, tax, or legal advice. Any financial advisor or other professional we connect you with is independent and is solely responsible for their own advice and services. Florida Pension Planners is not affiliated with any Florida school district.

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Sources (verified Oct 12, 2026; DROP limits and K-12 extension re-checked Oct 15, 2026 against the 2026 DROP Guide)

• FRS DROP Guide: https://frs.fl.gov/forms/drop_guide.pdf (2026 edition: 96 months; 24-month K-12 extension; eligible positions under s. 1012.01(2); DP-EXT due before month 96; provision expires June 30, 2029)
• FRS DP-EXT form: https://frs.fl.gov/forms/dp-ext.pdf (up to 120 months; employer authorization; last day of school year)
• FRS Employer Handbook, Ch. 9: https://frs.fl.gov/forms/EH_ch09.pdf
• MyFRS: https://www.myfrs.com/ (normal retirement ages, plan comparison).
• FRS reemployment and Health Insurance Subsidy: https://frs.fl.gov/