Event Annual speaker series: retirement planning
Retirement planning
Retirement planning checklist
See a printable checklist showing all the steps and phone numbers for everyone who could assist you in your decisions about retirement.
Attend an event
Join us for our annual speaker series in October, and throughout the year you'll find more events on our calendar.
Deciding when to retire is such a personal and complex question. Talk to experts, at and outside UK, who can assist you for free on everything from finances to your health and well-being.
The rules about retirement age
There’s no set retirement age at UK. Depending on your years of service and age, there may be a few options for when you could retire.
1. Retire any time at age 65 or after
2. Retire early when you have a combination of age and years of service equaling 75
Early retirement is an option for you if at least 15 of your years of service are continuous regular full-time (or its equivalent) service and that number plus your age equals 75 or greater. We call this "the rule of 75."
3. Phase into retirement at or after age 60 over the course of up to three years
If at least 15 of your years of service are continuous regular full-time (or its equivalent) service, phased retirement is an option for you if your department approves the agreement.
These 3 options are defined by the University's Administrative Regulations (AR):
Years of service
Check with us to get your official number of years of service — it may be different than you expect.
For example: an employee who worked here for 30 years but didn’t have a 100% full-time equivalency status will show an official years of service number less than 30.
What we offer retirees
Retiree benefits
We offer several benefits to all University of Kentucky retirees including opportunities for learning and well-being.
Health, dental and vision insurance depends on eligibility which is based on your years of service and more factors.
Insurance 2020 retiree rates
If you wait until age 65 to retire and you're eligible for our UK health insurance plan that works with Medicare, you could see lower rates.
These printable PDF guides show all health, dental and vision insurance plan options and rates.
Retirees under age 65
Retirees age 65+
Thinking about retiring soon?
Our annual retirement planning conference offers an overview of everything to consider.
Get an idea of what's ahead now
There's no one right age to retire, but we recommend starting to understand all the factors related to retirement around age 55. Retirement planning is a process and this conference will help you consider the big picture and the details.
Most importantly, when you start considering retirement, consider everything retirement:
- Health and insurance: what's available from the government, plus the benefits UK offers to retirees
- Finances: income and budgeting, Social Security and estate planning
- Your life and well-being after retirement
Join us from anywhere
Typically offered as a full-day conference, this annual speaker series takes place online this year.
Throughout the month of October, you'll hear from UK’s experts in financial planning and well-being, representatives from UK Benefits, Social Security, Fidelity and TIAA.