News & Events

Why CalPERS Going Paperless Benefits You

Over the years, CalPERS has evolved to offer more services to our members online. For example, you can take web-based classes, apply for retirement through myCalPERS, or read the latest news here on PERSpective.

Now more than ever, we are relying on the web instead of paper to provide you with timely CalPERS information and services. Take a look at some of the benefits of going paperless:

  • Supports our green initiatives and reduces paper waste in the environment.
  • Saves money on printing and mailing costs, which benefits the pension fund.
  • Empowers members to complete their CalPERS business online, with accurate, pre-populated data.
  • Allows us to quickly update news and information, instead of relying on outdated print communications.

Saving Paper = Saving Time

No one enjoys filling out forms by hand, standing in line at the post office, or waiting for CalPERS statements or publications to arrive in the mail. Going paperless saves your time, and it saves our team members’ time through improved efficiency.

Here are some of the paperless enhancements that we’ve introduced in the last few years:

  • More self-service transactions in myCalPERS: You can do so much now in myCalPERS, and new features are added throughout the year. Besides applying for retirement, you can request official retirement estimates, apply for service credit purchase, update your beneficiary, ask questions about your account, and register for classes. Log in to your account to discover all the benefits. If you don’t have a myCalPERS account, follow these steps.
  • More resources on the CalPERS website: Our website has always been the main source of information to help you understand your benefits. And we’ve been working to make it even better, with improved search features, a one-stop-shop to download informative publications, and links to resources you need for your retirement journey, from new member guidance to retirement checklists.
  • Online statements for active members and retirees: Another benefit of myCalPERS is that some statements we once mailed are available at any time in your secure online account. For active members, we no longer mail out Annual Member Statements. For retirees, the State Controller’s Office is not mailing benefit statements due to COVID-19 for those that are enrolled in direct deposit. As a retiree you can also opt-out of receiving your paper 1099-R tax statements through your myCalPERS account. When online, you can download your statements and save them.
  • Online PERSpective blog and email newsletter: For many years we mailed the PERSpective newsletter to all our members. However, we could never include late-breaking news in the time it took to produce a printed newsletter, and the expense of mailing to nearly 2 million members led us to create an online-only version of PERSpective. And last year, we began emailing a monthly member newsletter so we could share targeted, up-to-the minute news and announcements. If you haven’t received the member newsletter, make sure we have your correct email address in your myCalPERS account.

Is Printing and Mailing Going Away?

No, printing and mailing is here to stay, but we encourage our members to take advantage of our online resources. We still provide printed publications and forms upon request, and you can still mail us any forms for transactions you’re unable to complete online. We’ll also continue to mail letters to you if we have questions or need information related to your account, so please make sure we have your correct mailing address on file.

What About Members Without Internet Access?

We’re here to serve all our members. If a member doesn’t use the internet or have online access, they can still call us at 888 CalPERS (or 888-225-7377) during business hours to request a form or publication, or to ask questions about their benefits.