Phased Retirement Process

Phased Retirement Process

Phased retirement allows eligible faculty members to transition gradually from full-time employment to retirement while continuing to contribute to the university's teaching, research, service, mentoring, and academic leadership activities across a period of 12 to 36 months. The Phased Retirement form, found on the Indiana University Human Resources website.

The program provides flexibility for both faculty members and academic units by allowing a reduced workload over a defined period while preserving institutional knowledge and supporting succession planning.

Eligibility requirements and program details are established by IUHR. Information about eligibility and program provisions is available through the IU HR website.

Approval Process

To approve a phased retirement arrangement, the Provost's Office requires two documents:

1. Phased Retirement Application

The faculty member must complete the official phased retirement form available through Indiana University Human Resources.

The agreement will specify:

• The duration of the phased retirement period (typically between 12 and 36 months);
• The percentage of leave without pay during the phased retirement period; and
• The corresponding percentage of active employment effort.

Under university policy, the leave percentage generally ranges from 20% to 50%, resulting in an active appointment of 50% to 80% effort.

2. Work Expectations Agreement

The application must include a written description of the responsibilities the faculty member will continue to perform during the phased retirement period.

This description may be:

• Included directly in the phased retirement form; or
• Attached as a separate memorandum or agreement.

The agreement should reflect a shared understanding between the faculty member and department chair regarding expected responsibilities during the phased retirement period.

The approved agreement becomes part of the faculty member's personnel file.

Planning the Workload

Phased retirement arrangements are intended to be flexible and should reflect both departmental needs and the interests of the faculty member.

The agreement should address the faculty member's anticipated responsibilities in areas such as:

Teaching

Examples may include:

• Number of courses or sections taught;
• Graduate student mentoring and advising;
• Dissertation and thesis committee service;
• Clinical, laboratory, or experiential teaching activities;
• Curriculum development.

Service

Examples may include:

• Participation in department meetings;
• Committee assignments;
• Faculty mentoring;
• School or campus initiatives;
• Special projects.

Research

Examples may include:

• Completion of ongoing research projects;
• Graduate student supervision;
• Grant management;
• Limited proposal activity;
• Scholarly writing and dissemination.

Flexibility in Responsibilities

For tenured faculty, phased retirement does not require maintaining the same balance among teaching, research, and service that existed during full-time employment.

For example, a faculty member may choose to:

• Reduce or discontinue research activities;
• Shift from classroom instruction to mentoring or advising;
• Focus on curriculum development;
• Emphasize faculty mentoring or service activities; or
• Concentrate on completing existing research projects rather than initiating new ones.

Work assignments may evolve during the phased retirement period if the faculty member and chair mutually agree to modifications.

Example

A phased retirement agreement might state:

During the phased retirement period, the faculty member will teach one course each semester, continue graduate student advising responsibilities, participate in department meetings, and focus on completing existing research projects and transitioning advisees as appropriate. Changes in teaching, research, and service responsibilities may be made by mutual agreement between the faculty member and department chair.

Effective Use of Phased Retirement

Phased retirement is most successful when it allows departments to benefit from a faculty member's expertise while providing a gradual transition to retirement.

Examples include:

• Mentoring new faculty members;
• Advising graduate students;
• Leading curriculum initiatives;
• Assisting with accreditation or assessment activities;
• Supporting leadership transitions; and
• Completing significant scholarly or creative projects.

Departments are encouraged to think creatively about how a faculty member's experience can continue to benefit students, colleagues, and programs during the phased retirement period.

Processing and Approval

Faculty should work with their department chair and school HR representative to develop the phased retirement agreement.

IU Human Resources recommends providing approximately 60 days' notice, although shorter timelines may be accommodated when circumstances require.

Once the school has completed the application:

1. The school HR Business Partner submits the materials to acadhr@iu.edu.
2. The Provost’s Office reviews and approves the request.
3. The approved application is forwarded to IU Human Resources.
4. IU Human Resources issues a formal approval letter.
5. The school HR office processes the appropriate leave and appointment actions.

Important Considerations

Other Leave Programs

Faculty participating in phased retirement should consult the Provost’s Office before requesting additional leave programs.

In particular:

• Faculty on phased retirement are not eligible for sabbatical leave.
• Medical leave situations may require special processing.
• Additional leave arrangements may affect benefits, payroll, or appointment status.

Questions should be directed to ude[dot]ui[at]rhdaca before any additional leave is approved.

Vacation Accrual

For 12-month faculty, vacation eligibility is reduced proportionally based on the approved leave percentage.

For example:

• A faculty member approved for a 50% phased retirement appointment would generally receive 50% of the normal annual vacation allotment.
• A 22-day annual vacation benefit would therefore be reduced to 11 days.

Questions

Faculty interested in phased retirement are encouraged to begin discussions early with their department chair and school HR representative.

Questions regarding workload expectations, approval requirements, or phased retirement arrangements may be directed to acadhr@iu.edu.

Questions regarding eligibility and program provisions should be directed to Indiana University Human Resources.

Reviewed and Revised: 7/2026.