STAR Support

ID.me is a trusted digital identity provider that meets the U.S. Government’s most rigorous requirements for online identity proofing and authentication. It helps you easily prove your identity so you can access advanced online services—while keeping your personal information safe.

You can access your Self Service account by creating an account with the application called ID.me.

If you have already verified your identity with ID.me (for example, for a Social Security Administration or Veterans Affairs account), you can log in with the same email address and password you used before. However, this pension-related Self Service account is not associated with any other portals or applications you access using ID.me.

If you don’t already have an account with ID.me, you can create an account using a valid form of government ID with a photo (like a passport or driver’s license) to verify your identity. ID.me provides instructions along with each step of the account creation process.

Once your account is created, you can later go directly to the ID.me website ‘My Account’ if you need to make changes to your login credentials, like your email address or password. If you have any issues during the ID.me account creation or identity verification process, you must contact ID.me directly for support using any of the contact methods.

If you encounter issues logging into Self Service after your ID.me account is created, you should contact the Help Desk using the information in the Contact Us link at the top of this page.

With your Self-Service account, you can make changes to your:

• address,
• phone number,
• direct deposit account, and
• emergency contacts

You can also view your:

• general personal information,
• federal and state tax withholdings,
• pension payment information,
• benefit elections, and
• primary email address (this is managed in your ID.me account and is where you will receive all Self Service related email notifications).

Additional Information you should know:

• Only state taxes for Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia can be withheld from your pension payments. If you reside in another state, the system will display the name of your state of residence but will not withhold state taxes. In that case, you will need to make other arrangements to pay those states’ taxes.


• You can view historical pay and health/life insurance election information using search filters on each page. However, your complete historical pay and health/life information may not be viewable online if they occurred prior to the implementation of the current system of online records.

For any information that is not available in your Self Service account or to address other questions or corrections, please contact the Help Desk using the information in the Contact Us link at the top of this page.

Most changes you make are effective on the day you make them. With a change of address, you can choose to make it effective immediately or at a future date.

However, since payments from the pension system occur once a month, and are made on specific payroll dates, you need to be aware that changes made after payroll begins processing (typically around the middle of the month), although retained in the system, may not actually be effective until the next month.

As soon as you save any change to your information, you will receive an email confirming that a change was made.

Adding a new address or making a change to an existing one can be done under the Personal Details tile on the Addresses page.

Home address is reflective of the place where you reside. Your mailing address can be used as an alternative address at which you wish to receive your mail.

The Address page will indicate which address to which your mail is currently being sent. You should contact the Help Desk to switch between receiving your mail at your Home or an alternate Mailing address.

You can change your direct deposit account information by opening the Direct Deposit page in the Payroll tile. If you already have an account set up for direct deposit and need to change to a new bank account, click on your current account information and make updates in the pop up window that opens. If you do not already have direct deposit set up, you can add an account by clicking the Plus button in the upper left- hand corner of the Direct Deposit page and filling in the required information.

Your pension payment can only be deposited to a single bank account. Consequently, your direct deposit information will automatically be set to 100%, and you will not be able to split your payment among multiple accounts. Your deposit can be directed to a checking or a savings account at a banking institution.

You can make changes to your Direct Deposit information at any time. However, since payments from the pension system are made on specific payroll dates, you should be aware that changes made after payroll begins processing (typically around the middle of the month) may not become effective until the following month.

Since paper checks take longer to reach your account, and can be lost in the mail, we highly recommend that you use direct deposit. If it is necessary for you to receive a paper check, you should contact the Help Desk for advice in making that change.

Earnings Statements will continue to be mailed to you in paper form. However, you can view your paychecks online at any time.