Purpose: As the US surgical workforce ages, retirement decisions will become a critical education topic. Little is known about how best to facilitate a positive transition away from clinical practice. We performed a national needs assessment to examine how and when surgeons decide to retire and what resources are helpful for successful retirement.Methods: An electronic 30-item survey was developed with the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and emailed in May 2021 to ACS members of the ACS who were ≥ 60 years of age (24,670 Fellows).Results: The 2904 respondents (12% response rate) were median age 69 years (IQR 65–74), 91% male, and 40% were in private practice. Overall, 47% of respondents planned when they started their careers to retire between ages 65 and 69. Approximately 25% of all respondents retired or planned to retire earlier than expected: 34% at their expected time; 38% later than planned. More than half of the respondents (59%) felt that retirement resources should be available 5–10 years in advance of their planned retirement goal and reported the following formats as most useful: printed resources (61%), workshops/seminars (50%), mentoring by retired surgeons (41%), video resources (32%), and peer support groups (26%). Most respondents were likely to use resources on financial planning (77%) and work alternatives (52%). There was strong interest in continuing professional activities in clinical retirement with 51% expressing interest in mentoring residents and students, 35% in teaching technical skills in simulation centers, and 34% in coaching practicing surgeons.Conclusion: Retirement planning remains challenging for many surgeons but could potentially be improved with appropriate resources and support. A significant number of surgeons expressed interest in continuing professional activities during retirement and could be invited as surgical educators in academic departments.