ERS: Service credit for school district employees

ervice credit is a core component of your New York State and Local Employees’ Retirement System membership. The benefits you are eligible to receive, and the amount of those benefits, are related to your service credit. For most members, your total years of service will directly affect how much your pension will be. Service credit is also a factor in the calculation of death and disability benefits.

Earning service credit

As a member, you receive service credit for paid public employment beginning with your date of membership. That credit is based on the number of days you work, which your employer reports to us. The number of hours in a full-time day is set by your employer (between six and eight hours) and reported to us.

If you’re a school employee working full-time, you receive one year of service per school year, even if you only work 10 months of the year.

For part-time work, your employer calculates days worked by dividing the number of hours worked by the hours in a full-time day. For example, if a 40-hour work week is considered full-time for your position by your employer, and you work 20 hours a week for a given school year, you will receive half a year of service credit.

Generally, a full-time 10-month school year requires at least 180 days worked in any school year. Depending on your employer, a full academic year can range from 170 to 200 days. For more information (including calculation examples), read our blog post, How School Employees Earn NYSLRS Service Credit, at nyretirementnews.com/how-school-employees-earn-nyslrs-service-credit.

Credit for other public or military service

If you worked for a public employer before joining ERS, that service likely hasn’t been reported. But you may be eligible to receive credit for it. You may also be able to receive credit for service in the U.S. Armed Forces if you received an honorable discharge from active military duty. You usually have to pay for past service credit. However, generally, the sooner you apply, the less expensive it will be. To learn more, visit our service credit for Tiers 2 through 6 webpage at osc.state.ny.us/retirement/publications/service-credit-tiers-2-through-6.