FAQs
- Q: Who is responsible for tracking my salary after retirement?
- A. Both you and your employer are responsible for tracking your salary. Record-keeping forms indicating your salary limit will be sent to you each school year when you return to work after retirement for a PSRS-covered employer in a non-certificated position. It is important to check with your employer to make sure you both are tracking consistently and that your records agree. If a discrepancy exists between your record and your employer’s, we consider your employer’s record to be official.
- Q. If I receive a paid holiday, do I count the holiday pay toward the $15,000 salary limit?
- A. Yes. The pay you receive for a paid holiday counts toward the salary limit.
- Q. Does the $15,000 salary limit also apply to disability retirees?
- A. If you receive PSRS disability retirement benefits and are younger than age 60, you cannot be employed in any capacity by a PSRS/PEERS-covered employer, or work for any non-covered employer and earn a salary that is considered a livelihood by PSRS (more than $18,000 per year). Once you reach age 60, you can work for a covered employer in a non-certificated position without affecting your benefit payments, but the $15,000 salary limit applies.
- Q. Can I work in a non-certificated position for one employer and also in a certificated position for another covered employer (or in another position at the same employer) with different work limits?
- A. Yes. A retired teacher can work simultaneously in a certificated position with the 550-hour and 50% of salary limits at one employer and also work in a non-certificated position with the $15,000 salary limit and no limit on hours.
- Q. Can I work in a non-certificated position under this provision and also work at a covered school for a third-party employer in a position that requires a DESE-issued certificate?
- A. Yes. For example, a retired teacher can work in a non-certificated position at a covered employer as a school bus driver with the $15,000 salary limit and no limit on hours, and also work as a substitute teacher for a third-party employer at a PSRS-covered school, which is subject to the 550-hour/50% of salary limits.
- Q. If I work in more than one non-certificated position, is the salary limit still $15,000?
- A. Yes. No matter how many eligible positions are worked, the total annual limit on salary is $15,000.
- Q. Can I still work in a non-certificated position under the 550-hour and 50% of salary limits?
- A. After August 28, 2018, the answer is no.
- Q. What are some examples of non-certificated positions in which a PSRS retiree might be employed?
- A. Possible positions include:
- Coach
- School bus driver
- Paraprofessional/teacher aide
- Speech/language pathologist
- Audiologist
- School psychologist
- School nurse
- Occupational therapist
- Interpreter for the deaf
- Language translator
- School/home coordinator
- Career education teacher aide
- Q. If I exceed the working after retirement limit, when do my benefits stop?
- A. You forfeit your benefits effective the month in which you exceed any limit that applies to you. Benefits do not resume until you end all post-retirement employment that counts toward the limit you exceeded, or when a new school year begins on July 1. If you are also working in a post-retirement position(s) subject to a separate limit, that work does not need to stop. For example, if you exceed the $15,000 salary limit on employment in non-certificated positions on April 10, you forfeit your April benefit payment. If you end all of your employment in non-certificated positions in April, your benefit payments resume in May. If your employment in non-certificated positions continues, your benefit payments will resume the month following your employment end date or at the start of a new school year.
- Q. Can signing a contract as part of a retirement incentive cause me to lose retirement benefits?
- A. Yes. For a period of one month from your PSRS retirement date, you cannot be under contract for employment, or have an agreement to continue employment, at a PSRS-covered employer in any capacity. This includes retirement incentives or separation agreements that require you to work or volunteer in any capacity after retirement in return for salary, including paid health insurance benefits. If you sign such a contract or have such an agreement, you are not considered to have properly terminated your employment and are not eligible to receive PSRS benefits.
The work at the two jobs must be tracked separately, as you would effectively have a different limit for each of the two positions.
Example
A retired teacher works as a substitute teacher at Central School District. This is a certificated position. This work is subject to a limit of 550 hours per school year and an annual salary limit of no more than 50% of the annual compensation payable under the employer’s salary schedule for the position, given her level of work experience and education.
She also drives a school bus for the same employer. This is a non-certificated position. For this work, she is subject
to a separate salary limit of $15,000 per school year with no limit on her hours.
A retired teacher works as a substitute teacher at Central School District. This is a certificated position. This work is subject to a limit of 550 hours per school year and an annual salary limit of no more than 50% of the annual compensation payable under the employer’s salary schedule for the position, given her level of work experience and education.