• Home

• Employers

• Employer Handbook
• Chapter 2
  • Summary
  • Employer Responsibilities
  • TRS Member Qualification
  • TRS Plan 1 Rules
  • TRS Plan 2 & 3 Rules
  • Membership for Prior Periods
  • Questions & Answers
  • Definitions

Chapter 2: Membership

TRS Membership

Definitions

The following definitions are for terms used in the TRS Membership section of the Employer Handbook.

Active member for TRS is an employee who is currently contributing to the TRS retirement plan. For TRS Plan 1, there is an additional requirement that the person must not have withdrawn contributions.

Compensated employment means salaries or wages earned for hours of employment.

Eligible position, applicable to Plan 2 and Plan 3 only, is any position which normally requires at least five months each school year in which compensation is earned for at least 70 hours per month.

Former TRS Plan 1 Member, see under Plan 1.

Full time, applicable to Plan 1 only, means regular service for four-fifths (80 percent) or more of a school day or an assignment to duties, which are the equivalent of four-fifths (80 percent), or more of a full time assignment.

Normally, as used in the definition of an eligible position for TRS Plan 2 and Plan 3 , means the position requires at least five months of at least 70 hours of compensated service during the school year. Unexpected school closures do not affect position eligibility for Plan 2 or Plan 3.

Plan 1 refers to the funding and benefit provisions covering persons who first became members of the Teachers' Retirement System before October 1, 1977.

• TRS Plan 1 member means a person who established membership before October 1, 1977, and has not terminated membership by withdrawing contributions.
• Former TRS Plan 1 member means a TRS Plan 1 member who separated from service and withdrew his or her contributions.

Plan 2 refers to employees who:

• established membership in the Teachers' Retirement System on or after October 1, 1977 and before July 1, 1996 [RCW 41.32.780], or
• beginning July 1, 2007 chose Plan 2. New and potential TRS members have up to 90 days to choose Plan 2 or Plan 3 or the employer defaults them into Plan 3
• For more detailed information, refer to chapter 8, Plan 3 Reporting

Plan 3 refers to employees who:

• established membership in the Teachers' Retirement System on or after July 1, 1996 and before July 1, 2007 or
• beginning July 1, 2007 chose Plan 3 or were defaulted into Plan 3. New and potential TRS members have up to 90 days to choose Plan 2 or Plan 3 or the employer defaults them into Plan 3 [RCW 41.32.835] or
• a TRS Plan 2 member who elected during the month of January to transfer to Plan 3 after July 1, 1996 [ RCW 41.32.817]
• For more detailed information, refer to Chapter 8 - Plan 3 Reporting.

Potential Member in TRS is someone who has worked in an ineligible or substitute certificated position at a school district or educational service district, but hasn't purchased their substitute service credit and hasn't established membership in TRS.

Retiree is an individual who has terminated membership in a Washington State retirement system, and who has applied for a retirement defined benefit or who is receiving a retirement defined benefit from the Department of Retirement Systems. Members who are only separated or who are only receiving Plan 3 defined contributions do not meet the retiree definition.

School day, for Plan 1 only, means the number of hours for which a full time teacher is compensated. The employer defines a school day. If not defined by the employer, DRS defines a school day as 7 hours.

School year, for Plan 1, means the period from July 1 of one year through June 30 of the following year.

School year, for Plan 2 and Plan 3, means the period from September 1 of one year through August 31 of the following year.

Substitute teacher is defined as

• A teacher who is hired by an employer to work as a temporary teacher, except for teachers who are annual contract employees of an employer and are guaranteed a minimum number of hours
• Teachers who either work in ineligible positions for more than one employer or work in an ineligible position or positions together with an eligible position. [RCW 41.32.010 (36)]

Teacher means any person qualified to teach who is engaged by a public school in an instructional, administrative, or supervisory capacity.