If you work as a substitute teacher, your employer(s) will advise you quarterly of the amount of service you performed. To receive credit for your service, you must apply to DRS each year after August 31. For more information, see the publication, The Substitute Teacher’s Guide to Obtaining Service Credit,.
You may be able to combine your TRS service credit with credit earned in other Washington state retirement systems in order to qualify for retirement. For more information, see “What if I’ve previously been a member of another retirement system?”.
Suppose you are a 55 year old TRS Plan 3 member with seven years of service credit. You also have three years of membership in the Public Employees’ Retirement System. That gives you a total of 10 years – enough to retire.
You may be eligible to receive up to five years of service credit for time spent in the military. If you were a TRS Plan 3 member when you entered the military, you receive service credit for military service:
You may purchase service credit for an unpaid leave of absence authorized by your employer. Service credit for a leave of absence is limited to a maximum of two years during your working career.
To obtain service credit for unpaid leave, you must return to work in a TRS-eligible position, and pay both member and employer contributions, including interest for both, for the time on leave. Contributions are based on the average of your earnable compensation at the time you were granted the leave and at the time you resume your employment.
You must contact DRS for recovery of service credit for authorized leave. If your request is in writing, it must include your Social Security number, retirement system and plan, and a daytime telephone number. Payment must be completed prior to retirement or within five years of returning to employment, whichever comes first.
Effective July 22, 2007, TRS Plan 3 members who are injured in the course of employment may purchase up to 24 consecutive months of service credit for each period of Temporary Duty Disability (TDD). The period of separation from employment must be caused by an injury that occurred on or after the effective date (July 22, 2007).
To be eligible, you must become disabled in the line of duty and receive benefits under Title 51 Revised Code of Washington or a similar federal workers’ compensation program. You may not receive more than one month’s service credit in a calendar month.
You must be an active member to purchase the TDD service credit. Employee contributions will be collected by the employer at the rate in effect for the period of the service to be credited. If contribution payments are made retroactively, interest will be charged at the rate set by the director for both employee and employer contributions. Service credit will not be granted until payment is made in full.