The amount of your retirement benefit depends upon your time in service and your earnable compensation. Service credit is based on the total compensated time spent in an eligible position and reported by your employer on your behalf.
You earn 12 service credit months for each school year (September 1 through August 31) in which you:
You earn six service credit months for each school year in which you:
If you do not meet the requirements above, your service credit will be determined as follows:
No more than one month’s service credit may be earned for each calendar month worked, regardless of the number of employers for whom you work.
Suppose you taught full time starting with the 1999-2000 school year and continuing through the end of the 2004-05 term — six full years. Then you reduced your hours. During the 2005-06 school year, your hours and service credit were as follows:
| Hours | Service Credit Months | |
|---|---|---|
| September | 140 | 1 |
| October | 140 | 1 |
| November | 0 | 0 |
| December | 0 | 0 |
| January | 70 | 1/2 |
| February | 120 | 1 |
| March | 100 | 1 |
| April | 110 | 1 |
| May | 120 | 1 |
| June | 40 | 1/4 |
| July | 0 | 0 |
| August | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 840 | 6 3/4 |
Although you worked more than 810 hours in the 2005-06 term, you did not work nine months, so you would receive six and 3/4 service credit months for your work in September, October, January, February, March, April, May, and June. Total service credit for the period beginning with the 1999-2000 term and ending with the 2005-06 term would be six years, six and 3/4 months.