Service Credit FAQs

1. How do I receive service credit?

You can earn NYSTRS service credit by working as a member for a participating employer. You may also transfer credit you accrued from another New York State public retirement system. In addition, you may receive credit for certain military service, prior service credit, or credit through a reinstated former membership.  Our publication You Deserve the Credit provides comprehensive information on this topic.

2. Can I receive credit for teaching in another state? 

The crediting rules for out-of-state credit depend on your tier status, as follows: 

• Tier 1: You may receive credit, to a maximum of 10 years, for teaching before your current date of membership in the public schools and colleges of another state, provided you will not receive a benefit for that service from another state or the federal government. Out-of-state service that brings your total service above 35 years is excluded from the pension calculation.
• Tier 2: You may receive credit for out-of-state service only if it had been credited under a previous Tier 1 membership in NYSTRS.
• Tiers 3 and 4: You cannot receive credit for service in another state.

3. If I earn extra salary during the school year, or for teaching summer school, do I earn more service credit?

If you earn a full year of credit for your regular employment, you cannot increase your service credit. One year of credit is the most that you can receive in a school year (July 1 through June 30). 

4. Can I receive credit for working at a charter school?

You may receive service credit for teaching at a charter school only if the charter school is a participating NYSTRS employer. To become a participating employer, a charter school must apply and be accepted by NYSTRS. Once it has become a participating NYSTRS employer, the school may not terminate its affiliation with the System. Not every charter school elects to be a NYSTRS-participating employer. If you are unsure about a particular school, please check our participating charter schools page. If a charter school becomes a participating NYSTRS employer after it has opened, employees of the school (as opposed to employees of the management company that runs the school) may receive credit for work performed prior to it becoming a participating NYSTRS member, provided the System receives all applicable employer and employee contributions.

5. Can I receive credit for private school teaching or working for the federal government?

No. There is no provision in the law that allows a NYSTRS member to receive credit for such employment.