Purchasable Service Credit

There are numerous types of service credit that may be purchased to increase your retirement benefit. Some are treated the same as actual Connecticut public school teaching service and some are considered as Non-Connecticut.  It is your responsibility to document additional credited service on the appropriate form(s). Lack of the required information requested on the appropriate additional credit forms will cause delays in processing a cost statement.  Forms are listed below and available on the Active/Inactive Teacher Forms page.

1.  Additional Service Credit - Estimates may be processed on the Additional Service Credit Cost EstimatorYou cannot use the Additional Service Credit Cost Estimator for Previous Connecticut Teaching Service.  (See number 2 below)
Various Limitations on Additional Service Credit
  • Additional credit is calculated on a school year basis (September through June), including military service.  No credit is given for July and August.
  • Substitute service and Part-time service (less than 50%) requires that a member work at least the equivalent of 40 days or more in a single school year in a single school system.  For each 18 days of such service 1 month of additional credited service shall be given.
  • A member may purchase up to 10 years of additional service in aggregate except for Outside State Teaching Service (OSS).
  • A member may be allowed one year of OSS (United States, it territories or possessions) for each two years of active full-time service as a Connecticut teacher. Any OSS years purchased in excess of ten years are purchased at full actuarial value.
  • A maximum of three years of Peacetime Military service; 10 years of Wartime Military service.
  • Leaves of absence are limited to one year for every five years of full-time Connecticut teaching service and no more than a maximum of three consecutive years.
  • A maximum of two years of Federal Teacher Corps Service.
  • State of Connecticut Employment in a non-teaching position must be a full-time permanent position.
  • Part-time lecturing when not employed by a town Board of Education in a regular public school teaching position. 

Private schools or institutions and parochial school service is not purchasable credit.

Service credit may not be purchased if the member is receiving or is, or will become, entitled to receive a retirement benefit based upon such service from any governmental system other than the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement System, the U.S. Social Security System Administration, or a Non-Regular military pension in the case of military service.

CONNECTICUT SERVICE
Type of Service Credit Documentation Required
Adult Education Assignments – High School Credit Diploma Program Only – Not GED Adult Education Assignments Form
Hourly Paid Certified Teaching Service (Tutoring, CETA, etc) Hourly Paid Certified Teacher Form
Part-time Lecturer Part-Time Lecturer Form
Part-time Service (less than 50%) Less than Half-time CT Public School Employment Form
Previous Absence or Terminations Due to Pregnancy Special Rules For Absences Due to Maternity
Previous Leave of Absence Previous Leave of Absence Form
Previous Leave of Absence for Child Rearing Purposes When Not Granted by CT Local School District Child Rearing Leave of Absence - Special Board Policy
Prior CT Service Withdrawn Prior Connecticut Teaching Service Buy Back Request Form
State of CT Employment - Teaching (UCONN, colleges, CTHSS, State of CT agencies, i.e. DOC, DMR) State of Connecticut Employment Teaching Form
Substitute Teaching Substitute Teaching Service Form
Wartime Military Service Discharge Papers (DD214)Request Military Service Records

NON-CONNECTICUT SERVICE
Type of Service Credit Documentation Required
American School for the Deaf Teaching Service American School at Hartford for the Deaf Teaching Service Form
CT Institute for the Blind Teaching Service Connecticut Institute for the Blind Teaching Service Form
Elected Official Full-Time Slaried Elected Official Service Form
Federal Teacher Corps Federal Teacher Corps Form
Full-time Permanent State of CT Employment (including but not limited to Judicial, DMV, DPW, DPH) State of Connecticut Employment Non-Teaching
Military Dependents School Department of Defense Dependents School (DODDS) Form
New York City Department of Education Teaching Service New York City Department of Education Teaching Service
Newington Children's Hospital Teaching Service Newington Children's Hospital Teaching Service Form
Outside State Teaching Service Outside State Teaching Service Form
Peace Corps Peace Corps Verification of Service
Peacetime Military Service Discharge Papers (DD214)Request Military Service Records
Social Work Assistant in a Public School from 1969 to 1986 Social Work Assistant Public School Form
State Education Resource Center Teaching State Education Resource Center Teaching Service Form
VISTA VISTA Verification of Service Contact Information

 

2.  Previous Teaching Service in Connecticut - These types of service are considered as membership credit.  The cost is determined by using what mandatory contributions would have been paid at the time of employment plus the credited interest that would have accrued through the date of payment. You cannot use the Additional Service Credit Cost Estimator for these types of service:

  • Prior Connecticut Service
    This is service you forfeited when you withdrew your contributions.
  • Hourly Paid Certified Teaching Service
    If you have Tutor, Title One, Chapter IV, Head Start, ESL or CETA service.
  • Adult Education Assignments
    If you taught in an Adult High School Credit Diploma Program.
  • State of CT Employment as a Teacher
    Previous teaching at UCONN, State Colleges, CTHSS, State of CT Agencies such as DOC, DMR.
  • Part-time Lecturer
    If you were an active contributing member of TRB and also were employed as a part-time lecturer at a CT State College or University, you may elect to include such earnings as part of your pensionable salary.  Please be advised if you are currently working as a regular public school teacher and a part-time lecturer, you need to contact the university or college payroll office regarding your eligibility to enroll in CTRB and include your earnings as part of your pensionable salary, which may have an effect in determining your highest 3-year average at the time of your retirement.
 
3.  Current Leaves of Absence (CLOA) - You may elect to pay the monthly mandatory contributions while on your approved CLOA for a total of ten (10) months during your career for any leave occurring on or after July 1, 1986. To document this service, a Current Leave of Absence Form (TRB 53X) must be completed and returned to this office.
 
Effective with current leaves of absence beginning in the 2012-13 school year, payment for a CLOA is now required either in advance or in monthly installments. It may not be paid for in arrears after the end of the month. Failure to pay any month’s installment by the last day of that month will result in a change in the member's status from active to inactive and the an inactive member is ineligible to purchase any of the remaining months of the leave as a CLOA, but may be eligible to purchase them as a Previous Leave of Absence subject to certain limitations.
 
We have expanded the payment options for a CLOA to include rollovers from other qualified retirement plans and the use of funds in the voluntary and supplemental accounts.