TRS service credit is earned per TRS school year. Only one year of service may be earned from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31 (the TRS school year). These dates may not be the same as the instructional, contract or work agreement year.
Service credit is established in two ways:
- Through eligible employment in Texas public education
- By purchasing service credit when eligible
Standard Work Week
Those in a TRS-eligible position, who are regularly scheduled to work five days per week, can earn a year of service credit by working for at least 90 days during the TRS school year or getting paid leave for at least 90 days during the TRS school year.
In the chart below, the employee would earn their year of service in January, since they worked at least 90 days.
Nonstandard Work Week
Employees in TRS eligible positions who fulfill their required work schedule in fewer days than the standard Monday-Friday arrangement, for at least two weeks per month, are considered to be working a Non-Standard Workweek. For these employees, the method of calculating a Year of Service Credit differs from the standard 90-day calculation used for traditional workweeks. Employees working a Nonstandard Work Week may earn a year of service by:
- work or get paid leave for at least eight days each month for four months and
- work or get paid leave for at least five days for one month that cannot be included in the previous four months
In the chart below, the employee would earn their year of service in January since they worked four months with at least eight days each (September–December 2024) and at least five days in another month (January 2025).
December Retirees
Members may not receive a year of service credit before Dec. 31 except in the final year of retirement. If a member completes the full fall semester with no unpaid leave, a year of service credit may be approved. This means that a member that works or receives paid leave for each day of the full fall semester may earn a year of service credit. Even if that semester is less than 90 days.
The final determination on whether a TRS member receives a year of service in their final year before retirement is made during the retirement process by TRS.
Work Agreement Changes
If an employee has a change to their work agreement after working 90 days and earning a year of service, all non-substitute work agreements for the remainder of that fiscal year continue to be TRS-eligible, and member contributions must continue to be withheld.
When a work agreement changes after a year of service has been earned, an ED45 must be submitted to update the employment type to less than half time; however, the TRS membership eligibility flag will remain “Yes.”