Service Credit

Service credit helps determine your eligibility for retirement and the amount of your monthly retirement benefit.

You will qualify for lifetime benefits after meeting one of the following eligibility requirements (assuming the STRS Ohio account is not withdrawn):

Age	Years of Service Credit
Any age	30
55	25*
60	5*

*If you retire with less than 30 years of service credit and before age 65, there is an actuarial reduction in the benefit. Full benefits are paid when you have 30 years of service credit or at age 65.

Service Credit Years
Contributing Service Credit — Service credit that contributes toward the enhanced benefit and includes service for which contributions were made to STRS Ohio, OPERS or SERS during your employment. Service credit that has been restored in any of those systems is also included. Service credit purchased in STRS Ohio for the following categories also contributes toward the enhanced benefit:

• military service,
• police, fire and state highway patrol service,
• resignation due to pregnancy,
• leaves of absence purchased under 3307.77 R.C. and former section 3307.512 R.C.
• other Ohio public service after July 1, 1978, purchased under 3307.72 R.C. and former section 3307.73 R.C.

Noncontributing Service Credit — Service credit that does not contribute toward the enhanced calculation. Noncontributing service credit is calculated at 2.2% of the final average salary. A reduction factor is applied if the member retires before age 65 and with less than 30 years of service.

Service credit is calculated by your employer and reported to STRS Ohio as of June 30 of each year. All service credit reported is subject to audit prior to retirement.

Note: Even if you have multiple employers, you cannot earn more than one year of credit during a one-year period.

K–12 Full-Time Service — After Sept.1, 1971, if you were under contract for full-time regular service, 120 or more days of contributing service with the same employer equals one year of service credit. If your total full-time service for a year was fewer than 120 days, service credit is determined as if the service was part-time service.

K–12 Part-Time Service — If your service is on a part-time basis, one of the following calculations is used that provides the greater service credit:

Number of days of actual paid teaching service divided by 180 (Example: 119 days ÷ 180 = 0.66 of a year of service credit), or

If you taught for one employer for at least 90 days or 500 hours and maintained an employment relationship equal to at least 120 days of that school year, service credit is calculated by dividing your actual compensation by the first step of the state minimum salary schedule.

University & College Full-Time Service — After Sept. 1, 1971, if you were under contract for full-time regular service, two academic quarters constitute one year of service credit.

If you are on a 12-month administrative contract for full-time regular service, 120 or more days of contributing service constitute one year of service credit as of Sept. 1, 1971.

University & College Part-Time Service — If your service is on a part-time basis, one of the following calculations is used:

• Service under a 12-month administrative contract is determined by the number of days divided by 180, or
• Percent-based salaried service is determined by the percent of full-time employment. For example, three quarters on a 50% load equals 0.50 of a year of service credit. If such employment exceeds 66% averaged over three quarters during the year, you will receive a full year of service credit unless your salary was reduced for partial pay granted during a professional leave of absence. A professional leave of absence with partial pay provides only a partial year of retirement credit. Review your STRS Ohio annual statement. If a full year of credit for partial contributions was recorded in error, contact STRS Ohio immediately to correct the service credit and to find out how to complete full contributions. Certain past employment may be purchased and used to determine retirement eligibility.