Types
of Purchasable Credit
Current & Past Leaves of Absence (Please note that this form is to be
used for past leaves of absence only.)
Section 3307.77, Revised Code
This section outlines the requirements for STRS Ohio members to obtain Ohio-valued
credit for:
- A current absence or leave (occurring within the last two years) by completing
deposits directly with the employer at the time the absence or leave occurred,
and
- A past absence or leave by completing deposits, plus interest, directly
with STRS Ohio.
Completing deposits on a current or past leave may provide:
- Up to a full year of service credit for the school year, and
- The full salary that would have been earned had the absence or leave not
occurred.
Eligibility Requirements
Below is a list of the basic eligibility requirements:
- The absence or leave must be from an STRS Ohio employer, not an out-of-state
employer.
- You must be under contract during the period of absence or leave.
- A nonpaid professional leave of absence from a university, community college,
technical college or institute must comply with the specific procedural requirements.
Maximum Credit
The maximum purchasable credit is two years for each period of absence or leave.
Type of Absence or Leaves of Absence
Board of Education Employer:
- Absence for a nonteaching period due to personal illness or injury.
- Partially paid professional leave (Section 3319.131, R.C.).
- A leave for any reason approved by the board of education (Section 3319.13,
R.C.).
University Employer:
- Absence for a nonteaching period due to personal illness or injury.
- Partially paid professional leave (Section 3345.28, R.C.).
Notification Form 3345.28 must be completed by all college or university
faculty who are granted a sabbatical leave. See your employer to obtain
and complete this form before the leave.
If you were previously granted a partially paid leave of absence, please
review your STRS Ohio Annual Statement of Account to determine
if a full year of service credit was reported in error. If so, contact us
immediately to correct the service credit. Information will be provided
to complete full contributions.
Completing Deposits on a Current Absence or Leave
If a member changes employers, the employer responsible for determining the
amount of contributions owed to STRS Ohio for the leave is the employer who
granted the absence or leave.
A member can complete deposits directly with his or her employer:
- Within the year in which the absence or leave occurs, or
- Within two years following the year in which the absence or leave occurred.
Payment must be received by STRS Ohio no later than June 30 of the second year
following the year in which the absence or leave ended.
Cost for Current Absence or Leave
The cost is based on the annual compensation that would have been received had
the member remained in the position, multiplied by the STRS Ohio member contribution
rate in effect at the time the absence or leave ended. This is the same amount
the member would have contributed had he or she actually been employed during
that period.
The employer who granted the leave is required to pay employer contributions
on the annual compensation used in determining the member’s cost.
Purchasing a Past Absence or Leave
A member may purchase a past absence or leave by completing deposits,
plus interest, directly with STRS Ohio.
An absence or leave of absence is considered “past” if payment is
received in, or after, the third year following the year in which the absence
or leave occurred.
The member pays directly to STRS Ohio the member contribution, plus interest
on both member and employer payments.
The employer at the time of the absence, or the employer who grants the leave,
is required to pay employer contributions on the base annual compensation used
in determining the member’s cost.
Certification for Past Absence or Leave
To request a certification form for a past absence or leave, contact STRS Ohio
toll-free at 1-888-227-7877.
Cost for Past Absence or Leave
The cost is determined by:
- Multiplying the annual compensation for the last year of service before
the absence or leave by the member contribution rate in effect at the time
the absence or leave began,
- Adding interest on both member and employer payments. Interest at 8%
(subject to change) is compounded annually beginning with the third year following
the year in which the absence or leave terminated and ending the last day
of the month in which payment is made.
Example:
Assume a member earned $22,000 and 1.00 year of STRS Ohio credit for teaching
service during the 1990-91 school year, then took a leave of absence during
the 1991-92 school year. The member returned to full-time STRS Ohio-covered
teaching service on Aug. 27, 1992.
To estimate the cost to purchase 1.00 year of credit for a leave of absence:
Step 1: Using the table below, find the STRS Ohio member
contribution rate in effect at the beginning of the 1991-92 school year and
multiply it by $22,000.
$22,000 x 9.25% = $2,035
Member Contribution Rate &
Salary Base |
| 9/1/1920–8/31/1945 |
4.0% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1945–8/31/1951 |
5.0% up to first $3,000 |
| 9/1/1951–8/31/1959 |
6.0% of total compensation |
| 9/1/1959–6/30/1968 |
7.0% of total compensation |
| 7/1/1968–12/31/1973 |
7.8% of total compensation |
| 1/1/1974–6/30/1977 |
8.0% of total compensation |
| 7/1/1977–12/31/1983 |
8.5% of total compensation |
| 1/1/1984–6/30/1988 |
8.75% of total compensation |
| 7/1/1988–6/30/1990 |
8.77% of total compensation |
| 7/1/1990–6/30/1994 |
9.25% of total compensation |
| 7/1/1994–6/30/2003 |
9.30% of total compensation |
| 7/1/2003–Present |
10.0% of total compensation |
Step 2: Using the table below, find the 8% annual compound
interest factor for 13 years (1995 until 2008) and multiply it by the answer
from Step 1.
2.72 x $2,035 = $5,535
Annual Compound Interest Factors
by Years |
| Years |
4% |
8% |
| 1 |
1.04 |
1.08 |
| 2 |
1.08 |
1.17 |
| 3 |
1.12 |
1.26 |
| 4 |
1.17 |
1.36 |
| 5 |
1.22 |
1.47 |
| 6 |
1.27 |
1.59 |
| 7 |
1.32 |
1.71 |
| 8 |
1.37 |
1.85 |
| 9 |
1.42 |
2.00 |
| 10 |
1.48 |
2.16 |
| 11 |
1.54 |
2.33 |
| 12 |
1.60 |
2.52 |
| 13 |
1.67 |
2.72 |
| 14 |
1.73 |
2.94 |
| 15 |
1.80 |
3.17 |
| 16 |
1.87 |
3.43 |
| 17 |
1.95 |
3.70 |
| 18 |
2.03 |
4.00 |
| 19 |
2.11 |
4.32 |
| 20 |
2.19 |
4.66 |
| 21 |
2.28 |
5.03 |
| 22 |
2.37 |
5.44 |
| 23 |
2.46 |
5.87 |
| 24 |
2.56 |
6.34 |
| 25 |
2.67 |
6.85 |
| 26 |
2.77 |
7.40 |
| 27 |
2.88 |
7.99 |
| 28 |
3.00 |
8.63 |
| 29 |
3.12 |
9.32 |
| 30 |
3.24 |
10.06 |
Step 3: Using the table below, find the STRS Ohio employer
contribution rate in effect at the beginning of the 1991-92 school year and
multiply it by $22,000.
$22,000 x 14% = $3,080
(This is the employer’s cost.)
Employer Contribution Rate &
Salary Base |
| 9/1/1920–8/31/1923 |
5.57% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1923–8/31/1924 |
4.70% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1924–8/31/1926 |
3.70% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1926–8/31/1927 |
3.60% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1927–8/31/1930 |
3.57% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1930–8/31/1938 |
3.45% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1938–8/31/1939 |
3.82% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1939–8/31/1941 |
4.44% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1941–8/31/1945 |
4.00% up to first $2,000 |
| 9/1/1945–8/31/1946 |
5.00% up to first $3,000 |
| 9/1/1946–8/31/1947 |
4.75% up to first $3,000 |
| 9/1/1947–8/31/1948 |
5.75% up to first $3,000 |
| 9/1/1948–8/31/1949 |
7.50% up to first $3,000 |
| 9/1/1949–8/31/1951 |
7.25% up to first $3,000 |
| 9/1/1951–8/31/1952 |
8.50% |
| 9/1/1952–8/31/1955 |
8.00% |
| 9/1/1955–8/31/1958 |
9.25% |
| 9/1/1958–8/31/1959 |
9.33% |
| 9/1/1959–8/31/1964 |
10.41% up to first $18,000 |
| 9/1/1964–8/31/1965 |
11.00% up to first $18,000 |
| 9/1/1965–12/31/1965 |
11.00% up to first $25,000 |
| 1/1/1966–7/1/1968 |
11.50% up to first $25,000 |
| 7/2/1968–8/31/1969 |
11.50% |
| 9/1/1969–12/31/1973 |
12.90% |
| 1/1/1974–6/30/1977 |
12.55% |
| 7/1/1977–12/31/1983 |
13.50% |
| 1/1/1984–present |
14.00% |
Step 4: Using the annual compound interest table in
Step 2, find the 8% annual compound interest factor for 13 years (1995 until
2008) and multiply it by the answer from Step 3.
2.72 x $3,080 = $8,378
Step 5: Subtract the employer contributions
(calculated in Step 3) from the number calculated in Step 4.
$8,378 - $3,080 = $5,298
Step 6: Add the answer from Step 2 to the answer from Step 5.
$5,535 + $5,298 = $10,833
In this example, the member cost to purchase 1.00 year of credit in June 2008
for a leave of absence is approximately $10,833.
