Adding to Your Account

Combined Plan members can only add to their account outside of their and the employer and member contributions through:

Military Service — Members may make contributions on salary not earned if their teaching career is interrupted by military service. If a member elects to make contributions on salary missed due to military service, STRS Ohio will bill the member’s employer for employer contributions and deposit those contributions to the member’s account.

Leaves of Absences —Members may purchase service for leaves of absence and make contributions to their defined contribution account for teaching service missed while on leave of absence. The member is responsible for all contributions, both member and employer, that would have been made while on leave.

If you intend to purchase credit, the service must be certified and a cost statement issued before your effective retirement date and purchased no later than three months after retirement, unless your effective retirement date is June 1 or July 1. If your effective retirement date is June 1 or July 1, and you are purchasing credit with after-tax funds (such as writing a personal check), the purchase must be made by July 30. You may wish to delay your retirement if you are unable to certify the service or complete your purchase before this deadline.

Rollover — Members who had STRS Ohio service credit before July 1, 2001, can roll over funds from a qualified account. If membership began after July 1, 2001, funds can be rolled over from a qualified account if the member chooses the Defined Contribution or Combined Plan as their permanent plan during their fifth year of membership. Rolled funds into an STRS Ohio account cannot be withdrawn from an STRS Ohio account unless the member terminates teaching service.